| A student came into the office the other day. She was trying to make a photocopy of her artwork to share with her classmates. “It’s not working,” she said and asked if I could help her fix it. After flexing my (minimal) IT skills 👨💻, neither one of us could really figure out what was wrong. “Can I teach you a magic trick to use when this happens?” I asked, ” It works for printers, laptops, phones… even people!” She rolled her eyes, skeptical this was just a bad Rabbi Meyers joke* or something. I reached for the printer, turned it off, then back on. “Try it now,” I said. She pressed the button. Voila 💥! To her excitement, it worked. Fresh copies in hand, she asked me, “Ok, Rabbi Meyers. But how does this work on people”? “Simple,” I said. “Sometimes, all we need is a restart and a break. When we’re well-rested, well-fed, and our ‘cup’ is full 🍵, solutions appear out of nowhere.” I’d like to think she left the office with more than just a fresh copy but also with a fresh perspective. I started to think about my own perspectives on restarting. I didn’t have to look much further than our own Jewish heritage. In many ways, this is the message of Shabbos. If we were “On” for seven days a week, 52 weeks a year, and all 120** years of our lives, we’d quickly burn out, lose creative juices, and lose sight of our goals 🥱. Our Torah’s ancient wisdom teaches that there’s a better way. We are given defined times to pause. Once a week from Sundown to Sundown 🌄. Whether (I think) I need it or not. No matter what. No matter how much work I have left to do, I connect with my family 👪 on Shabbos. No matter what else I’d like to create (physically), I create connections with my soul and Jewish heritage on Shabbos 🙏. No matter what the world throws at me, I take a step back. I rest, recharge, and renew on Shabbos 🔋. And you know what? When I return to my work and my problems on Sunday, I have a fresh perspective. New solutions appear. It’s not just a trick for fixing printers and laptops. It’s the wisdom our people have been following for millennia. And it works. Wishing you all a meaningful, restful, and enjoyable Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Shmuel Meyers *Me? Bad Jokes? Never! 😉 **Throughout the ages, our people have blessed each other with the words, “may you live to 120 years”, the age Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses) was when he passed away. Here’s to hoping we all get there 🥂! |
 |
