12 January 17 • 2019
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the trade-offs in our personal and 
professional lives when it comes 
to changes in our habits, thoughts 
and relationships. He opines that 
we have many institutions of trust 
that need rebuilding, ranging from 
journalism and entertainment to 
politics and public service. We also 
need to live locally, volunteering 
in our schools, serving at a soup 
kitchen and visiting a nursing 
home.
What’
s the solution? What should 
we do? Sasse suggests it starts 
with the individual turning off the 
television, logging off Twitter or 
Facebook and putting the smart-
phone in the drawer.
“Go outside and throw a ball 
with your son or daughter. Read a 
book together. Bake cookies and 
take them to a new family that just 
moved in across the street. Invite 
co-workers you’
ve been meaning to 
know out to lunch. Help clean up 
after coffee hour. Sign up for a shift 

at the animal shelter. Mow your 
neighbor’
s lawn, on the sly unde-
tected. Visit a widow.” 
Sasse’
s point is to go where the 
action is — not in Washington or 
on Instagram — but locally, where 
real, rich meaningful life is.
“It’
s face-to-face, shoul-
der-to-shoulder, hand-in-hand. 
Start — here, now.”
And as the Talmud teaches: “Do 
not be daunted by the enormity of 
the world’
s grief. Do justly, now. 
Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, 
now. You are not obligated to com-
plete the work, but neither are you 
free to abandon it.”

Ken Winter, former editor and publisher of 
the Petoskey News-Review and member 
of the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame, 
teaches political science and journalism at 
North Central Michigan College in Petoskey 
and Michigan State University. This essay 
was first published on Domemagazine.com.

TU B’
SHEVAT

continued from page 10

Yiddish Limerick

TU B SHEVAT

We plant a beyml, efsher tzvay
Farvos it’
s Tu b’
Shevat today.
Dos cost nisht much it’
s nor a 
“chai”
A price nisht zayer zayer high.
So dri or fir vet zayn OK.

By Rachel Kapen

beyml: a little tree
Efsher tzvay: perhaps two
Farvos: because
Dos: this
Nisht: not
It’
s nor: it’
s only
Zayer: so
Dri or fir: three or four
Vet zayn: will be

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