8 | NOVEMBER 23 • 2023 J
N
opinion
Our Communal Responsibility
H
ow often have you
heard the words, Kol
Yisrael arevim zeh
bazeh (Talmud Shevuot, 39a),
“all of Israel is responsible for
each other.”
Each of us has
an obligation
to care for the
rest of us. It is
an answer to the
first question in
the Bible, “
Am
I my brother’s
keeper.” Yes, we are obligated to
act as a keeper who is respon-
sible for guarding our brothers
and sisters. In challenging
times, our obligation to com-
munal responsibility is tested,
and this is our most challeng-
ing time since the Shoah.
The despicable, barbaric
Hamas attack and its aftermath
are testing the Jewish people as
never before. Our most beloved
Israel is fighting for its survival.
Our Jewish sons and daugh-
ters, soldiers and civilians, are
embattled on the frontlines to
save our homeland, preserve
our way of life and ensure the
continuity of our people for
generations, mi dor l’dor. Many
of our Michigan Lone Soldiers
are deep in the battle.
As spectators to the events
unfolding on our screens, we
ask ourselves what we can do,
how can we be helpful in this
fight for the Jewish nation.
We’ve rallied. We’ve marched.
We’ve donated our dollars to
emergency funds for Israel. As
the war goes on, we ask what
else we can do in this fight for
survival. We feel a need to act,
to do more to live the teaching:
kol Yisael aravim zeh bazeh.
We can fulfill our respon-
sibility to our community by
engaging with the community.
• We can repeatedly reach
out to our family, our friends
and acquaintances in Israel to
show our concerns.
• We can reach out to the
families of Detroit’s Lone
Soldiers to offer caring support.
• We can write to our elect-
ed officials to thank them for
supporting Israel in its hour of
need.
• We can buy Israeli products
at this time when the economy
is challenged.
• We can say the prayer for
Israel and for the IDF every
day at home or in synagogue.
• We can show our support
for the soldiers of the IDF.
We can support the soldiers
of the IDF in a very concrete
way by providing them with
necessary winter gear. The
nights are cold in the North
and in the desert. It’s even
colder when you’re sleeping
on the ground. Rapid mobi-
lization of 360,000 reservists
created a logistical nightmare.
No government can equip an
entire army with everything at
the same time on a day’s notice.
Add to that the needs of the
250,000 internally displaced
Israelis whose homes were
destroyed or who are in harm’s
way. The needs are great and
offer an opportunity for us to
take some responsibility.
There is an organized pro-
cess that enables people to buy
specific gear from a carefully
curated selection of items that
will be distributed quickly and
Rachel S.
Yoskowitz
PURELY COMMENTARY
I
sometimes find it hard to
disconnect, to ignore the
ring tone that tells me a
text has arrived or to avoid
compulsively checking my
email. We live
in an age where
being connected
is of supreme
importance,
where being
unconnected
is anxiety-
producing.
There’s even an acronym for
it: FOMO, Fear Of Missing
Out.
Long before social
media and mobile phones,
psychologists realized the
benefit of taking time out
for us to recharge and
reset. Recharging is not just
necessary for good physical
and mental health; it is also a
boost to creativity.
So how does one unplug
from the increasing demands
of modern life? Believe it or
not, there is a weekly antidote
for FOMO that is so simple
it’s easy to overlook. It’s called
Shabbat.
There is a song called “It’s
Time to Say Good Shabbos”
that was written and sung by
the musical group Journeys. I
particularly love this verse:
So throw away your hammer
There’s nothing left to do
Go home and find the gift
that’s waiting there for you.
The gift, of course, is
Shabbat — if we choose to see
it as a gift.
Shabbat for me is a time to
disconnect from my weekday
life and step into an oasis
in time. I reconnect with
my family, my friends, my
spiritual side and God. I step
back, take a deep breath and
live in the moment. And that
truly is a gift!
On Shabbat, Judaism tells
us that we separate the sacred
Mandy
Garver
essay
Shabbat as an Antidote to FOMO