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