Day Three
Its day three and I’m living solid. No, I have not joined Suntrust. I am on day three without my Ipod Touch. Those who know me know this is a big deal. I spend many a hour on that fabulous piece of machinery. I use it to stay updated on my email, stay in touch with friends, IM, Skype, text. You name it, I use it. So the natural question is why .Why have I separated myself from my beloved Touch?
Over the course of the past week both my friend’s grandfather and one of the biggest leaders in Persian Jewry (R’ Avigdor Asher Ben Gohar A’H) passed away. To say that we were devastated is an understatement. When two people like that are niftar so close to each other it really makes you stop and think about the life you are living and what it that we are living for. What is the purpose of this life? If I died tomorrow would I be able to answer the Heavenly Tribunal?
The Shabbat after my friend's grandfather passed away, her father (my rav) was away for the Levaya so her husband gave the shiur. He was giving the Hashkafa of the omer and why it is that it is so important. The one thing he said which struck me was that al pi kaballa the way one acts during sefira will determine the outcome of his year...ahh..you tayna....what about Rosh Hanana and Yom Kippur? Isn't that when we are judged? He answered that if you are "good" during the omer then you will not be judged come Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. Powerful stuff man. Powerful.
So this all leads me to why I have given up my dearest Touch. For the course of the omer, my pod is in the hands of my sister. I will not have the internet and chat at my finger tips. I will no longer be surfing internet in bed when I should have been sleeping eons ago. It will not have a hold on my like before. After Pesach, I choose to be FREE! During this holy time, during this engagement period between Pesach and Shavuot, choose to reconnect to my Father in Heaven.
So how are you celebrating your freedom? How have you reclaimed your independence? How are you showing that you cherish this engagement period and doing everything possible to connect to Hashem?
May any inspiration from this post be an Iluy Neshama for R'Avigdor Asher ben Gohar
:) shkoich, and best of luck with that resolution.
ReplyDeleteamen! still going strong..now the laptop..thats a different story.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear about all these deaths. Giving up something for Sefirah is an interesting concept. It reminds me a little too much of giving stuff up for Lent.
ReplyDeleteSJW- its not the same thing as lent at all. Sefira is a time to get closer to Hashem. We are supposed to make ourselves into a kli that is capable of receiving the Torah in the best possible way. Giving up my ipod for the 49 days was my way of cleansing myself and making myself ready. What's wrong with that?
ReplyDeleteI would think it's one thing if you give away your ipod so you wont be tempted to listen to music, since that's what sefira is all about. But why are you trying to stop with the email checking and web surfing? I dont think thats a part of it.
ReplyDeleteit was just getting outta hand. Surfing in bed, especially at night its easy to go to places you dont want to go to...so im using this time as an exercise in self control and to get away from the addiction which is my ipod.
ReplyDelete:) good for you. But what about the laptop? You are not going for all out abandonment?
ReplyDeleteid, go crazy, sides i cant hide my laptop in my bed :p. I need to be in contact with the world. Yes, I may be a little addicted perhaps :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to cut back a little - to see if you can feel the freedom in not being connected to the world every second of the day.
Hope it continues to work out well.
And may it be a zechus for those lofty neshamos in gan eden.
My question is, what happens when you get your iTouch back?!
that waits to be seen, i hope that the separation will have developed a sensitivity within me...but that remains to be seen.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI came back to respond to your comment but it's gone...(happened on my blog too to some comments - somethings been up with blogger this past week) maybe you can find it and repost it?
Anyway, I was going to say (in response to your comment) that cutting off completely from your iTouch may be a good thing but once you have it back again, how are you going to make sure that you don't end up exactly where you started?
Maybe you can do little steps so that every day you disconnect a little bit...and then when sefira is over you have achieved that level which you desired to reach - a point where you don't NEED to be attached to your iTouch (or whatever piece of technology it is)...and you can manage just fine without being totally connected to everyone out there through the internet.
Just something to think about...
thanks devorah that sounds great..see the only thing is that most of my friends dont live here and some not even in this country so the internet is really the best way to keep in touch you know? so thats really why im not pulling away completely. but thanks for the thought i appreciate it.
ReplyDelete