Winter Is Coming (Yay!)
Tech Tribe Dispatch #363
š” Think:
Said Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel: There were no greater festivals for Israel than the 15th of Av and Yom Kippurā¦
āTalmud, Taanit 26b
Everyones deleting their social apps. Or pausing them for a needed mental-health break. And thereās good reason: The proliferation of an always on constantly updating feed leaves us exhausted and unfocused. Overwhelmed by the digital deluge of algorithmically curated feeds that are anything but āfor you.ā
We need to focus on what really matters in life: Our interpersonal relationships, our human experiences. We need to touch grass and refresh our inner-feed.
The greatest tool we have for this purpose is the study of Torah. When we place Torah study at the heart of our life, ensuring that it is a consistent part of our daily schedule, we can truly benefit from its centering and grounding power.
Our Sages declare that the night was created for Torah study. Now that the nights are beginning to grow longer, and the summer heat starts to dissipateāāthe sunās power is weakenedāāthe chance to focus on that mission gets reinvigorated.
Using the darkness of the night to share the ultimate light of Torah is particularly important for those caught in the hustle and bustle of modern life. While some are privileged to dedicate many hours to study, many others feel the frequent demands of life, work, and family make immersion difficult.
But dedication to Torah study is relative to our experience. A sage who can learn constantly, but instead chooses to squander 10 minutes of that time, has erred in his conduct. Contrast that with someone else who takes a break from the legitimate craziness of life to learn. That moment of Torah study is profound and transformative.
This is true because relative frequency does not detract from the centrality of Torah study in our lives. If we make sure our study is consistentābe it a chapter in the morning, a chapter in the evening, a Torah class once a week or personal study with a partner 10 minutes a dayāeach and every one of those moments can become a centering moment in our lives. We set our time and schedule our lives to that study, we revisit it and wait for it to come again.It has a transformative effect on us.
After the 15th of AV, in the heat of the summer, we notice that the nights become shorter. Now is our opportunity to add in the joyous act of Torah study.
As Maimonides writes āeven though it is a mitzvah to study during the day and at night, it is only at night that a person acquires most of his wisdom.1ā
This moment of rejoicing comes specifically when the days themselves become shorter, the nights longer. The darkness of night itself becomes not a source of concealment, but a vessel for the greatest light.
So hereās to longer nights with more time to learn and focus on what counts.
Isnāt that something to rejoice about?
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š Mazel:
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šØ Create:
āIf you will heed these ordinances and safeguard them by studying how to perform them, and perform them, God, your God, will keep the covenant for you.ā
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Mishneh Torah, Torah Study 3:13