Connection
For many, CONNECTION is as primary to Shabbat as infusing the day with rest. Connecting with friends new and old adds a rich depth to life and is an opportunity to nurture relationships. This Shabbat, nourish your connections as a foundational step to nourishing your soul.
Plan a Shabbat with a friend you haven’t seen in a while, organize a date night to a new restaurant you’ve been meaning to try, or spend some time cooking with your roommate and getting to know each other better. Shabbat doesn’t have to be a big production, it’s about slowing down and taking the time to disconnect from the busyness of the week.
If you are a OneTable host, we have several Nourishment options for planning your Shabbat involving connection. Use Nourishment to put towards an AirBnB for some quiet time, to subscribe to the Calm app, or order from Home Chef for some fun in the kitchen. Don’t see what you’re looking for? Ask your Field Manager or login or create an account to post a dinner yourself using #unplugged in the description!
Explore a little more
Intrigued about the benefits of unplugging? Greater Good Magazine discusses how to stop your smartphone from hurting your health.
Unsure how to prepare for a full tech Shabbat? Tiffany Shlain for Wired helps you plan everything you need to enjoy one tech-free day a week.
Having trouble connecting with those right in front of you because your eyes are always on a screen? Listen to this On Being episode reflecting that we’ve become enmeshed with our technologies.
Know that you will connect best with others who share your interests? Allow VIA to help you efficiently follow your bliss.
Looking for a great practice to transition into Shabbat? Reflect on what you’re grateful for from the week past with the help of OneTable’s Gratitude Guide.
Looking for your next absorbing read? OneTable’s Nourishment options now include Adeena Sussman’s “Shabbat”, Alan Lew’s “This is Real and You are Completely Unprepared”, and Tiffany Shlain’s “24/6”.
Elul: Preparing for the High Holidays
Elul, the Hebrew month leading up to the High Holidays, begins this August and our Unplugged partners are offering some wonderful resources to help you prepare.
At the Well has created this Shabbat Guide for a Meaningful Elul, a unique resource to support you in laying the groundwork for a new year. This month is known as a time of teshuvah, which means returning to your highest self, your true path. It is a beautiful time to take stock of your life and make note of what you’re seeking to change in the year ahead.
The Institute for Jewish Spirituality is offering a free online class, Getting Real for a New Year, for those in their 20s and 30s. The text of this course will be Alan Lew’s “This is Real and You are Completely Unprepared,” which we are now also offering as a Nourishment option!
Taking place August 13 – September 22, it will be an opportunity to share in ongoing Jewish spiritual practice with live virtual sessions, a WhatsApp discussion group, and the option to learn and practice with a chevrutah, or study partner.
Get Cooking!
When you’re with friends and family, it only makes sense to put away your devices and give your people your full attention. The Jewish Food Society has shared a wonderful recipe with us, Devra Ferst’s grandmother’s gravlax – salmon cured in salt and sugar. Devra connected with her grandmother over recipes sent by mail. With this recipe, her grandmother included the note: “Every chef in New York makes it somewhat differently, so don’t get upset if you read, or learn, another way to make this.” Give it a try this weekend!
To read Devra’s story visit jewishfoodsociety.org.