According to urban legend, Ernest Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in only six words. His response? “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”
For 13+ years, Smith Magazine has been collecting 6 word memoirs—on pain, loss, hope, fear, joy, and more. Over 1 million submissions have been collected, offering pithy—and sometimes profound—reflections on life, love, and current events. A couple of recent ones speak to the current climate:
Feeling lost in my own house.
SocialDistancing: taking the road less traveled.
Lots of wine glasses in dishwasher.
What might yours read?
While usually clocking in at more than 6 words, our tradition has a version to offer as well. Pirke Avot, the Sayings of our Ancestors, are also pithy—and often profound—reflections on life, learning, values, hope, and more.
It is customary to study this text during the days between Passover and Shavuot; 6 chapters to mark the 6 Shabbatot that link these holidays.
One week in, it is not too late to join us; the whole clergy team is teaching over these next weeks! Wednesdays at 7 p.m.
Shabbat Shalom.
— Rabbi Sari Laufer