Lately, having spent so much time on the computer or phone this past year and half, I’ve been making small, conscious efforts to be more intentional about my screen time. Last week, after a cup of morning coffee and some reading time with Ruby, I opened up my phone to a headline that made me want to shut it down entirely. The title read How the Pandemic is Still Making Us Feel Terrible, which described how feelings of uncertainty and isolation as well as the overconsumption of virtual information during the past 18+ months have led to peaking numbers of anxiety and depression for residents of the United States. Even with interventions like masks and vaccines, routines developing increased normalcy, and kids returning to school, many of us are still struggling with and even reeling from the stressful effects of a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic and spending so little time unplugged.
What can we do? No solution is all-perfect or one-size-fits-all, and yet, our tradition teaches that mindfulness and prayer are necessary daily nourishment for our stressed brains, bodies, screen-tired eyes, and souls. And I know from celebrating so many s’machot (happy occasions) and chagim (holy days) with so many of you that prayer, music, and scrolling-free time can truly create that space for inner peace, for shalom, and for a sense of personal wholeness, shleimut. There is a beautiful reading from our prayer book, Mishkan T’filah, that touches on the power of prayer and the personal strength that comes from setting aside time for quiet reflection or Divine connection. I hope that these words will serve as a salve for any temporary feelings of stress, discomfort, powerlessness, fatigue, or imbalance you might experience this week. Shavuah tov.
— Cantor Emma Lutz
Prayer invites
God’s presence to suffuse our spirits,
God’s will to prevail in our lives.
Prayer may not bring water to parched fields,
Nor mend a broken bridge,
Nor rebuild a ruined city.
But prayer can water an arid soul,
Mend a broken heart,
Rebuild a weakened will.