The age of technology has shrunk our globe and has made possible a vast number and a great variety of activities with which one may fill one’s “spare time”. One may travel great distances in a short time in order to seek the environment necessary for a particular sport whether it be warm weather or cold. One may sit almost anywhere and communicate with others thousands of miles away and even compete in games that once required face- to-face challengers. Even a news junkie can tap into a world of updated information on a handheld device any time and anywhere. The advances come daily and the pattern of know it all people filling our world increase in kind. Are we smarter than our ancestors? It seems like a no brainer that we are.

But take a moment – if you have one in this fast-paced world – and consider the ancients. In simpler times people spent a lot of time thinking. They did not only think about the necessities of life or how to get from point “A” to point “B”. They contemplated. Lacking distractions – benefiting from isolation – they were able to consider some issues that are really important. What is life about? Who created us and everything around us? What happens after a person dies? What values should I hold dear and use in my daily life? How much time should I devote to others? Etc., etc. What mattered to them really mattered.

Today people have gotten hung up on trivialities. Our minds are occupied and filled with a lot of matter that doesn’t really matter. What is the newest cell phone on the market? What is the latest rage in vacation pursuits? What brand of watch will give me the status I seek? Which color is best for my kitchen décor? What matters today really doesn’t matter – and what really matters doesn’t matter. The trick is to unplug and think. Try a distance from media for a while and see what occupies your mind. A little news is necessary and healthy. An overdose could be spiritually fatal. Take a minute for yourself EVERYDAY. Make it a habit to close the door – turn off the communication equipment – and think about something that really matters. Try it and grow. You will be the one really in the know!

DID YOU KNOW THAT

One who is doing a misvah should recite the blessing immediately BEFORE performing the action that fulfills the misvah. One who is donning tefillin should place the straps LOOSELY in place on the lower half of the muscle - recite the berakhah  - and only then tighten the straps. One who tightens the straps - in haste - BEFORE reciting the berakhah - has not said the berakhah at the right time.

CONSIDER THIS FOR A MINUTE

When we tell Hashem, "You and only You can help me," we turn wishes and hopes into answered prayers. Praying with Fire