Using electronics on Shabbat

Sermon - Recorded on 9/24/2010 at Temple Isaiah, Lexington, MA

It’s very special for me to be here today. Rabbi Jaffe is good friends with my uncle and has known me my entire life. Rabbi Brown and I worked together at camp Eisner one summer running the education program and had an amazing time! And I just met Cantor Doob, and she seems great, too.

But, it’s also special because it’s both sukkot and Shabbat. And as such, there is a special Torah portion for today. Perhaps it’s no accident that the portion today mentions both the command to celebrate sukkot as well as the command to rest on Shabbat.

This week’s portion actually begins with Moses pleading to God to stay with him and the Israelites after that whole Golden Calf debacle. (You know, Moses is up on Mt. Sinai with God getting the 10 commandments, but it takes a while, and when he gets back, he see’s the israelites worshiping a Golden calf and shatters the tablets out of anger.)
So Moses asks God to please stay with him and the people and God affirms that Moses is God’s man and the Israelites are God’s people.

Then God says, “okay you satisfied? Let’s try this again.”

So God tells Moses to carve two new tablets like the last, which you shattered, and I’ll inscribe them again.
God gently reminds Moses that it was his fault the tablets got destroyed, but also seems okay with having to repeat the process. Apparently the actual stone that was first used, didn’t really matter. It was the content. The words & ideas.

So, God says, I will create a new covenant with you, and you’re about to see some serious stuff. Things that will really convince you and the world that I am God and that you should listen to me.... as if escaping from Egypt, crossing the Red sea, and the thunder and lighting show at Sinai weren’t enough. But, God says, I repeat “no idols!” Seriously, do not worship them. You will be tempted, but you must resist.

What’s interesting here is that the word that God uses to describe the act of carving out the new tablets “p’sal” has the exact same spelling as the word for idol “pesel.” The same word that would be used to describe the carving of an idol is used for the carving of the tablets of the covenant. It’s clear that the act or the material aren’t as important as the message and it’s use.

But this time, God updates the language of the covenant. Rather than saying, “No sculptured images” like last time, now God says “No molten Gods.” This was obviously a new issue and a new technology - so the wording needed upgrading.

But does this wording still apply to us today? That is one of the big questions of the Torah.
Do idols exist in today’s world? Well, not as we might imagine them. But we’re pretty overt about others.
But what about “molten” idols?

Again, not in the melt-down-jewelry-to-create-a-calf, but some of my favorite devices today are made by shaping molten metal and plastic.

But what does it really mean to treat something as an idol. Well, I think there are two basic ways that we do this:
Ascribe supernatural powers to them.
Devote precious resources to them.

Supernatural powers. Of course my iPhone has special powers! It can access any information in the world instantly. I can check the weather in Jerusalem, and find my local snack shop. It can help to make my life more organized, efficient, and successful. Without my iphone, I’d be lost. So, yeah. It has super powers. Check.

Devoting precious resources. Well, back in the day people offered their idols sacrifices of livestock or produce. An equivalent today would certainly be money.
I do sacrifice a decent amount of money for my tech habits. So, check.
Another precious resource I have, perhaps more precious than money, is time. While in any given period I can have more money or less money, the amount of time I have is always finite. And boy do I devote a lot of time to my devices. In between meetings, at the supermarket, before I go to sleep and after I wake up - I’m always checking my email, reading news, and checking facebook for updates. Yup, I spend a lot of time on my devices. (double check)

So what do I do? It sounds like I’m in serious danger of treating my iPhone like an idol.

Well, two Jews who have spent much of their professional lives “persuading people” to use technology, have taken a new perspective. They call it “Offlining”. And they’ve created a rather clever marketing campaign. Essentially, they advocate taking one day off a week, a “sabbath” if you will, from all of your electronics.
Unplug. Detach. Turn off.

In fact, this is one of the original points of Shabbat. It’s a time to take a step back from our busy lives. To appreciate what we have and the people in our lives. And take some time to rejuvenate .

I think offlining is wonderful idea. But I have a problem with it.

Advocating that all electronic technology must be avoided for at least one day a week is like saying that all wood or stone must be avoided because both can be used to make idols. God recognized that the same stone could be used to carve an idol or to carve tablets to hold the law. It’s not the stone, or the electronics, that are inherently idolatrous, but how we use them.

I believe we need a more nuanced and mature approach to this problem.

For example, reading a book on Shabbat is highly encouraged. Especially, if it’s the Torah or some other book to help nurture your soul or spirituality. But what if it’s an ebook? Could I not use my phone or iPad to read the same words that can be found on pressed wood pulp or parchment? Aren’t the words of importance, not the container?

Also, Shabbat is a time to re-connect with family. But, I live in LA with my wife and daughter, and my parents are in NY. Shabbat is a perfect time for me to catch up with them, but I must use my phone. Actually, since my mother and I each have the new iPhones, we can video chat and they get to see the baby. They LOVE it! And I can think of few better shabbat activities.

So, while I like the idea of offlining, I propose we act like the Reform Jews we are and make thoughtful choices about our shabbat electronic use. .

I’m developing an idea called “Shabbat Mode” . It kicks in automatically at sundown on Friday and only gives me access to certain, pre-approved, apps. For example, I can use FaceTime to video chat with my parents. I can read my ebooks but only certain titles are available. Like the Torah portion or the Rabbi’s sermon. or even a digital siddur, which I have also begun developing.
I can access my music, but again, only pre-approved “shabbat friendly” music.
I think board games are a great family shabbat activity so I have scrabble enabled, too.

I realize these particular choices might not be the same that other’s make. But that’s the beauty of our world and of being Reform Jews. It’s also a challenge. We have endless choices and sometimes they are hard to make. But in someways, it’s the act of contemplating and considering that is of great importance.

But let’s be clear. I also advocate putting down all electronics and getting outside. I love camping and hiking and going to the park. These are all wonderfully rejuvenating activities that help me take a step back appreciate the world and my family. But when I’m looking for that hard-to-find trail head, I may still use my GPS.

Shabbat Shalom!