Dr. Steven Broder will leads the first of a special two session minimester exploring Torah hacks for maintaining mental health in our times. His first session is not-to-be missed: “The Mishkan: A Biblical Antidote to Alone-ness and Anxiety.”
In his renowned book, The Sabbath, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel writes that Shabbat reflects Judaism’s prioritizing of time over space. Thus, Mt. Sinai is not a pilgrimage destination, and we are not told where Moses is buried. Nor do we build soaring cathedrals as our places of worship. Instead, Shabbat itself is, in Heschel’s phrase, “a palace in time.”
And yet…. this week’s Parasha, Teruma, and much of the rest of Exodus go into great detail to emphasize a very particular space, the Mishkan. This is the movable sanctuary where the Israelites were to worship G-d through sacrifices as they journeyed to the Promised Land. Where our ancestors were reminded that God was with them. That they built collectively and communally.
Now flash forward some three thousand years to the cover story in The Atlantic (Feb. 2025), “The Anti-Social Century,” by Derek Thompson. The author makes a frightening case that cars, TV, smart phones and screens have led to more and more time spent alone and social disconnection. Bowling Alone on steroids.
For example:
- Adults getting together for dinner or drinks has declined more than 30% in the past 20 years
- Teens going out with their friends has declined about 20% in that same time
- And how about this one: “The typical female pet owner spends more time actively engaged with her pet than she spends in face-to-face contact with friends of her own species.”
The apparent results of being alone so much: Depression and loneliness are pervasive, especially for teens. Shared purpose has decreased. Twenty-somethings celebrate on Tik-Tok NOT having to go out with friends. The median age of first marriage for men is above 30 for the first time in history. And more.
But there is good news: Join us tomorrow to see how the message of the Mishkan and sacred space provides some surprising answers to the trend towards being alone and the anxieties of our time.
Readings:
- Thompson’s “The Anti-Social Century” HERE
- A very short piece on how spaces (a park and a hospital) provide opportunities and challenges to help others: HERE
- And if you have time, a contemporary look at how an architect uses history and culture in her design of spaces: HERE
Register and join us on Zoom here.
View the 2024-25 calendar HERE→
