Rabbi’s Shabbat Message
Are You Ready For Your Outage?
Yesterday morning, thousands of Australians woke up to three dreaded letters on their phones: SOS. The Telstra network was down.
For six hours, phones stopped working. The internet wouldn’t connect. Businesses scrambled. Trains were disrupted. Payments couldn’t be processed. Essential services were difficult to access. Even some cars couldn’t be driven because they rely on mobile networks.
I don’t know about you, but I’m old enough to remember life before mobile phones. And somehow, we still managed to get through the day.
Today, however, our world is built on constant connection. We carry extraordinary technology in our pockets, yet feel anxious the moment it disappears. Just a few hours of silence felt like balagan.
Which makes what happens every Friday for Am Yisrael even more remarkable. Millions of Jews around the world voluntarily switch off. Always have. Always will. No matter which telco they use.
Shabbat is the world’s greatest planned network outage. A sacred opportunity to disconnect from one world, in order to reconnect with a far better one.
No emails. No notifications. No endless scrolling. No breaking news. No pressure to respond immediately. For twenty-five precious hours, time slows down. The dining table replaces the screen. Conversation replaces commentary. Prayer replaces notifications. Faith replaces the frantic pace of life.
The modern world tells us our value comes from what we produce, achieve and accumulate. But Shabbat teaches your worth is not measured by your productivity. Before you are a worker, you are a soul. Before you are an employee, an influencer or a consumer, you are a child of G-d.
The word Shabbat comes from the ancient Hebrew root ש־ב־ת “to cease.” We cease creating so we can appreciate creation. We cease chasing so we can start noticing. We cease trying to control everything so we can remember that, ultimately, G-d is in control.
The Telstra outage left people feeling isolated because they couldn’t connect. Shabbat disconnects us from technology so that we can connect more deeply to ourselves, to eachother and to G-d.
For thousands of years, Shabbat has outlived every empire, every invention and every technological revolution because it offers something no device ever can: peace of mind, presence of heart and nourishment for the soul.
The phones will turn back on. The emails will still be waiting. The headlines will keep coming. But for one day each week, we remember that life’s greatest moments are not found on a screen. They are found around a table, in ancient melodies, heartfelt prayers, and moments of gratitude.
This Shabbat we conclude the Book of Bamidbar with the double parsha Matot-Masei. One of its most surprising passages is a detailed record of the Jewish people’s forty-two journeys through the desert. The Torah carefully lists not only where they travelled, but every encampment along the way. Judaism teaches that life is measured not only by how far we go, but by our willingness to pause.
Every journey needs an encampment. Every week needs Shabbat. The greatest gift we can give ourselves each week is not a more reliable network connection, but a deeper connection to G-d, to Am Yisrael and to the light within our souls.
The Telstra outage reminded us what happens when technology unexpectedly stops. Shabbat reminds us what happens when we intentionally stop. When we welcome Shabbat, we don’t lose twenty-five hours. We rediscover what the other 143 hours were meant to be for.
Join us tomorrow to welcome Shabbat together with a l’chaim at 5:00pm, followed by Kabbalat Shabbat at 5:30pm.
And if you’re a young adult, don’t rush home after the service! Our Central Social Club is hosting Friday Night Live after the Shule service, 6:30pm. Enjoy cocktails, light refreshments and great company in a relaxed Shabbat atmosphere, it’s a wonderful opportunity to connect with friends and meet new people.
There is no charge, but registration is appreciated for catering.
We’d love to see you there.Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Levi and Chanie