fbpx

A Moment in Time: “Smile Wrinkles”

[additional-authors]
June 19, 2025

”What are those?” Eli asked, pointing to the grooves on my face.

”Smile wrinkles,” I responded.

“Stop smiling,” he instructed.

I stopped smiling.

”The wrinkles are still there, daddy.”

I laughed. I wear them with pride. They reveal experiences and journeys. They are badges of endurance and perseverance. They are reflections of my soul, and they are projections of my mission in life – that is, to help bring goodness into the world.

Yes, I admit to using anti-aging creams.

But the wrinkles are still there, carved into my very being, reminding me at every moment in time that our world needs more smiles, more laughter, more justice, and more goodness.

With love and shalom,

Rabbi Zach Shapiro

Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

Expanding the Soul

There is a struggle within us between constriction and expansion, between despair and vitality. Good humor can be a powerful ally against the constriction that suffering creates.

Making Torah More Accessible

The 402-page book is organized around 36 life lessons related to the Book of Genesis, with thoughtful study questions and dozens of responses from respected sources in Jewish thought.

Avi Nesher Fights the Boycott with a Human Story

Making Israeli films is not easy. Budgets are generally small by American standards, and international financing has become increasingly difficult to secure amid the cultural boycott of Israeli cinema.

Knowing Our History

In this time of introspection and rising adversity, let us resolve as American Jews to write our new chapter by better understanding our history.

My Choice for Essay of the Year

The collective assault against Israel has been so broad and deep it’s been hard finding anyone in the mainstream media who will dare go after the Hamas murderers whose biggest victims are the Palestinians.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.