As 2026 begins, I am officially starting a month sabbatical. While I aspire to reflect and write and plan to do so in a disciplined manner, there is also a sense of relief to feel untethered to email and social media. While these methods of communication have become vital links, we all know that the phone, computer, and screens have consumed our souls. We ask students to take screen breaks but often forget to apply the same advice to ourselves. Is it an addiction? Are we afraid of missing out on something only the internet can provide?
Perhaps, this secular new year will usher in a period of unplugging and grounding: less reliance on what the screen will provide and more dependance on what an in-person conversation does for the soul; fewer notifications and more walks around the block; a break from Zoom and a reintroduction of sitting in synagogue; an emphasis on human voice, discussion, and banter; a relinquishing of memes, reels, and emojis.
Am I calling for a full abandonment? Of course not. But a bit more control over how we spend our time is exactly what a new year beckons. The Psalmist warns, “Teach us to number our days that we may attain a heart of wisdom.” Let us be more cautious of which ways we expend our precious seconds, minutes, hours, and days. For the more we protect our time, the more loving and open our hearts will be.
Happy 2026 and Shabbat Shalom.
A note—for the next month, A Bisl Torah will be offered by other Sinai Temple rabbis. Enjoy and see you in February.
Rabbi Nicole Guzik is senior rabbi at Sinai Temple. She can be reached at her Facebook page at Rabbi Nicole Guzik or on Instagram @rabbiguzik. For more writings, visit Rabbi Guzik’s blog section from Sinai Temple’s website.
