Turning Off the Noise, Turning Toward Each Other

Shabbat Shalom!

As schools close their doors for the year and we welcome the unofficial beginning of summer, this Shabbat arrives with a different kind of energy. There is a collective exhale in the air. Morning traffic is lighter. Bedtimes stretch a little later. Families begin thinking about camp, vacations, backyard dinners, and the precious gift of time together.

At the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, we speak often about building Jewish community, but community begins with something even more sacred: the ability to be present with one another.

That is one of the reasons we have a policy at Federation that from Friday sundown until Saturday sundown, emails and phone calls pause so our team can fully enjoy Shabbat. In a world that constantly asks us to be available, productive, and connected, Shabbat reminds us that our value is not measured by how quickly we respond, but by how deeply we live.

As summer begins, I find myself wanting to extend more of that Shabbat spirit into the rhythm of everyday life.

This June, Nora will be at sleepaway camp completely tech free for the entire month. No screens. No scrolling. No constant notifications. Just campfires, friendships, songs, swimming, laughter, and the kind of freedom many of us remember from our own childhood summers. Honestly, I am probably more anxious about it than she is.

And maybe that says something about all of us.

Technology has given us extraordinary tools, but it has also quietly taken hold of so much of our attention. One of the great gifts of Shabbat is that it interrupts that cycle. It reminds us to look up. To sit longer at the table. To take the walk. To hear our own thoughts again. To notice the people beside us.

This summer, I am challenging myself to be more purposeful about bringing some of the joy of Shabbat into daily life — more technology-free evenings, more uninterrupted family time, more moments fully lived rather than half-documented.

The Torah calls Shabbat a “taste of the world to come.” Perhaps part of that vision is not only about holiness once a week, but also about learning how to carry pieces of that holiness with us into the rest of our days.

As this first Shabbat of summer begins, may we all find opportunities to slow down a little more, reconnect a little deeper, and create memories that no device could ever replace.