the hegemony of brightly shining novel devices is not inevitable; it can be resisted and even rolled back by the soft power of Shabbos.

How wise the hasidic counsel that our first words – indeed first thoughts – must be suffused in the emotions that we want to characterize the day as a whole – love, acceptance, equanimity, gratitude, and sacred yearning.

intone the words with integrity, we must commit to respect the bountiful diversity of nature, to listen to the voices that make up the terrestrial and cosmic choir, to find the divine sparks that set the world ablaze with light.

The cultivation of a non-censorious spirit and a benevolent gaze are core hasidic dispositions at all times, but especially on Shabbos.

The goal of Shabbos is mindful awareness that aligns with bodily repose. One must speak differently on Shabbos, with graciousness and kindness, with understanding of people whom one is tempted to dismiss as different. On Shabbos, we avoid language that disparages or belittles.

Do not mistake the words of Kiddush for a flat, pedestrian text, a rite to be discharged as quickly as possible.

Many young Jews do not know of Shabbos in the biblical sense – as cessation, as full stop, as committing to one particular place – even as an outmoded vestige of a distant past. They have simply never heard of it. When introduced, it comes as a revelation.

One way to respond is by focusing on the do’s – highlighting activities that are immediately accessible, enjoyable, even fun.

the midrash suggests, precisely because Shabbos presents such an attractive, uncluttered space of buoyant openness, temptation will arise to co-opt it.