This past friday night, our whole family attended a Shabbat B’Yachad (Gathering). It was put on by my nieces Hebrew School and the families were invited to come for a light meal, services and activities for bringing in the Shabbat.

It was nice to see some friends of mine there with their families, and all eight of us there in my family.

After we ate, we gathering for songs and Shabbat prayers, and I could see what my nieces were learning in the classes. It was really great to see both of them wanted to read along in the program booklet and my nephew wanting to get up and dance during the songs.

Rabbi Elyse got up to speak about Sabbath Manifesto. Their message is simple – “Way back when, G-d said, “On the seventh day thou shalt rest.”  The meaning behind it was simple: Take a break. Call a timeout. Find some balance. Recharge.” This is exactly what we had discussed in our class a couple of weeks ago.

She gave us a hand out with the organizations 10 core principles and asked us to get into 10 groups and do a skit showing our interpretation of the princple we were each given. It was a great exercise because the adults and the children both participated in the activity.

Here are the 10 core principles of the Sabbath Manifesto:

• Avoid Technology
• Connect with loved ones
• Nurture your health
• Get outside
• Avoid commerce
• Light candles
• Drink wine
• Eat Bread
• Find Silence
• Give back

It doesn’t only have to be Jewish people that participate in this Sabbath Manifesto. It doesn’t even have to be on Friday night to Saturday night. It can be any 25 hour period that you choose to “un plug” and partake in some or all of the 10 core principles. Each principle can be interpreted in whatever way you want it to be.

It is funny, there are some very subliminal (maybe not so) messages going on in my life the last few months. Even the last few weeks. I had a class about Shabbat two weeks ago, then I attend this program, and even tonight during another class there was a discussion with a lot of similar subject matter.

I wrote in a few previous posts about my Shabbat in Israel. I wrote about how I chose to unplug from my electronics for 25 hours in Jerusalem. It was a very meaningful Shabbat. I haven’t done it since I have been home. I have participated in some of these other core principles in unplugging, but not for the full 25 hours of Shabbat.
  

A couple of weeks ago I was at a friends house who was moving. While at her house and watching her pack, I saw the LARGEST zip lock bags I have ever seen. It was large enough to hold a duvet, or pillows, or clothes, and it had a zip lock on the top, just like the little bags, that we all have in our cupboards. That got me to thinking about all the different size bags and how we make use of them in our daily lives.

I am always trying to find new ways to pack more efficently. I’ve tried rolling my shirts (I don’t think I saved that much room by doing that), I put my socks in my shoes to save space, but I think the one thing that I am sure a lot of people already know about it for packing – use Zip Lock bags.

I always used zip locks for my toiletry products, sunscreen sprays and stuff like that. I bought the PC exlarge bags which were a much better price than the named brand items. I used them for my undergarments as they fold nicely and you can get enough for 10 days in one large size bag. Once you flatten the air out of the bags, you can put much more in them. Similar to those bags that you see on tv.

The large bags can also be used for putting your electronical chargers, cords and plug ins for your different devices, DS games for your kids, even different lenses for your camera if you are not taking your full camera bag while you are travelling.

The smaller size bags have so many uses, most of which I am sure you are already doing when you travel.

Sandwich size bags – so many uses: obiviously, snacks that you have taken out of their original packaging – nuts, dried fruits, jube jubes, whatever you can buy at the bulk barn; your ear buds for your ipods; your passports if you don’t have a passport holder (and even if you do, extra protection is never a bad thing).

The snack size ones (the little ones) – you can put extra memory cards; batteries; jewellery (keep it separate in your travel case).

So, the next time you are travelling either by car or by air, and you have to pack an overnight bag or for a two week vacation, make a stop at your local store for some different size bags.

There are a lot of ways to give back to your community, local and on a more global level. Of course there are always cash donations, there are time donations, giving your time as a volunteer in community events, just giving back any way you will help you as a human being and will help your community.

Every year during the High Holidays our Synagogue does a Kosher food drive on Kol Nidre night, which we always participate in. For the last three years I have been called and asked to participate in a food drive this time of the year where they come and pick up from the condo. I have said yes every time.

I went to No Frills earlier this week and loaded up a shopping bag full of groceries for the pick up today. The pick up time was to be between 9 – 12 noon today. I called down to my concierge desk about 930 and said I wasn’t ready just yet, but if they come to call me and I will come down.

Shortly thereafter, I got a call that they were here. I asked my concierge to find out if they could come up to pick up the package. She replied “she said no”. I said okay, I will be down in a few minutes. I hurried up and got dressed and went downstairs. When I got there, my concierge told me “she left”. She left? I was very upset. I was called and asked to participate, went to buy the food, and she left. I left the bag downstairs thinking maybe she would come back.

After I came back upstairs I vented on Facebook, and the more I thought about it, I wanted to take the food back and give it to someone else that may need assistance.

There are all kinds of people that fall on hard times. I remember a friend of mine that works for the social services arm of the city’s social work system. She works with many different kinds of people is many different life situations. She told me a story once that her supervisor told the team, “never judge or make judgements against any of your clients, we are all potentially one pay cheque away of maybe needed assistance”. That has never left me.

On my way out to meet some friends I stopped by the concierge to pick up the package and it was gone. She told me that the lady came back. When the concierge gave her the bag of food, she replied “Oh, I would have gone up to get it if I had known it was food. I thought it was a cheque.”

So let me get this straight – you are picking up for a FOOD DRIVE, and you thought I was asking you to pick up a cheque – MONEY, and you didn’t want to come up the elevator – but for food you would have?

Does that make any sense to you? It didn’t to me either….

Thanks for sticking with me, I appreciate it!