Changing the World... One Idea at a Time!
Unless you are Amish (or keeping Shabbos 7 days a week) you must know about the Shabbos Project by now. (Here's their latest, awesome post.) What I didn't know however, is the back story: how it all began. I just learned (click here for the story) that the credit goes to Dan Ariely, the famous behavioral psychologist, author, professor and lecturer.
He posed the following question to the chief rabbis of both England and South Africa: "If a Jew were to keep one mitzvah, which would be the most impactful?" Both rabbis independently gave him the same answer: Shabbos.
Why? Because the act of keeping Shabbos is so impactful that its inspiration would trickle into other areas of life!" As a social experiment, Dan decided to test this idea. Teaming up with the chief rabbi of South Africa, the Shabbos Project was born!
I can personally attest to the potency of this project. When my grandfather came to these shores 91 years ago, he arrived as a 14-year old, penniless immigrant with a language barrier and with no business skills or education. Most of his friends caved in to the pressures of working on Shabbos in order to make a living. This was one area where Grandpa drew his Jewish line in the sand. He refused to work on Shabbos.
Instead, his boss insisted he come in to the factory after Shabbos ended, working a 6-hour shift on the long winter Saturday nights. I believe that it was through the commitment to, and the observance of, this mitzvah, that he managed to successfully pass the Jewish torch down to his descendants.
Dan Ariely has accomplished much in his lifetime. However, I believe that this idea is by far one of the most impactful. I call it his Sandy Koufax moment. Sandy Koufax, a secular Jew, was a celebrated baseball player. However, his decision in 1965 to sit out and not pitch in the World Series because it coincided with Yom Kippur, continues to impact and inspire Jews throughout the world, over 50 years later. The Shabbos Project too, continues to grow, snowball and inspire Jewish communities and individuals throughout the world!
Do you have a great Jewish idea? Perhaps a moment, a mitzvah or a project that you feel can impact our community? Don't keep it to yourself. Share it, launch it and promote it. You might just change the world!
Shabbat shalom!
Rabbi Sruly Koval
