Sabbath Manifesto: Slowing Down Live Since 2009

“The Sabbath Manifesto BBQ was enjoyable in its simplicity, which I think is what I love most about embracing Shabbat. We may think of it as shul, suits, and prayers, but when you boil it down to its essence, as we did with the Manifesto, you tap into a silence and peace that’s surprisingly easy and unfailingly enjoyable.”

“It was wonderful to watch so many people willingly (for the most part!) surrender their cell phones for the afternoon and give themselves over to a quiet rest day. Without technological distractions, people were engaged in thoughtful conversations and really listening to one another, taking quiet moments to sit back, relax and enjoy the beautiful, warm, Saturday afternoon.”

“I attended the Sabbath Manifesto picnic in Fort Greene Park and I instantly felt reconnected to the group that had gathered. We handed off our cell phones, stacked our plates with grilled meat, drank hidden beers and the talking began, and then continued all day.”

“For me, it’s hard to find a way to shut down for 24 hours. My i-phone is always on, work emails coming through… the Sabbath Manifesto helps me to switch off for 24 hrs every week and still maintain close connection with my friends. The principles help to put things in perspective and keep my priorities in check.”

Turning off my cell phone at sundown on a Friday. Tried it. Loved it. Couldn’t believe how hard it was. The conversations that followed were so good — because they were uninterrupted.

I'm so excited to attempt to “unplug.” It's such a simple concept, the idea of going back to our roots and reconnecting with all the unnecessary extras… yet it's such a novel idea. I think we could all use a time to get back in touch with those people and things that are truly important to us.

Супер интересно …

i think this is the smartest idea i have ever come across. am not a jew. am not anything really. but i feel as overwhelmed as anyone these days when people draw their self importance from the number of emails they receive per minute. nothing finer than to take one day a week and realize there are more important things than you… well, one or two anyway. THANK YOU!

The DC event at Sixth & I was a memorable night. 200 people attended the event, which was a happy hour/musical Shabbat service/community dinner fusion. All 10 principles were incorporated into the night, from a collective turning off of cell phones (#1) to eating challah bread pudding (#8) and walking home (#4). The idea of unplugging totally resonated with the crowd, and Rabbi Shira Stutman conveyed the relevance of the ancient tradition of Shabbat in our thoroughly modern lives.

I'm in!

LOVE what you're doing!

I have had Shabbat envy since meeting a strict Shabbas observer over 10 years ago. I’m not Jewish and have no desire to convert but love the concept of Shabbat. I see how it so fuels my friends who strictly observe it weekly.

The National Day of Unplugging this Friday into Saturday has given me the gift of a perfect excuse to have a Shabbat-lite experience! For me to observe Shabbat to any degree without a good basis in secular (green maybe?) practicality would cause my friends and family to think I’d lost my mind.

As an aside, for the past 10+ years, I've refrained from eating meat on Fridays, not because of anything to do with Jesus dying on a Friday or even as a nod to old skool Catholicism but just for old time’s sake, and so that I am assured of one meatless day each week. And no one flinches when I say, “I don’t eat meat on Friday.” Likewise, it would be similarly efficient to say, “I observe one Unplugged Day each week” or “I'm off the grid for one 24 period each week,” and in the process I finally have the opportunity to claim my personal Shabbat observance!!!

Thank you, Sabbath Manifesto!!!

thank you for putting this out there. i watched the video. it's fabulous. listen, my comment is: for a lot of us, me included, we are on a journey back toward judaism. we are adults and discovering meaning and making personal what used to be just empty rituals. that's how it was kind of for me growing up. and well, little by little, we do some of the halacha, then fall off the wagon. it's a back and forth process. it's still very spiritual and meaningful. thanks for showing how we are all together in this process. shabbat shalom.

I posted about Day of Unplugging on my blog:
http://forthoseabouttoshop.onsugar.com/National...
Can't wait to implement it!

I found this article on CNN and found it very interesting. Im not Jewish, actually I'm Muslim but I felt compelled to share my story with you. A few months ago I was feeling overwhelmed with all the “connectivity” that I was practicing that I made a decision to unplug. I cancelled my facebook page, stopped twittering totally, really just tried to minimalize my online life. I found this article interesting because today I am taking my son on a camping trip for the weekend. Im going to introduce him to the great outdoors and re-connect with him. I truly appreciate what you are doing and I totally support it. Good luck.

What are the “10 core principles” please? Can't find them on this site. Best to you all – this is an important trend – let's keep it going!

It's on the home page: sabbathmanifesto.org

Came across this on CNN as well. I recently came to a similar conclusion while attending SXSWi. It was an amazing event but it made me really aware of how much we are shutting out the “real” world for connectivity. I began to wonder if it was really a good trade. So I gave my phone to a friend at the conference and went 24 hours at SXSWi off the grid. It was an interesting experience. Here's the blog documenting my experience and take aways.
http://blog.smallboxweb.com/2010/03/16/connecti...

Last July, my 12 year old daughter and I began observing shabbat.
The first thing we agreed to do was not use any technology that conncected us with the outside world. No cell phones, email, internet or land line phones were to be used during the sabbath. Only during an emergency do we use any of the mentioned electronics. This has enhanced the peacefulness of shabbat – we are focused only on Hashem, our family and our fellow congregants at schul. We are living in sacred time and not human made time. On Friday night, when we light the candles, our two dogs and even the cat, sit by the table and enjoy shabbos with us.

It is interesting that you would cause many to re-evaluate their lives in comparison to Scripture. In Revelation 14:7, there is a universal call to WORSHIP GOD who made heaven and earth. This mirrors Exodus 20:8-11, which commands us to Remember the Sabbath day because God made the heavens and earth. God blessed the Sabbath and set it apart from all the other days of the week. He made it for “holy” use. The Sabbath was first given to Adam & Eve (not Jewish) after the work of creating the world in six days. It is THE DAY to remember GOD as our Creator and now (through Jesus) our Redeemer. So, #1 of your “Core principles” should be for all people to gather together in WORSHIP of God. The Scriptures declare it. It is really not up for some open “unique interpretations”.

It was a bit hard at first. My habit is to check email before bed and first thing in the morning. But it was awesome being “off the grid” and reminded me a lot of how it was when I was a kid. Having the TV off though was the best thing. My wife and I had a glass of wine together and just sat and talked in our quiet living room. Fantastic. This is going to become a weekly routine for us.

Shabbat is such a wonderful island of time.No phones, faxes, radio etc. It is beautiful. Friday night meals – with candles,wine – singing. I love it and look forward to it every week.The spiritual element is alive and inspiring as well. Prayers etc. Great idea you have – I hope it will bring Jews closer to their roots – and the rest of the world closer to their sense of spirit and appreciation for the simple things in life.

Managed it, mostly: no email, no Twitter from Friday evening to Saturday night. Answered the cellphone on Saturday afternoon but that's because we were coordinating plans for the evening. A small Facebook moment late on Friday, as I had forgotten to post a birthday video for my mother (that's a mitzvah too, dontcha know .

It was… challenging. And, once I got past my twitchy iPhone-in-pocket what-am-I-missing feeling, it was relaxing. It felt odd to be at once disconnected from my digital existence and *more* connected to my physical existence — my wife, children, home & synagogue.

It took effort and will, and it may not be something I do every week… but at least now if I find myself reaching for the phone or the laptop on Shabbat I'll take a moment to reflect and examine, to make a conscious choice rather than a reflexive automatic motion.

I had one rule in determining what I did today; I asked myself, “Does it lead to rest?” If it did, I allowed myself to do it; if not, I didn't. I read, road my bike, and visited friends.

The principles really brought Shabbat home in the 21st Century.

I had a doctor visit a couple weeks ago on a Friday afternoon. I wasn't feeling well and had a horribly stressful week finding out out my husband has cancer. She is a Jewish doctor and as she wrote me out her prescription, I found it profound that she was placing “rest” at the top of the list. God gave us the Sabbath to rest. It was made for man because he would not rest unless God made him. If we would only follow the orders of our divine doctor we wouldn't need half of the health care we struggle with now and we wouldn't need to get a second opinion.

I had to continually remind myself that I was “unplugged” as I kept heading towards my desk and/or feeling for one of my phones throughout the day. It was about as painful as I imagined it might be.

But of course there were positives here too. Many of them. Some things I did on this day of unplugging:

* Filled out the census form
* Spent most of the day outside
* Took a nap
* Spent time at the greengrocers
* Walked around with The Economist in my back pocket – checking into that throughout instead of my Blackberry
* Read a book
* Bought a newspaper
* Found a restaurant without using GPS
* Was with my wife and daughter for every minute of the day

And that last one made the whole thing worthwhile.

I unplugged on friday!

(but it was due to a bad case of tonsillitis)

A friend who's a Quaker pointed me in your direction (and though I was raised Roman Catholic I've been slouching towards Buddhism more and more). Your ideas struck a loud chord with me and I gave it a go. I forgot my cel phone at work for the weekend, so that was a snap; not turning on the computer when I got home required more of an effort but it was worth it.
I tuned up the guitar and played a bit for the first time in a year or so, I read an article or two I was meaning to get too and started a book. (But that's not news, I'm always STARTIING books.) I did allow myself the opportunity to listen to music but ONLY vinyl. So I pulled out a Beethoven Trio on Friday night, a solo Dollar Brand (before he was Abdullah Ibrahim) set on Saturday. I walked. Saw friends and talked. Cooked. And paid attention to all of it, making sure not to multi task. It was one of the more relaxed and focused Saturdays in recent memory.
I'll probably do it again on my own. But please keep me informed to when the next “organized” plug out is occurring so I can bring other people along on this.

Your unplugged day “caught” me just as I was also getting back to service attendance which I had the done the previous shabbat. I so loved that half day of reflection I decided to stay off the computer all day this past shabbat and it was so peacefully wonderful that I will do it each week. We do need to unplug and re-connect with others in our lives. There is an ad about a phone that says “stay connected all the time” and my own son says “who would want that?” Well – his own mother just got the message Still can learn from our kids [and you] so thank you for making this so public….

After the children were in bed, we spent an enjoyable evening of coffee consumption and Lost Cities. Saturday was spent mostly outdoors hiking and enjoying the wonderful blessing of early spring sunshine.

We're going to try to make this a weekly event!

Sat on a train for most of the day, watching the scenery go by. Read a book, and talked to a passenger, who turned out to be a fellow Rebooter.

It was very hard for me to do, and I caved in around 4pm. The very fact that it was so difficult, and how much I thought about it during the day, just shows me how much I need to make this break every seven days. Which I aim to do. Like breaking any other addiction, it will become easier.

I read your article after the fact, but found it very encouraging. During January, I began limiting my computer time to 2 evenings a week at home. I cancelled my Facebook several weeks ago, but keep a blog going for our long-distance family. I refuse to Twitter, after all, just how much do you really need to know about what I do each day? After 2 weeks of limited computer use, I found myself talking with family more and enjoying the conversations. I found that I accomplished more during the week, thus freeing up time on the weekends to be spent with family and friends. I think we are all interesting people, but it's hard to discoverer that when we all have our noses buried in iphones, blackberry's and laptops. Unplugged will definitely become a part of my life…thanks again for the encouragement in leaving the electronic world behind for a while each week!

I have to say, I am hooked on email, so this was hard for me. I kept the phone on, which I needed for calls from wife/friends arranging pickup/dropoff of kids. People depend on that these days! But my battery nearly ran out, and I didn't recharge. I didn't once check email or the Web. And it felt great.

I left most of the emails til Monday, now I'm back in old bad habits, but will try unplugging again this weekend! Thank you!

My partner and I turned off all electrical gadgets except the fridge, and snuggled on the couch in candle light. We talked about our goals and plans for the future, and we came up with some wonderful, creative ideas that I am convinced would not have come out without taking this type of time to think and discuss together. We woke the next morning thoroughly recharged.

good luck!
important!
the home and family or small circle is The Teacher now
pleasure to see it working………

This is my third “unplugged from the computer” Shabbat. I love it! Enjoying more time with family and friends, reading and napping, I feel like I'm renewing myself and the people around me. Thanks again for reminding me (through Facebook and the Shabbat Manifesto), Gd.

A few weeks ago I embarked on a challenge following a tweet about “the Sabbath Manifesto” http://bit.ly/bxJ0Z7. The idea behind this, in its simplest form being that you unplug from technology for 24 hours, over Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath. Now, I'm not Jewish but the idea seemed a good one. My wife especially thought it was a good idea – I'm always on my phone, be it reading twitter, surfing the web or playing games, and for that reason she was convinced I couldn't do it.

To start with it was hard, your immediate reaction is to pick your phone up in a spare millisecond, “I'm just…” However, once that urge passed, although it never truly did, the changes in me were remarkable. I was more attentive, my concentration span was greater, I was even calmer.

I think this is excellent and will be unplugging more often.

I wanna practice this Sabbath Manifesto in a group. I will gather my family and friends together. Can't wait to do it. Thanks for inspiring me. Thanks a lot!

I shake the head to the fact that my parents generation repeatedly ate chemicals and polluted the world, yet, my generation is poisoning our minds with media – social or not.

I hope to cut back 20% of my online time – one our at the time.
Thank you for inspiring me.

My name is Ingrid Zweifel, and I am currently a senior in product design at Parsons School of Design in NYC. I am finishing up my thesis project in which I am designing tools that help people turn phones off at dinner in order to fully engage with loved ones. Obviously, I was incredibly excited to find out about the Sabbath Manifesto! Check out my website at http://www.myphoneisoffforyou.com.

My name is Ingrid Zweifel, and I am a senior in Product Design at Parsons School of Design. I am finishing my thesis in which I am designing tools that help people turn off cell phones at dinner in order to fully engage with loved one. Obviously, I was incredibly excited to find out about Sabbath Manifesto! Check out my website at http://www.myphoneisoffforyou.com.

Ingrid, I loved your website. How about designing a series of socks or phone case covers on which you could convey the same messages about why a person is shutting down: Sabbath, Plays, Lectures, dining, Driving (as a reminder to the driver or a subtle hint to give someone else. What do you think?

Hi, Elaine. Thank you for your response! I have been thinking about all of the different “tools” this can be to help people turn their phones off, so I love the idea. This is only the beginning!

so wonderful!!this is exactly the way i explain to others why shabat is so good! DISCONNECTTTTTTT!

Today was awesome! I had already been in the habit of eating a Sabbath meal, but I didn't do much to really set aside the day. Maybe about four times a year, I'd go to synagogue. These principles are making Shabbat relevant for me.
Friday, my housemate from many years ago sent me an article about turning off technology because he had seen on Facebook that I'm unplugging. He referred to it as my “No Tech Day.”

Friday, as I was driving to my friends' for dinner, I was so stressed from the week, that I turned on some music (Craig Taubman's Friday Night Live). When the chorus to L'cha Dodi played, I was in tears.

I unplugged before dinner and am just plugging back in now. I rode my bike, went to the ocean, and really made the day special. It was even better than I had hoped. The best part came at the end: watching the sun go down over the Pacific. The peace of the waves, the beauty of the sun, and the silence as I took it in were all outstanding.

I had bee looking forward to the Sabbath so much that I posted that on Thursday in my Facebook status. A student ask “what is that? The one with the hut?” I replied that it was the Worldwide Jewish Day of Unplugging.” When I logged back in to Facebook today, I saw her “like” on my Facebook “Shabbat Shalom” message.

A friend asked what Shabbat was. I described it as a time to unplug, do no work and focus on your family. Her response? “It happens every week?!”

It's cool to pass on the passion!

I've been unplugged for three Shabbats so far. I didn't manage to actually leave my cell phone at home, but it was off. I did not turn on my computer–well, there was that one time, but I remembered right away and turned it off again!

So, what was it like? I noticed several times a pull to check my email. It wasn't difficult to resist the pull, but it was definitely there and required some effort to find something else to do. God knows there is rarely anything earth shattering in my email, so the desire to log on is more habitual than anything else. Breaking the habit makes me feel like I'm in control not my technology.

I talked with our children (21 and 27 years old) about the creeping intrusion of technology into every human interaction. I didn't demand anything of them, but I think I planted a seed for further thought.

I'm enjoying being unplugged one day a week. I plan to keep doing it and see if I can get others to join me.

Speaking as someone who doesn't believe in God, I find something like this wholesome, insightful, and refreshing. If belief in God is your thing, then you already have your manifesto and this isn't for you. Tossing scripture at someone who doesn't believe in it won't change anything. It will only serve to create tension where it's unnecessary. This is an open-minded way of adopting some of the benefits of a day of rest without any religious connotations. Something I'm very in favor of. Being open to unique interpretation means it's also something that can be interwoven with your existing belief system. It's not a slant at God or religion.

I am a freelance writer writing an article about grass roots unplugging events all over the United States. I am looking for reactions from people who participated in these events. If you unplugged on your own or as part of a group, and would like to share your story, please contact me at erika @ techfreeday.org. Thanks!

When I was a child I didn't understand why we couldn't do some activities on the Sabbath, but now I've come to appreciate the free day as a gift of precious time. I've gradually found deeper spiritual insights and discovered subtle teachings in Hebrew and Aramaic that explain the inner process more clearly. I've recorded what I found in these teachings in a book called “Awakening Love: A Spiritual Quest Into Judaism” published by Myco Press at http://www.mycopress.com.

I have suddenly taken to the challenge of the sabbath – at least as far as technology goes – with gusto, and thus far I'm finding it a truly worthwhile and enriching experience.

As someone who spends far too much time with my face buried in a laptop, or neurotically staring at my Blackberry to see if the red light flashes, the simple discipline of forcing myself to switch off for 25 hours was a revelation. I gained something imperceptible but amazingly calming – particularly in those first few hours of eerie quiet.

I think one of the more difficult things about observing a secular sabbath is explaining to those around you what you're up to – I feel a little defensive about what I'm doing, as if it's something special that's just for me, so I don't necessarily want to tell people about it. Unfortunately, though, last Saturday that led to my parents calling my flatmate to ask if I was alright since they'd been trying to phone me.

My sabbaths have been quite a solitary experience, since my flatmate works at weekends and I don't live in easy walking distance of people to visit. But I think that the time spent mostly in my own company is a useful experiment to bring about comfort in my own skin.

One of the things I've noticed about this endeavour is how it's made me more sensitive to the passing of the day. Because I'm less aware of the actual time, I've found I'm more aware of the way the light changes, particularly in the twilight at the beginning and end of my day of rest.

As a Londoner, too, it's rather nice to have a real reason not to be doing more energetic things on a Saturday – which tends to be crowded and exhausting at the best of times. Instead, I'm at home, reading voraciously or else taking a more leisurely approach to meals. Rather than wolfing something down while facebooking and watching old Seinfeld episodes, I'm taking the time to actually taste what I'm eating.

I'm cautious about enthusing too much over what I've learnt so far from this, since I have a strong yet quiet desire to continue it. I always felt vaguely oppressed and irritated by the remaining influence of Sundays on the working week, but doing a technological sabbath for myself has been far more meaningful and humbling.

This whole concept is pregnant with creative possibility…and I suspect that is the point! Thank You for the reminders.

The idea of unplugging, including the electronic Sabbath was proposed some time ago in an excellent book called Hamlet's Blackberry. The author, William Powers, created it for his family as a way to reconnect with one another by disconnecting from the internet. His was not a “religious” experience, but I think it definitely promotes a more spiritual way of living today.
I highly recommend the book for anyone interested in the implications of our plugged in world.
Steven Steinberg

I am a Christian gentile who has tried to observe a Sunday sabbath for thirty years. I will promote your special sabbath as well. Best, Doug Groothuis

I undertook my first Sabbath Manifesto yesterday. I have a high value for personal prayer but being a graphic design student it’s not easy to keep up that regular time. A few weeks ago I noticed how my cell phone and laptop begin impinging on my quiet time. I banned them both from my bedroom. They tried to get back in (at least the cell phone did anyway). Then this last week on Friday I was truly fried. I hadn’t had any time for myself or worse, time away from these machines and screens, the TV and dance music pounding in my ears. My degree thesis project asks the question, “how can graphic design get people to take time out for themselves?” My head was bursting and I couldn’t even think creatively about that. That’s when I decided to do a Sabbath Manifesto day. At 12 midnight on Friday I turned everything off. Even that was liberating. I woke on Saturday morning with a peace in my heart, knowing I was free from the digital demands, the voices coming down the line and the screens seeking my attention. My bedroom was peaceful. I spent the day sleeping, resting, reading, doing practical things like cleaning and fixing a wobbly shelf. There is still a lot of snow on the ground so it wasn’t easy to be outside. I even lay on the floor doing nothing for thirty minutes. It was so freeing. By the end of the day I felt my creativity come back. My sense of self returning.

I really enjoyed this last year. Unfortunately, I did not keep up with the unplugging. The one thing that I remember was that I really looked forward to that particular Shabbat the way I look forward to vacation. It was wonderful, and I’m looking forward to it again.

Read Katie Couric’s comments that ironically, you have to be plugged in to find out about this event. That may be true, but I don’t think it is ironic. You are not asking people to totally unplug forever. Just to realize that it is good to rest from all of the technology and stressors that are inundating modern life.

Over here at EdibleTorah HQ we’ll be unplugging this week the same as we do every week. However I blogged about it to get the word out and offered a few opinions on ways to make the experience about more than just a technology detox:

http://www.edibletorah.com/2011/02/22/tune-in-turn-up-drop-off-line/

COEJL is in full support of Reboot’s Sabbath Manifesto “Unplug Challenge.” We encourage those interested to “unplug” for the 24 hours starting at sundown on Friday, March 4 and ending at sundown on Saturday, March 5. You can participate in a variety of ways, from neglecting such electronic personal items as cell phones, computers, and televisions, to relinquishing the use of your stoves, elevators, and cars.
COEJL feels strongly about the connection of the “Unplug Challenge” to Jewish environmentalism. We like to think of Shabbat as an environmental holiday- one which promotes conservation, resting, spending time outdoors, and one which allows you to connect to your friends, family and peers on an intimate level.
Tune in to http://www.sabbathmanifesto.org/community on the night of March 5 to find out how COEJL fellow, Danielle Sundstrom, experienced her first Unplug Challenge with Sabbath Manifesto.

Although I need to finish my assignments for my Art and Psychology class in my Masters program, I’m committed tonight to read my text by candlelight (and plenty of them), and write my paper in a notebook by hand. I hope to relish in this experience and will encourage everyone in my circle to do the same.

There is hope for the planet if this goes viral. Everyone hush up and be still with the holy however they define it. No doctrine or dogma…just simple togetherness, building trust in “the other,” no fear. Congratulations on making this happen.

Yes! It was wonderful! I read books to my girls, we listened to music and danced, and we spent time with Grandma. I didn’t miss my technology at all!

24 hours unplugged. Looked at phone but didn’t use only 2 times (for the time), drank some wine, lit a candle, avoided technology, connected with my children, avoided commerce (drove once at about 22hour mark), ate bread, found lots of silence. Let’s do it again next Sabbath.

My National Unplugging Day made me realize that I can be plugged and yet being unplugged. Here’s the account of my discovery.

6:30 pm Dinner with the family. Everything was fixed ahead of time so I just had to turn on the oven. Black bean burritos were yummy. So was the chocolate orange bundt cake. Got the recipe here.

8:00 pm An hour in the hot tub with the family. Beautiful starry night. Quiet.

9:30 pm. Crawled into bed with a good book. I read TrueFaced. Felt spiritually charged. Did not miss my laptop. I guess it was because I would have used to to just read anyway. Have to admit I was tempted to get on Facebook and see what was going on and tweet about my unplugged Sabbath. But I was good.

12:00 am. Fell asleep.

8:30 am. Cat woke me up. Sipped some ginger tea while I read Psalm 1-10 in The Message. Felt compelled to write about my thoughts on the David’s open and honest relation with God. Took me 30 minutes to find paper and pen which I abandoned decades ago when I got my first laptop. Pen finally in hand, I discovered I can no longer write fast enough to keep up with my thoughts. Frustrated, I lost my thoughts before I could get them on paper.

11:30 am. At church–without my iPhone. But then there was a reference during the sermon that I wanted to read in context. Unfortunately the book he was referring to was on my phone which I didn’t have. Was frustrated. Again.

1:00 pm. My son and I fixed lunch together. It’s our usual Sabbath ritual that I look forward to every week. Same menu. Same routine. And only on the Sabbath. Felt warm and fuzzy. (Chicken curry, coconut rice, vegetable stir fry, chocolate cup cakes)

3:00 pm. I had planned on talking a walk with my husband–Not that I enjoy walking or nature, but I thought it would be a good way to totally immerse in the unplugging experience. But then, it was raining (yay), so I sat down instead to evaluate my unplugging experience:

–Realized that while there is nothing wrong with friendly chatter and postings, Facebook and Twitter were not uniquely spiritually uplifting. So I have decided that they shall not be part of my Sabbath anymore. Maybe if my daughter (who is away at college) were a Facebook user, I’d feel differently about using it to communicate with her. But she’s not and I feel that everything I usually say and read on Facebook during the Sabbath hours can wait a day.

–Realized that I need my laptop and my iPhone on the Sabbath to be plugged in spiritually. My personal devotion needs my fingers on a keyboard. My time in church is enhanced with the apps I use–the different versions of the Bible, my concordance, EGW writings, etc. However, I know that in order to truly experience respite and renewal, I need to exercise self-control and limit the use of my gadgets as tools to enhance my Sabbaths.

–Understood that being unplugged–to me, at least–is not limited to turning off my gadgets. It has to be about turning off everything in my life that makes the rest of the week crazy. On the Sabbath Day I need to unplug and replug myself into that which bring me peace, joy and contentment–my God and my family. This means, on the Sabbath Day I need to be unplugged from more than gadgets that confine me to busyness; I need to unplug from:

–worrying about my bills
–thinking about the deadlines coming up on Monday
–doing stuff around the house that can wait
–committing to things in the community that take me away from family
–trivial and nonsensical chatter that take away from the Day’s specialness
–the secular minutia that find a way to creep into my spiritual calm

4:00 pm. I plugged in to get unplugged–I turned on my laptop and let my fingers go at the keyboard in wild excitement about a Day well spent.

4:30 pm. Took a nap.

6:00 pm. Woke up feeling refreshed to start another week.

Yay for the Sabbath Manifesto. My prayer is that every week there are more and more who experience this day as God meant it to be.

YES!! YES!! Love it. My husband and I own our own technology business and without a day of unplugging every week, we’d be dead. We are not Jewish either, we are Christians, but every religious belief has a “sabbath” concept… and every human needs some down time… Love the principles… love the message… highly recommend it to all… it is a little piece of “heaven” in our lives…

I heard about it too late to spend the whole day unplugged, but I did manage to spend a couple of hours in the woods.

This is great. One of my favorite times of the week is around 4pm on Friday afternoon when I turn off my computer and cell phone. I do not look at them or touch them for the next 26 hours. In this generation this is not just a religious imperative but rather a sanity imperative!

Mitch Cohen
Cleveland

We at Jewish Heart for Africa love to unplug. But we also find ourselves thinking constantly of the 1.6 billion people–one quarter of humanity–who live unplugged year round.

Jewish Heart for Africa (www.jhafrica.org) brings sustainable Israeli technologies to rural African villages. We use solar systems from Israel to power rural African schools, medical clinics and water pumps. Our solar powered projects provide light in schools for evening study and computer use; for nighttime emergency medical care; for refrigeration of lifesaving medicines vaccines and for pumping clean water in regions of drought. Since our founding in 2008, we have brought solar energy to over 150,000 people.

When we unplug, we see it as a luxury. We have so much to unplug from.

We’ve decided to become part of the Sabbath Manifesto, to use it as an opportunity to reflect on what it might mean not to be plugged in–to live life off the grid. We encourage our supporters to do the same.

We hope you’ll join us and share your stories. Be in touch at http://www.facebook.com/jhafrica and @jhafrica.

Great!
Thank for information, I’m looking for it for a long time,
 

Spent this past Sunday away from my laptop and television and only answered my phone if someone called or texted me (baby steps).  I went to church for the first time in months, attended a Shakespeare play, and spent some time by the river.  I even found time to meditate and pray.  At the end of the day, I felt liberated and more rested than I have in years.  And I slept like a baby that night, which is rare for me.

Question: do i have to be a jew to participate?

Unplugging is really tough when your family is far away on Shabbat. It’s a balancing act between being connected to them and completely connected to the moment at home.