Apple’s serious competition. 26G.

It was late one evening a number of weeks ago, when I was walking along the roadside of a quaint English village by the coast. It was breezy, and a little on the chilly side as we were heading back to the house. On my right, I noticed one of those old telephone boxes/booths. Ha, I thought. You know how it goes; you chuckle, point at it with a sort of strange excitement- possibly take a quick picture and say- “Remember those! Can you believe they were actually a thing! Crazy how times have changed.”

I’m not quite sure what it is, but there’s something about quiet, something about night-time that allows for the neshama, the soul, to tap into the deepest depths, the deepest secrets.

As I continued walking along the dimly lit street, I noticed my hand in my jacket pocket, resting gently on the rectangular device that, I’m ashamed to say, pretty much accompanies me everywhere I go.

A thought struck me. I could almost taste its truth, taste its emes.
Long gone are the days where accessibility to contact someone is confined to a box on the nearest street corner.
Long, long gone are the days you need dig out some spare coins to call someone in the next Town.

Friends, long gone are the days where we think accessibility to the Master of the World is confined to a place.
He is the place. The place is Him.
I accompany Him, He accompanies me.

Some of you may be familiar with the R’Joey Newcomb’s song – “To be a yid”.
I think it’s a delightful song with a wonderful message.
Some of the lyrics go like this:-

‘No, you don’t have to be חב”ד to want משיח’
But you gotta want משיח to be a Yid,
No, you don’t have to be a ציוני to love ארץ ישראל,
But you gotta love ארץ ישראל to be a Yid.
I’d like to (cheekily) add a line, if I may!

You don’t have to be in shul to speak to Ha’Shem,
But you gotta speak to Ha’Shem to be a yid.

We need to speak to Him when we’re in shul. B’li sheilah, without a question. There are things Am Yisrael can only achieve through davening b’tzibbur. Absolutely. But we don’t NEED to be in shul to speak with Him.
Let’s get out of confining communication with Hakadosh Baruch Hu to a ‘telephone box.’

If you’ve got the best smartphone, the concept of being as conveniently connected as possible is something you’re intimately familiar with.

Let’s get intimately familiar with connecting to Ha’Shem in the most ‘convenient’ way possible.
With the click of a button you can reach anywhere in the world.
Whoa, how true this is. He’s right here. He’s right there.
You’re in His world, He’s in yours.

Put down your phone. For a second. You’ll be ok.
Look at the sky, look at the face opposite you, look at your cup of coffee.
Start with a short,

“Thank You Ha’Shem”
or
“Master of Heaven and Earth, why?”
or
“I’m really struggling today”
or
” I want to be close to You but I dont know how”
or
“I don’t actually know whether I want to be close to You but I’m super confused right now, so if You’re there and listening I’d appreciate a bit of direction..”

Apple have got some serious competition.
Best device of 2023.
Your mouth.
26G. (Numerical value of God’s name)

Friends, let’s get with the times.
We are more ready than ever before.

ממלא כל עלמין וסובב כל עלמין”
ומבלעדך אין שום מציאות כלל”
Lord you fill all worlds,
and surround all worlds
And lord without You
There is no existence at all
(Tikunei Zohar 5:1 & 5:2)

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Link to Zusha song with these words: