Don’t Touch, Don’t Look

Boundaries can keep us protected. With concern for health and safety we learn that there are things we don’t touch, and even times when we don’t look. Of course the Torah sets out a compelling case of healthy boundaries serving as holy behavior, applicable to today’s hyper-electronic world.

At Sinai, before God revealed God’s self, God gave Moses a warning. First, Moses told the people not to touch the mountain. Then, on the morning of God’s revelation, God further told Moses to warn the people not to look at God’s manifestation above the mountain. Moses warned that the failure to obey these rules would result in death. God gave us an eternal instruction. What is holy must not be treated as ordinary. Seriously!

In a modern world, we have less regard for holiness. The scientific revolution deconstructed faith. The technological revolution allowed people to believe that they are on par with divinity. After all, we each hold a computer in our pockets that can access almost any fact, image, or sound.  Knowledge need not come from Sinai when you have an Apple product in your hands. We are boundless in what we can hear, see and touch.

Without boundaries the fabric of society shreds and tears. The same is true for the fabric of our civilization. Today, we have few boundaries to personal pursuits. Everything seems available and anything appears possible. Perhaps money is the only real restriction to access.  MacBooks and iPhones can be expensive. Yet, the barrier to owning a hand-held computer is  low enough and the priority of owning a personal device is high enough that  internet access is an entitlement. That small screen is now our window on the world. And if the world is not enough, we now have artificial intelligence to create alternatives.

We shifted focus from God’s omnipresence as eternal to information access being universal.  The model of Sinai was disrupted. Our sense of awe and wonder is diminished. What was once could only be imagined is now ordinary. The supernatural is conventional. We get messages through the thin air and connect across vast distances. Ho hum. Moreover, access to information is believed to be an entitlement. Just notice any person you bump into on the street who is looking at their phone and not where they are going.

As direct human interaction falters, humanity suffers. Because we gather less often as a community the greater good slackens. We shift focus inward as we know few boundaries in our pursuit of personal entertainment. Accordingly, the world is shifting in its moral grounding and regard for principled living. Consequently, younger generations are more protective of their rights, their feelings, and their entitlements. Those empowered by their electronic devices cocoon around their individual sensibilities. Personal boundaries are heightened and narrowly construed.

There are two correctives we might consider involving the reinstatement of some boundaries in our lives. The first is to reconnect with the meaning of shabbat.  Many progressive Jews have come to identify shabbat as a limitation on our activities.  However, when we practice limitations, we elevate the quality of our lives and our world. We limit work in favor of rest. We set aside ordinary interactions in favor of holy engagement. Personal relationships on shabbat should take precedence over electronic connections.

The second corrective is to recreate Sinai experiences. Limit your connectivity through the internet and connect  outdoors and in nature. Contemplate the majesty of mountains and oceans and vast skies. If inspired, set aside the senses of touch and sight and taste for a while. Engage the world with your inner being – with sympathy, empathy, and love.

Restoring holiness to the world requires new boundaries. Separate the ordinary from the extraordinary. We achieve holiness pursuing time for personal connections rather than internet connectivity. Godliness expands when we appreciate our limitations rather than speak of our privileges. Through the practice of observing boundaries, we reset our compass toward the true north of holiness.

Rabbi Evan J. Krame