A businessperson explains how observing Shabbat, a 25-hour weekly break from phones and electricity, became a turning point for their spiritual life and work. They argue that enforced rest sharpens focus and productivity, a practice many successful entrepreneurs follow.
There like a trigger or point where you realize, like, hey, this is the way I want to live life. Was there like a moment or is it more gradual?
It was really One of the major shaping pieces was Shabbos. Like, when I was beginning my journey, right, Shabbos became like this oasis in time and space and place. And I realized, I really, I always say that, like, Shabbos saved my life. Shabbos saved my life. It's actually a very deep idea. I feel like Shabbos really opened me up to spirituality that I never would have realized beforehand and opened me up to everything else.
That's a very difficult thing to do from the outside. I, I keep Shabbat as well, right? And it was not easy to start and all those things, but to not use your phone, not use electricity, not drive anywhere, it's like, for 25 hours. And then the holidays also, it's like, that is a, that's, it seems like a tall order.
You're like, you're like, as you say it, I'm like, oh, spiritual Jacuzzi. I'm like, yes, put me back in. I, I, I'll tell you, when I was in undergraduate and I had my phone, I didn't even have a smartphone at the time. It was, goes way back, but it was just a regular phone. I was still so busy. And when I started turning off my phone, my flip phone, right, for Shabbos, I felt so relaxed. Like, it was just like, it was like, I don't, I don't have to answer you. I don't have to respond right now. And that freedom that it gave me is something that still is still something I feel even today. And I look forward to, I look forward to turning off that phone. I look forward to not getting away from my pockets of keys and pockets of credit cards and just divesting myself of all those things and just being like, I now get to be a human and be present.
One of the things that surprised me when I started to get more involved in the, in the Jewish, Jewish scene is that there's plenty of, like, very successful business people, billionaires, multibillionaires, that keep Shabbat. My first thought was, like, okay, come on, man. Like, you check your email, check or whatever, because how do you step back for one day a week and have no access to any of these things? And it was very shocking because they did it and they're very successful. And, and it was a bit of a learning experience that, like, you know, at some point, if you, if you take that time off the table, you become more productive throughout the rest of the week, not just practically speaking, but, you know, you take a break, you kind of let your mind think more about the more important things. It's like even in a business you have to take a step back and focus on the mission once in a while so that you can go and implement that.
Sure. They look working on the business or working in the business.
Right?
Right. Those are two different modalities of development. Right. Also and also Stephen Covey calls it sharpening the saw, right? You have to take time to sharpen your saw, which that's the metaphor for him, which is taking time for thoughtful reflection. He didn't say keep Shabbos. But as a Torah observant Jew, you know, using Shabbos wisely sharpens your saw. You're able to reflect, allow yourself time to breathe, allow yourself time to go over the weekly happenings.
