Chanukah Light

Last year Chanukah, we took upon ourselves not to use our devices for an hour after candle lighting. I remember wishing I could take pictures and videos of my family lighting their menorahs and dancing together during Maoz Tzur. It was a struggle to watch and not to record, but I had taken on that kabbalah, and stuck to it.

Half a year ago, I got rid of my smartphone after many years, and switched to a flip phone. The transition was hard at first, but gradually I as I watched my children lighting their menorahs, I felt no tug to record it at all. The calm and focus on the ruchniyus was so much more reachable for me. I actually focused on the brachos each child said and felt the tug to daven and tap into the moment, davening for the nissim we need in our lives. I felt so lucky to be free of the tugging of last year’s technology pull, and to be able to focus on the special moments. May we be zoche to see nissim and yeshuos in our personal lives and get on the device, it has to be with your knowledge and permission. When choosing a password, be careful not to use anything that your child can easily figure out, such as family names, ad- is to use a combination of words. This is called a “passphrase”, for example, #noLeftover$allow3d or Mommyi$TH3best!. Keep in mind that a longer password is more secure. It is also prudent to change your password (as annoying as it is) periodically, as sometimes kids can figure out the code and keep it to the themselves for a while.

To share a tech triumph or story of chizuk, please email Techtriumphs@ tagbaltimore.org.