Do you remember how complicated sweeping the floor was before electric brooms? First, one needed a brush-on-a-stick and carefully go around the room to collect whatever was on the floor. Then moving the detritus towards a dust pan. It took quite a bit of skill to push the crumbs and muck around, just the right amount of effort so there would be just a single pile and hoping no wind would redistribute it. It was an effort to keep the mess in place. Now, all we have to do is flip a switch and the mess disappears easily (at least until waste-cup emptying time).

It is fascinating to take a close look at what gets collected in the cup. Clearly the machine is some kind of homogenizing system. Except for the large and strong, all that stuff becomes a rather uninteresting grey mass. So what? I think it's good when there are differences among things. If everything is alike, nothing stands out.

There are times when we should take a step to assure that we stand out. Passover is more than a full week long. Rosh Hashanah is two days long. Sukkot, Shavuot, Shabbat too, are holy days. If we do not make an effort to make all the holy days of Jewish holidays stand out, then we're contributing to the homogenization of Jewish life. We should observe the full-holiday days of our festivals in the Temple, out of the office, in order to have them stand out. We should have our children with us in the synagogue rather than in school to remind them, and the larger community, that Jewish holidays are more than Hanukkah.

Granted, it's not easy. Taking action to stay apart from the background never is. 

Reminder:

     - This weekend there will be a Pause Button and Mishpacha Shabbat.  We hope you are able to take part.