145: Waking up from our rage-filled slumber

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Rosh Hashanah is the only major Jewish holiday that begins in total darkness — no full moon, no light on the road. And it is there, in deepest darkness, that the new year is born, that the new light kindles.

Jewish tradition teaches that this pivot from darkness to light is a time of freedom, when Joseph first came out of Pharaoh’s dungeon, when the Jews first tasted freedom from Egyptian bondage.

This Rosh Hashana, we ask what happens when an entire industry farms our attention for profit. From Proverbs to Rambam to the Ramchal's blind man walking the riverbank, we show that attention -- the world's most profitable commodity -- is also our most precious personal possession. That, at least, is a core principle of Judaism. And if it’s true, then the attention-hording rage-scrolling of social media, which now dominates our culture and claims much of our attention, is a form of slavery.

This Rosh Hashanah, make this moment of darkness and awakenings a pivot in your own life, a moment for reclaiming your mind.

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Musical intro by Adam Ben Amitai.