Judaism’s Ancient Answer to a Noisy World - Parshat Balak - Rabbi Yaakov Asher Sinclair

Our [Music] world becomes increasingly hectic and less and less private. Web crawlers and chat bots troll our lives, our likes, our online purchases, our weaknesses, and our politics. According to UNICEF, in 2023, more than one in three adolescents globally have symptoms of anxiety or depression. Also in 2023 in the US 42% of high school students felt persistently sad or hopeless and about 20% of US high school students seriously considered suicide in the past 12 months. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for individuals between the ages of 15 and 24 worldwide. Teens now average between 7 to N hours of screen time every day and increased screen use has been linked to reduced mental well-being. Serenity is a hard thing to find nowadays. We struggle to make the voice of our soul heard above the constant noise of our digital world. In secular society, social media creates comparison, FOMO, and over stimulation and addiction, and it becomes more and more difficult to find quiet, unplugged spaces in our lives for reflection. One of Judaism's great gifts of the world is hidut, which means mindful seclusion. Being alone with who you are and conversing with your soul, being in touch with yourself. More than ever nowadays, where our whole environment tries to tear our attention hither and thither this way and that in a world of confusion and insecurity, we need to set aside time to reflect, to contemplate on what it is that we're doing in this world and what is really important to us and who we are. The masim lists his podus as an essential part of our spiritual path to self-nowledge and becoming closer to God. In Parad Balak, the Torah describes the Jewish people as a nation that will dwell in solitude. The literal meaning of this verse is that to fulfill our mission, the Jewish people must set its own compass in this world. We must march to a different drum, the drum of the Torah. but also to be a light to the nations. We must step off the treadmill of this digital world and reflect on our true destiny as individuals and as a nation. We must find times and places of serenity. [Music]