When There is Food on the Table- there is always room for one more.

The feeling of being excluded stinks. There’s a program called #operationshabatshalom it was started during the Pandemic. 

Shout out to Rabbi Josh Lookstein. His father is Rabbi Lookstein, (Rabbi Emeritus at Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun.)

 Fast forward and several years post (bh) pandemic. One pervasive and lingering side effect for so many resulted from the feeling of being isolated.

 The common denominator was negotiating our safety from our own ships during the many phases of the universal storm. #operationshabbotshalom was set up as an “effort to bring people together after a years of distancing.” Friday afternoons are designated to reach out to people who could use a call. Come one, call all. You in turn get the calls too. 

Social lives have an ebb and flow. There are times when we are inundated with invites to join the colloquial party. There are periods where empty calendars feel italicized in yellow marker fashion. 

Differentiating between alone and lonely is a tough call. 

In an attempt to ward off lonely we schedule our days and nites in bulk. Some days we look actually forward to cancelled plans. 

We can then get into our sweats, no make-up and hair pulled back mode. It gives us a moment to get off the treadmill of activity, tap into an evening of Salad, Pizza, Netflix  and a Vodka we nurse through binging Teheran.

 Lots of time and sometimes tortured energy to create a syllabus that keeps our dance card full. 

So just for today, reach out to someone who is having a difficult time. Invite them for a cup, a lunch, or a stroll through the mall.

Leave the door open and let them know in a more than merrier way, that they will never walk alone, as long as you are around.