My Day Seven Experience

by Nina Fondiller Woldin

Today is Day 8 of the Omer. If you began the 10XSTRONGER 10-Day Challenge on Day 1, you would have done Day 7 yesterday. The 10XSTRONGER 10-Day challenge is flexible. You don’t have to begin it on any specific day, and you don’t even have to do it on consecutive days – you can focus on the challenge in a way that works for you – every other day, or even once a week.

But I am going to share with you my Day 7 experience.

The commandments are not covered in order in the 10XSTRONGER 10-Day Challenge. We begin with #10, Do Not Covet, because it’s an easier place to step in and begin your journey. So yesterday, Day 7 of the 10XSTRONGER 10-Day Challenge, focused on the fourth commandment, Keep Shabbat. The challenge focuses on being 10X more connected.

The Challenge begins with a short video, and then an Inspiration. Here is yesterday’s inspiration: Once a week, we take a break to rejuvenate, and connect with each other and our higher purpose. Set your intention for this Shabbat to appreciate life and connect to others. 

And here is the Challenge: Depending on your regular Shabbat observance, make a special effort this Shabbat to unplug from your electronics. For example, if you don’t usually turn off your phone, turn it off for as long as possible. 

Like everything Chai Mitzvah, we encourage you to do what works for you. For me, the intent of this challenge was actually met by not unplugging, but by using my electronics to completely support the spirit of the challenge.

Looking back to the previous Saturday night… Shabbat was over but it was still yom tov – the night of the first seder.  I was inspired by two texts –  the words in the Haggadah: “And you shall tell your child on that day, saying: ‘Because of this, that the Lord did for me when I left Egypt.’” – and Commandment #5: “Honor your father and your mother, in order that your days be lengthened on the land that the Lord, your God, is giving you,”

And so, the most satisfying seder this Passover was short and on FaceTime. My mom is 95 years old and bedridden, mostly deaf and in assisted living in California. After our traditional seder with the California part of the family (middle daughter, son in law and two little grandsons) we met on our cell phones. We hit the important components of the seder both in person and on the phones, with our daughter in Denver lighting the candles and our grandsons in Hoboken singing Ma Nishtana, We even let in Eliyahu HaNavi through my mother’s terrace doors. Somehow, everyone knew that this moment of connection with my mother was one to savor, as there is no guarantee that it will come again.

Somehow, everyone knew that this moment of connection with my mother was one to savor,
as there is no guarantee that it will come again. 

Each day, the 10XSTRONGER 10-Day Challenge ends with a journal entry. Here is the prompt for Day 7: If it was something you don’t normally do, how did it feel to eliminate the distraction of your cell phone? What did you find happening in its place? Were you able to connect with others in a different way? How do you describe the quality of unplugged time?

It is a compelling challenge, to unplug. For sure, give it a try. But I encourage you to focus on the intent, and take part in a satisfying Challenge like no other.

Today is the last day that Chai Mitzvah is offering 10XSTRONGER Challenge digital materials at no cost. After this, they will be available for $5 for the digital booklets, $8 for the printed booklets. Links are below, and please share your Challenge experiences with us!

DOWNLOAD FREE DIGITAL BOOKLETS:

• 30-Day Challenge
• 10-Day Challenge

School Version:

• Students’ 10-Day Challenge
• Teacher’s Guide to 10-Day Challenge