boy’s probably going to want to play video games, my
What is something terrific that happened this week?
What is your favorite Jewish (or Chinese, or Middle-Eastern) food?
If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
What are some of your favorite family traditions?
What is your favorite thing to do with your family?
Share your favorite book. Why do you enjoy it?
If you had a million dollars to give away, what kind of organization would you give it to?
companionship. The Shabbat meals are a typical
What makes someone a good friend?
example. The Friday night meal in a home which
What did you do this week to help someone?
girl’s gonna shun me, but on Friday night, we’re all gonna sit down, and we’re going to look each other in the eye, and say I love you, and [ask] what did you do this week, just reconnect for a minute. Like, that’s the long haul of it.” [On the July 22, 2018 episode of Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, quoted in Kveller, August 1, 2018.] Tiffany mentions that a big part of her Technology Shabbat is inviting people over for Friday night dinner. Even in the era before smartphones, families had to find time for each other. A few decades ago, Prager and Telushkin wrote, “Those who observe Shabbat invariably do so with family and/or friends. The Shabbat laws, by prohibiting technological companionship, compel us to seek out human
observes the Shabbat is a lengthy one at which all the participants sing and speak for hours on end. Unlike
If you tire of such questions, you could try what my kids
the rest of the week, no one has another appointment
enjoyed — take the questions from games like Jeopardy
to run to at the end of the meal. If the talk is stopped
and Trivial Pursuit and see who can answer them at the
to watch a basketball game, or to go to a movie, this
dinner table. These questions often lead to pretty solid
means that basketball and movies are more significant
dinner discussions as well.
than family discussion and Judaism.”
Some families (including mine) read and discuss age-
Even if you are just eating with your family, you can have
appropriate stories connected to the weekly portion of
great discussions. To inspire conversation, consider
the Torah. As education director of a synagogue, some
these discussion starters. You could put each question
years I sent home weekly one-pagers, summarizing
on a separate card, giving one to each person and
the portion, with family discussion questions. Story
re-assigning them in other weeks.
discussions are a great way to share your values with
If you could invite anyone in the world to your home for dinner, who would it be?
your children, especially when moral dilemmas are illustrated by the stories. Of course you don’t need the Torah to find stories with moral dilemmas.
Children In Chapter 7 (on addiction), Shlain notes that “so many
be following suit. (Makes you think of the drug dealers’
technology pioneers, like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates,
rule of never getting high on their own supply.)” You
strictly limited their kids’ screen use. Younger tech
may want to read Melinda Gates: I spent my career in
titans, who’ve just started having kids, already seem to
technology. I wasn’t prepared for its effect on my kids. 11
