The JCC Center for Loving Kindness (CFLK) Advisory Committee is a committed group of leaders from Greater Pittsburgh, each working to strengthen community. Over time, it became clear to us that even those who help others need space to reset. CFLK is here to answer that call, offering a moment to pause, lean on one another, and recharge.

This past Friday, Advisory Committee members and guests gathered for the first Shabbat dinner since CFLK’s founding in 2017. The evening provided a chance to step away from to-do lists, welcome Shabbat, share a meal, and explore how pausing can be an act of activism and social justice. What does it mean to disconnect from “grind culture” and embrace a screen-free space with those we love?

To set the evening’s tone, Rabbi Hindy shared a childhood memory of her dad telling a story from the Talmud about two ministering angels, a good angel and a bad angel, who accompany us home from Shabbat services. Upon arriving home, if the table is set and the lamp is lit, the good angel says, “May it be like this next week,” and the evil angel must respond, “Amen.” But if the home is chaotic and in disarray, the reverse happens. The evil angel says, “May it be like this next week,” and the good angel responds, “Amen.”

“My dad shared this story to encourage us to behave at Shabbat dinner, but the imagery has stayed with me well into adulthood, shaping my relationship with Shabbat as a time for deep, intentional resetting. Is my laptop turned off? Have I unhooked from my ever-growing to-do list? Have I created a space that truly allows me to reset?” 

Instead of singing the traditional Shalom Aleichem melody at Friday’s Shabbat dinner, participants were invited to turn to one another and personally welcome each other into our gathering space. Just as Shalom Aleichem speaks of angels entering our homes, each committee member is an angel in their own right—blessing the world with kindness and social activism. Through their work, they help ensure that each week, we can say with hope and gratitude, “May it be like this next week.”

Activating the group for dialogue around our own comfort and relationship with unhooking from the demands of daily life, Rabbi Hindy encouraged participants at each table to engage with the following prompts:

• How do societal expectations around productivity influence your relationship with rest?
• What role does rest play in dismantling systems of oppression in your personal life or community?
• How do you currently incorporate rest into your daily or weekly routines? Are there any barriers to doing so?
• What rituals or traditions around rest can be reclaimed or reinvented to support collective healing?
• How can we create and protect spaces for collective rest in our communities?

After engaging in discussions, we reconvened as a group and affirmed that centering rest as a resource is essential in the pursuit of our most whole selves. We acknowledged that rest enhances our well-being and enables us to approach our work with greater clarity and purpose. At the same time, we wrestled with the reality that rest can feel like an elusive privilege, particularly when the stakes are high and deadlines loom. This tension underscored the importance of creating intentional space for rest—both individually and collectively—as an act of renewal, resistance, and sustainability. We recognized the numerous vital communal spaces in our region, including the JCC, that facilitate resetting.   

We arrived at the understanding that rest and resetting can take on infinite meanings, varying from person to person and across contexts. Yet, what ties them together is the shared intention of becoming fully present—attuned to what matters most in the moment.

Our takeaway from last week’s dinner is a Shabbat message for our JCC staff: You give so much of yourselves to our community, and your well-being matters. Rest—whether through solitude, connection, stillness, or movement—is not just about stepping away but about recharging in ways that sustain you. Prioritizing renewal strengthens your ability to show up fully for those you serve, ensuring that the good angel can once again say, “May it be like this next week.”

Wishing you and your families a Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Hindy and Melissa Hiller