After my dad passed away about a year and a half ago, I started attending Friday night services at my synagogue on a regular basis. Initially, this was so I could say the Mourner’s Kaddish (prayer for the dead) for my Dad. But, as time went on, I realized that I enjoyed and appreciated the ritual of ending the work week in this way. The service lasts just under an hour, there’s lots of joyful singing, and, it’s a chance to see friends I don’t see on a regular basis. I always leave my phone in the car, and surprisingly, even that one short hour gives me a chance to unplug from the rest of the world and focus on what’s important and right in front of me.
