Parshat Eikev: Facebook Confession - Rabbi Yaakov Asher Sinclair

for those of my generation who do not and cannot comprehend why Facebook exists I'm trying to make friends outside of Facebook while applying the same principles therefore every day I walk down the street and I tell passes by what I've eaten how I feel of that present moment what I've done the night before what I'll do later and with whom I give them pictures of my family my dog of me gardening taking things apart in the garage watering the lawn standing in front of landmarks driving around town having lunch and doing what everybody else does every day I also listen to their conversations and give them thumbs up and tell them that I like them and it works just like Facebook I already have four people following me two police officers a private investigator and a psychiatrist friend of mine who sent me this joke and when I sent it to me I just laugh I love pretty cool but after a little reflection I thought to myself how sad really is other superficial relationships that pass for friendship in our big new brave new web being a Jew means having the ultimate friend as it says in this week's Torah portion only or forefathers did god cherish to love them and he chose their offspring after them you from among all the peoples as this day the COTS grabber once said that if we really understood what it meant to be Jewish we'd be beside ourselves with joy we'd rush out into the street and start dancing a Kazakh when we don't have a real relationship with God but rather we just friend him we dial in a few platitudes in prayer but it doesn't just stop with our relationship with God our relationships with our fellow man our fellow mortals will also become brittle superficial and manipulative how do you build a real relationship with God well there are many ways but I tried this in the work for me I printed out some cards and some magnetic fridge stickers with the following inscription I want to be close to God because he made the world and he made me too and he wants to be close to me and so I want to be close to him too and I know this sounds trite but I said this aloud once or twice a day and it works there's nothing quite like the feeling of being close to God as the cousin ish once wrote there is no sadness in the world for someone who knows the light of truth [Music] you [Applause]