Wordle Shalom
Each night, as the clock passes midnight, I have developed a new routine. I close down my various projects for the day on my computer. I do one last check of Facebook and, often, the New York Times or Washington Post. Then, I get serious: Wordle.
Yes, I acknowledge: I am a Wordle addict. For those of you unfamiliar with Wordle, it is the newest internet phenomenon. Each midnight, Wordle publishes a new game. You have 6 chances to guess a 5-letter word. It is truly simple: The only outward reward: after you play, you can announce how you did to your community of online friends on Facebook or Twitter or whatever forum you prefer. Undoubtedly, a few friends have also played the game and, so, you can commiserate or congratulate one another.
Hear me out, but I see Wordle as having many similarities to Shabbat.
Wordle has a predictable set time. Shabbat begins Friday evening. Wordle is announced at midnight. Both serves as a “punctuation mark” in time – a moment to stop and reset. During the pandemic especially, time began to blur together for me. I appreciate have moments built into my days and week that mark times passage.
Wordle is simple and elegant by design. It’s not commercial. And, although its nice to “win,” the outcome is second to the experience. Although the rules of Shabbat can be complete, the goal of Shabbat is quite simple and elegant: Stopping, reflecting and appreciating. Shabbat is non-competitive and non-commercial.
Wordle create community. I particularly enjoy how Wordle brings folks together in a common goal and experience. In its short time in existence, the Wordle community even has its own rules – like not “spilling” the answer until the 24 hours are up. Similarly, Shabbat has private elements but its about bringing people together over something simple and shared. Wordle is challah bread and Shabbat walks and a really good Kiddish lunch.
I expect that Wordle, like many internet sensations, has something of short shelf life. Shabbat isn’t that way. Shabbat has been bringing people together, giving them moments of meaning and marking time for thousands of years. In the words of the great thinker Ahad Ha’am, “"More than Jews have kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jews."
Wordle Shalom,
Oops, Shabbat Shalom,