Dismiss

I usually set my alarm for 10 minutes before I actually have to get up, and then I go back to sleep for another half hour. My alarm rings faithfully every 5 minutes, and I am careful to snooze it every time. Even in my sleep I know that swipe to the left is snooze, and swipe to the right is dismiss. (I have a touch screen phone.)

Today I pressed dismiss by accident and then fell back asleep and woke up and literally jumped out of bed. Thank G-d I wasn't that late. Though I keep telling myself I need to go to sleep earlier. Doesn't work as well as my imposed bedtime as a child.

I have subscribed to an emailed dvar Torah for the past 3 or so years. I get it in an email every Thursday night. I used to really enjoy it. This particular rabbi has a nice way of wrapping everything up with a neat little bow. He also throws in stories, and ties in lessons, and I respond well to stories. But lately, like for a long time, I just glanced at the email and didn't bother to read it. If I had a printer, I might print it off to read on Shabbos when I am not distracted by a million other things, but I do not.

I wondered why I didn't just unsubscribe from the email list, as I do with millions of other annoying emails that I was somehow sneakily signed up for. But then it hit me- it is a reminder. Learn Torah. Remember Hashem. Do something worthwhile with your time. It is like the voice of the Yetzer Tov, however weak it may be. The Yetzer Harah will always be there telling you, 'dismiss it, don't listen to it, turn over and go back to sleep, you are so very tired'. And you say, 'yes, sleep, mmmmm sounds so good, just a few more minutes, I am sooooo tired'.

But don't dismiss it. As we know about rebuking a friend who transgressed, "The Gemorah in Eruchin (16a) says that if a person sees his friend persisting in a sinful behavior, he must continually rebuke him, even 100 times, until that friend ceases his poor behavior. The Gemorah goes on to say that one must do this until his subject begins to hit him or embarrass him, and then he may stop. And even if after all that, he does not change his wayward ways, that rebuke will not have been in vain, but rather will serve as a verbal objection to evil in the world."

Even 100 times. If he didn't listen 100 times, then say it 101 times. Just don't give up.

One time I was rushing before Shabbos, trying to put on makeup and get dressed since I was staying at someone's house and I wanted to look like a mentch when I lit and not a shlump in a sweatshirt and skirt. I would love to always be ready and light on time, but that never hardly ever happens. So I told the kids, tell me when it's time to light. And they did. So I said, tell me again in 2 minutes. And keep telling me until I finally go light. They were my reminder.

Don't let people give up on you, and don't give up on yourself. Because the second you hit that 'dismiss' button- then you have already failed.