One of the many perks of using Waze, aside from feeling like you're in Beirut in the middle of Jerusalem, is the social commentary that comes with the different characters programmed to give directions. You can have one character telling you to do squats at every traffic light and another giving you business tips. Recently, while going off route, a message from Waze really resonated with me. The character said in Hebrew, כל זמן שאדם חי אפשר לשנות, "as long as one is living, it is possible to change."
Change is an interesting thing. It is the basis of political campaigns, the subject of mussar shmuessen, and something that gnaws at the conscience of every soul-connected human being.
A story often attributed to Rav Yisroel Salanter, the Chofetz Chaim, and Benjamin Franklin, amongst others, encapsulates this idea:
“When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I found I couldn't change the nation, I …
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Shui’s Newsletter to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.