As a therapist and music teacher who has also had her fair share of days as an elementary school teacher, I’ve seen the challenges of technology surge. We educators and parents are constantly faced with questions: How are we to maintain the values learned in yeshiva alive, and how do we keep up with the rush of instant dopamine that the screens all around us provide?

I read a beautiful idea in the Family First article, “Cradle of Innovation.” Rabbi Zweig shares a thought, in the name of the Alexander Rebbe, on the pasuk, “Binu shnos dor v’dor. The Rebbe translates the word shnos as change. In each generation, he says, it is important to note the changes and challenges of that generation and tailor chinuch accordingly. And I marvel at the magnificent job our rebbeim and morahs are doing, racing to keep up with all the innovations in our surroundings, including smartphones, texting, the internet, and WhatsApp.

 Rejection hurts. And particularly in the shidduch world, where emotions mount quickly and expectations run high, a “no” can feel like the rug has been pulled out from under you. It certainly did for “Rachel”:

Last month I was redt a wonderful boy from a great family. He had everything I had been looking for. I’m 26 years old and have been dating for six years. I know what works and what doesn’t; this sounded like it would work, and I was excited. Date after date, everything went well. We had a great flow of small talk and even better deep conversations, and our hashkafos were aligned. After I got home after our seventh date, I felt ready to shift to a new stage. I imagined calling my friends to let them know the happy news, sending out a beautiful vort invite, and picking out a dress for the proposal. Just as I sank into my bed for the night, the shadchan called. The boy had said no. I tearfully hung up, trying to digest the news. He refused to give a reason, insisting that, although I was a very nice girl, he had come to the conclusion that I was not for him.