Shpilkes Time!

It’s election day! Today is “the most important election of our life,” numerous people will say. Politico points out, as numerous other people will, that “the most important election of our life” happens every four years.

From a political point of view, all elections are important. Some elections are decided by ten votes. Still, it’s likely everyone is feeling a little shpilkes about this election.

Shpilkes, a Yiddish word, means “nervous energy, anxiousness, restlessness”. I have little doubt that everyone feels a little nervous, anxious, and restless waiting for the results of “the most important election of our life”. (To read a comedic, but accurate description of shpilkes see Hey Alma).

The current administration wants you to feel shpilkes about this election. It’s therefore important that the nervous feelings that you have, which should not turn into worries and suffering (tsuris), are cast aside and put instead instead into positive thoughts and actions. To overcome the the shpilkes the administration wants us to feel we must not act as the administration wants us to.