I was surprised to see Rabbi Saphire’s text, to say the least. It said a senior in our community needed help navigating her new iPhone and Apple watch. I thought, “I don’t have an Apple Watch or the newest phone, but I can try.”

I called and we chatted before I moved on to help her. I instructed her how to use some basic functions, even admitting that certain mechanisms, such as clearing apps from the background were hard for me, too. She laughed and said she felt better knowing that someone with as much phone experience as me also had trouble sometimes. This small connection made the rest of the conversation feel more natural.

She told me a story of how she accidentally sent a vegetarian soup recipe meant for one friend to a group. We laughed and I showed her how to send it correctly. She sent a test to me and I was excited because I had recently cut most meat out of my diet. We practiced until she got the process down and now I have a soup recipe to try with my dad this weekend!

Before we ended the call, I explained how to put a contact into her phone. She added my contact so she could text me if she wanted help in the future. I hope she takes me up on the offer.

I can’t help but think how easy these tasks are for me, but how my teaching will hopefully help my new friend. During quarantine, there’s nothing better for the youngest generation than to help someone else without face-to-face contact being necessary. Whether it’s helping with tech problems, delivering food, or calling a relative who is lonely and just wants to hear the voices of their children and grandchildren, it’s important to look out for everyone in the community, especially ours at TBE.