CTeenConnection

Never give up: We Jews are well known for having chutzpah, and for going that extra mile to achieve our goals. The Pokemon phenomenon really puts our global chutzpah to the test….have you seen how far people will go to catch Pokemon? Imagine if they’d channel that energy for something else…wow!

Facing and conquering our challenges: We’re taught to battle and conquer our yetzer hara (evil inclination); it’s a battle that is sometimes difficult and training, kind of like battling other Pokemon players in a gym.

Ahavat Yisrael: Pokemon not only forces you to get off the couch and be be social, but it gives you the opportunity to learn and respect people that you may not otherwise have a chance to. Ahavat Yisroel—loving your fellow Jew as you love yourself—means loving every single person regardless of your differences. In the last two weeks alone, it seems that the entire world has put their differences on hold to play Pokemon..

Strength: You need a lot of strength and determination to keep looking for Pokemon, especially late into the night, but it is the search itself that feeds our strength. We gain strength to continue changing the world by changing the world. As the saying goes: One mitzvah brings about another.

Gotta catch all the mitzvot: Going out and looking for poke-balls is like going out of your way to find out if someone is Jewish and invite them over for Shabbat…Hidden Pokemon, hidden mitzvahs that need to be discovered…same thing, right?

Jewish guilt: You feel weirdly guilty if you’re not playing when the rest of the world is.

Our Inner Flame: Just like the Fire Pokémon use there fire in battles, we use our flames to light up the world.