“Polarization, conflict…. and dishwashers” (1st day of Rosh HaShanah, 5786 / 2025)
“Polarization, conflict…. and dishwashers” Rabbi Robert Scheinberg, Ph.D. 1st day of Rosh HaShanah, 5786 / 2025 United Synagogue of Hoboken, NJ “In every relationship, there’s one person who loads the dishwasher like a Scandinavian architect, and one person who loads it like a rabid raccoon.” This is, believe it or not, a quotation from one of the more fascinating and provocative articles I read this year. It was about dishwashers and their role in couple and family conflict. (In case you’re wondering, in my family I’m the raccoon.) A pparently, this saying resonates in part because of how couples counselors report that a surprising amount of tension and conflict emanates from disagreements about how to load the dishwasher. Including: Who does it and when? What goes in the top, what goes in the bottom? What direction do items face? How do you do cutlery - up or down? How empty is too empty, and how full is too full? Does it ...