My expression of faith, Orthodox Judaism, demands that I take a break. On Friday nights at sundown, I power down my phone and I keep it off until the stars come out on Saturday night. It is my weekly twenty-five-hour Shabbat phone fast. What do I do without my phone? I read books, I have uninterrupted conversations, I look at the skies, I sing a tune, I wake without an alarm, and I navigate the city streets unassisted.

The reasons for the no-cellphone-on-Shabbat rule are admittedly arcane.