Jerusalem – Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef has spoken out for a second time of late against the use of smartphones in the haredi community, saying that the use of such devices should disqualify people from leading prayer services in synagogue.
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Speaking during his weekly Torah lesson which will be broadcast in full by the haredi Kol Barama radio station, the chief rabbi also said that people should find a new prayer service if the one they attend is led by a smartphone user.
“One must find a prayer leader who fears Heaven, if you know that the prayer leader has a TV at home and watches videos of abomination or a TV in his pocket and watches these types of abomination videos, how is it possible that they will lead the prayers in front of God?,” said Yosef regarding synagogues’ preparations for the coming High Holy days.
“It would be like someone sending their children to a non-religious school and teaching them abomination. It’s forbidden for someone like this to lead prayers and if he did then you need to organize a new service.”
Back in February, Yosef criticized smartphone usage by yeshiva students with smartphones.
“If a yeshiva student has an iPhone you need to remove him from the yeshiva, without doubt,” the rabbi said.
Haredi rabbinical leaders have frequently condemned smartphone usage. Just last month the Council of Torah Sages of Agudat Yisrael, representing the hasidic haredi community, fiercely criticized smartphone use which have not been approved by the community’s rabbis, and requested that the children of smartphone users not be accepted to educational institutions.
The haredi rabbinical leadership worries both about the influence of pornography, which is easily and discreetly accessible on smartphones, but is no less concerned about the open access to unlimited, uncensored information which until the advent of smartphones and their increasing adoption in the haredi world was not available to members of the ultra-Orthodox community.
Too bad nobody is listening.
What are you so afraid of, Rabbi? I can freely download all the pornography I wish on my smartphone, yet choose not to do so. I can freely have a bacon cheeseburger for lunch, yet choose not to do so. I can sacrifice a goat to an idol, yet choose not to do so. Is your Torah so weak that people will abandon it if they are not forcefully prohibited from doing so? Some of us think Yiddishkeit is strengthened by knowledge, personal responsibility, and the ability to make one’s own choice and weakened by isolation, ignorance, and control.
If that’s the case, good luck finding a minyan in the United States.
If you study Nach, you see throughout the entire Jewish history, the era of the Judges, temple number one, and during the entire temple number two, The level of sinning was beyond comprehension, yet, I don’t think smartphones were around……or were they?
what type of phone would the Chofetz Chaim allow? which phone is loshon hora proof??
smart or not smart??
he is not your rabbi he is not speaking to you if you want to know about your shul first go visit him then tell him about your shul and ask what he thinks.
this story is bogus.
With all respect to the Rishon L’Tzion ….What about how people deal with other people , B’Dinai Momon ,Neighbors , ect ????
I guess I am screwed. I daven from a smartphone.
Anyway, this is so stupid. When rabbis make pronouncements that will widely be ignored it dilutes their authority. When everyone sees them make such pronouncements, and then sees that so many people ignore them, then everyone figures “who listens to the rabbis.” That’s why rabbis should make pronouncements about things they understand and that really are part of yiddishkeit. Smartphones are needed for everything these days. One can do without a smartphone like one can do without a telephone–NOT! That is, unless you’re a badlan who does nothing but sit around the bais midrash all day waiting for the next stupid pronouncement.
If everyone reads actual article the rabbi said if someone uses the device to watch bad stuff, nothing was mentioned about owning it.
Maybe he’s doing smart things with his smart phone. Teach your community how to live like yidden (being a role model yourself).
And pray tell where this important announcement is publicized if not the internet?
Mixed messages anyone?
When I work on flying saucers, I must have good telecommunications. G-d is so involved that the prayers to heaven can be felt in the martian hearts when they are fixed to fly home.
But to see a rabbi condemn the very needs I have to find my way to Daven freely on a good saturday, I must concede that I feel alienated.
This is so utterly insane that the Martians will likely invade the earth. G-d blamed for telecommunication technology advances is unfair.
Seriously folks, this is just the poorest idea. A guy with transistors is not a thief. He can lead prayers.
This mentality of some of the charedi that we are all looking for XXX specials just to have a nice important item to call and use the internet is so obscene that I predict more have been blamed for just smiling that G-d gave us the sun in the heavens.
Bad creation? No thanks. G-d is smart enough that we can have advanced technology.
Sad restitution on a violent restricted fear of liberty.
That is not fear of G-d.
Mars is not that much fun if you can not call home.
I noticed a (picture) keyboard on his desk indicating there’s a computer on the desk. Does it have an approved internet filter?
He better not get caught using a smartphone in his luxury car like someone else!
Taliban Yehudi
Teach the cantor ‘chassidus’ so he’ll have a deeper understanding of his Creator. Without ‘chassidus,’ ‘Moshiach’ will not come.
I certainly hope the rav doesn’t frequent this web site and see these reactions. Ouch!
To all you atheists, reformerS and ignoramuses, how dare you open your pisks and argue with a godal? If you were one pn pne with him who do you think would win this debate? He would crush you like a worm. You could say nothing in reply because you have NO Torah retort or chazal retort to him to prove your points.
Oh you can quote the goyishe philosophies all day long (and btw you would still lose in that) but jews are not interested in that especially when it comes to Torah law.
“Lo susoor min haderech yomin oohsmole”. If I have to translate this Torah posook you don’t belong here.