Rishon L’Tzion HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Yosef Shlita has come out strongly against rabbonim and dayanim who use a smartphone.
He remarked, “Rabbonim and dayanim – how can they possible sit in judgment in Israel when they have an iPhone? Their fitness to serve as dayanim is in question if they have an iPhone. This must be discussed. I am not stating this with absolute certainty, but this is most serious for they must serve as an example [to others]”.
Rav Yosef added, “I know a famous important rav, whose name I am not going to release, who during chazaras hashatz was busy messaging with his iPhone. First of all, you are in the midst of chazaras hashatz, secondly, you are using an iPhone, and thirdly, the entire tzibur sees this and question ‘this is a rav in Israel, who has an iPhone'”?.
The rav conclude, “The director-general of the Rabbanut gave me an iPhone as a gift, the best one there is. He gave it to me with the packaging explaining ‘this is given to the rav from the state’. I told him ‘chas v’sholom that I should make call from this? Return it and bring me a kosher phone’. I then told him I do not want that either for it is bitul Torah.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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4 Responses
Like any other citizen of EY, Rav Yosef is free to reject the Iphone and other electronic devices which the vast majority of frum yidden have made a personal decision to use. However, I am skeptical that other rabbonim who have made their own decision to use such devices, with or without a “kosher” plumba are going to suddenly return to the dark ages (aka before Reb Al Gore invented the internet).
the grandson of Rav Kanievsky, seen constantly by his side, sets up appointments using WhatsApp. NU??
@gadolhatorah… Having a kosher phone with calling and texting isn’t “The Dark Ages”.
Gadolhadorah, sry to burst your bubble but the vast majority of frum yidden in EY have chosen NOT to use Iphones. In many neighborhoods most Shuls won’t let you be shliach tzibur if you have an Iphone. Many Rabbanim won’t accept them as witnesses by kidushin either. The situation in EY is very different than in Chul.