Prominent Rabbonim and poskim have released as strongly-worded letter on Tuesday, 21 Shevat, warning against the use of the ‘smart watch’ and defining those who sell them as causing the tzibur to sin while placing the entire future of the generation in great danger.
The letter is signed by HaRav Yitzchak Zilberstein, HaRav Sariel Rosenberg, HaRav Yehuda Silman, HaRav Moshe Shaul Klein, HaRav Shmuel Eliezer Stern, HaRav Masoud Ben-Shimon, HaRav Meir Kessler and others.
The rabbis write in their letter, under the notice that this is a “Psak Halacha” (Halachic ruling): “The magnitude of the destruction brought by the smartphones, which brought many to a ‘Be’er Shachas’ R”L, and gedolim have already warned about the matter.
“Recently, different types of these devices have been renewed, which in their appearance and name appear to be other permissible devices, such as the so-called smart watch, and one’s yetzer if fooled to think such a device is not included in the prohibition.
“And some even sell them to children and young people, and they take part in abusing the masses in a very serious manner and place the entire future of the generation in enormous danger.”
The rabbis further write that “we hereby declare our opinion that this device is forbidden to be used for both adults and young adults, and even when it does not contain a sim card or has some type of filtering.”
“And by virtue of preserving the sanctity, each one of them will be Zoche that he will have Nachas from all his descendants and to all the brachos mentioned in the Torah.”
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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10 Responses
Makes sense (not that they need my haskoma anyway).
Many fitness watches have internet access and limited ability to synch with a smart phone to track physical activity, cardio health etc. They also synch with email if you have a compatible smarthphone. It would be mindless to sweep in these type of watches under any kind of prohibition of watches which might otherwise be used as a platfom to watch pritzus. Clearly the health and wellness benefits of tracking your physical activity and cardio status outweigh any concerns about somehow getting an illicit email (most of which you won’t be able to read anyway).
This is only the early days of smart devices. Just wait and you’ll see, this planet earth and every home will resemble Star Wars.
“It would be mindless to sweep in these type of watches under any kind of prohibition of watches which might otherwise be used as a platfom to watch pritzus”
I respectfully ask for clarification of this remark. In my initial reading it sounded like the Rabonim who issued the ban were being called mindless. I hope this was not your meaning as disrespecting a talmid chochom is considered apikorsus and belongs to the category of those who lose their portion in the World to Come. I’d like to give you the benefit of the doubt that you are commenting on someone’s interpretation of the ban, and perhaps you have better information on what the Rabonim actually said.
What? How can the Rabbonim make a ban like that? Don’t they realize all the cheesed and Torah learning and not to mention even Davening, from a smartphone? Well to all the mechutzafim who would say this and think like this I’m sure the Rabbonim took this into account when they made the ban and said yatza scharo b’hefseido.
WTH….
The stated intent of the rabbis who signed the psak was to extend their long-standin prohibiion on smartphones to any smaller devices with similiar internet access functionality (through which one might acess prtizus) that might be worn on the wrist as a watch. The tens of millions of fitness trackers used to monitor phsycial and cardio activiy have been shown to save lives, especially the newer models which could alert individuals or their physicians to unusual heart rate activity so they can immediately seek emergency medical attention. Even the most simple devices that encourage cardio-activity save lives. No one purchses a fitness watch for any inappropriate activity halacha. Sweeping in these kinds of devices that save lives and/or improve the quality of lives would be mindless. No disrespect, just a factual statement.
Gadolhadorah, thank you for sharing your point of view. It is wonderful how much chessed and lifesaving has been accomplished by many forms of technology, including wearable technology etc.
I personally disagree with your reasoning, which is fine, and mostly unimportant, and possibly not productive to explain. However, I would consider it to be disrespectful to you to denigrate your reasoning faculties because I disagree with your opinion. I would not call you mindless however much I disagree with your position, wording, and logic, because in my opinion, that would cross the line of courteous disagreement to disrespect.
When applying this to talmidei chachomim, it develops into other, far more serious issues as described above.
Maybe I’m ignorant but what’s the problem with smart watches? I never used one, I thought it was just a way to make money off people who want to have a touchscreen watch. I can’t imagine it does much other than show you email and allow you to dial calls. Are you able to watch videos, and that’s the problem? The screen is so small, who would bother.
The characterization of a decision is NOT the same as characterization of the decisionmakers….even the smartest people I know will acknowledge they have made some really stupid decisions.
Sounds like semantics to me, and not very good semantics either.
The quote from the Gemara (based on Rashi) is – anyone who is mevazeh a talmid chochom does not have a portion in the World to Come. If I tell someone they are not mindless but what they said was mindless, I would think that’s included in bizui. There is also a vast difference between making a error in judgement and making a mindless mistake. Add to the equation the stakes of your portion in the World to Come, and the subject matter being the nisayon hador, and it becomes very difficult to understand a logical basis for your maintaining your position.
I don’t need you to acknowledge I am correct, feel free to think of me whatever you want; my main purpose of posting is because I see and hear so much disrespect to Talmidei Chachomim that I feel it is my duty to protest it at least once in a while. So this post is not addressed to Gadolhadorah – it is for everyone reading this to be aware that we live our lives by the Torah, and the Torah views disrespect of Talmidei Chachomim as a a very serious matter. If you want to find out more about it please ask your local qualified Orthodox Rabbi.