Haredi Rabbis Wage Anti-Smartphone War On Simchat Torah

Rabbi orders follower to smash smartphone, telling the man that doing so is a "kiddush Hashem," and that it is also a fulfillment of the biblical verse, "Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones." (Deuteronomy 7:5)

 

Haredi Rabbis Wage Anti-Smartphone War On Simchat Torah
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com

On Monday evening, Israelis held what have become a traditional event – hakafot sheinit, a second round of dancing with Torah scrolls and celebration that marks the beginning of Simchat Torah in the Diaspora but which is technically a a regular workday in Israel.

Because the day is not an official holiday, work is permitted – so is playing musical instruments and using electricity. So the dancing of hakafot sheinit are usually accompanied by live music.

But Ynet reports that this year’s celebration took a strange turn at Jerusalem’s Sefardi Porat Yosef Yeshiva when rosh yeshiva Rabbi Moshe Tzadka ordered one of the revelers to smash his smartphone, telling him that doing so would be a “kiddush Hashem,” a sanctification of God’s name and a fulfillment of the verse, "Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones." (Deuteronomy 7:5)

Immediately after the man complied and smashed the phone, Tzadka told the crownd that they should repeat the following verse after him: "So may all your enemies perish, Lord!" (Judges 5: 31) The crown complied.

Then Tzadaka reportedly said that anyone in need of salvation should get a blessing from the man.

Meanwhile according to Ynet, the haredi news agency Kav Hahasifot reported that in the hasidic yeshiva of Rabbi Shmuel Halevi Wosner, a man’s donation was refused after it was discovered that he was the owner of a smartphone. The man purchased an aliya on the actual day of Shemini Atzeret-Simchat Torah for a pledge of $2,500.

But another congregant rushed to tell Wosner’s son that the buyer owns an iPhone. Wosner’s son immediately cancelled the purchase and the aliyah was put up for sale again.

The original buyer’s claim that he only uses the phone for work was reportedly ignored.

Comments

[Abraham]

Anyone know if the phone was an iPhone or an Android or Blackberry one?

[maven]

"another congregant rushed to tell Wosner’s son that the buyer owns an iPhone."

He should look up the midrash on why there was prosperity during Achav's reign and trouble during David's reign. Because there were no mosrim (informers) during the former.
Apparently their omerta only applies when it deals with pedophilia.

[Milwaukee]

Oh man, I *hate* it when I think I'm on Failed Messiah but I'm actually on Frum Satire.

Wait, what?

[Garnel Ironheart]

> Because the day is not an official holiday, work is permitted – so is playing musical instruments and using electricity

Give it a few years and they'll impose Yom Tov restrictions on it and claim that this is true mesorah.

[jancsibacsi]

Only weak minded goliems listen to theese tyrant rabbis

[Sarek]

Milwaukee is right! That does it! I'm moving the failedmessiah bookmark from my "Jewish" folder to my "humor" folder.
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He cancelled the aliyah, but did he refund the $2500?

I think that before they accept any more donations, they should frisk the donor to see if he has a smartphone. If so, the phone must be smashed, or all donations will be returned.

and then I woke up

[Yochanan Lavie]

I didn't know a smartphone was an altar. It seems awfully small to sacrifice a sheep on one. Is there an app for that?

[esther]

instead of breaking, they should give'm to me!!!

[mimi]

I wonder if this is the job of the Jewish superhero, the Acidic Jew... "Smartphone SMASH!"

http://www.comicvine.com/acidic-jew/29-1393/

[Jeff]

Is there an app for that?

Heh! Very good!

Meanwhile, why didn't he send them out to slaughter the wives and children of Apple employees while he was at it?

[seymour]

interesting if he would have said the guy made his money from fraud would he give it back or would anybody even tell him in the first place

what a joke

[John Nagle, Silicon Valley, CA]

"Purchased an aliya for $2,500"? I thought that racket went away when the Pope stopped selling indulgences.

[Fleishike Kishke]

The way I solved the problem is by buying two iPhones. One I gave to Azazel. The other, the rabbi let me keep.

[A. Nuran]

John Nagle, funny you should mention indulgences

[David]

"Purchased an aliya for $2,500"? I thought that racket went away when the Pope stopped selling indulgences.

Posted by: John Nagle, Silicon Valley, CA | October 10, 2012 at 04:52 PM

Some shuls actual "auction" the aliyot on Shabbos or Yom Tov. What the Halachic loophole that allows that, I am not sure. But I do know in general that the the more money is involved, the greater the loophole that can be found.