The rebbe’s assistants began shouting at the hasid to stop photographing and take the smartphone (which is ‘impure’) out of the sukkah (which is ‘pure’ and ‘holy’). At issue was not the photo-taking itself as much as it was the ‘impure’ instrument used to take the photos. But the hasid did not listen and in response the rebbe’s assistants grabbed his smartphone and erased the photos he took.
Jerusalem Diary: One ‘Impure’ Smartphone Dampens Hasidic Rebbe’s Sukkah Celebration
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
It was reportedly a dramatic situation in the Dushinsky hasidic sect’s Jerusalem sukkah Monday night.
The Dushinsky Rebbe was holding an after-holiday tish (public table; a celebration usually involving singing and food) and simchat beit ha-shoeiva (sukkah celebration that normally involves food, singing, dancing and drinking) when a hasid and his smart phone put a damper on the festivities.
According to a report in Yeshiva World, all was going according to plan until a hasid took out a smartphone and began photographing the rebbe.
The rebbe’s assistants began shouting at the hasid to stop photographing and take the smartphone (which is ‘impure’) out of the sukkah (which is ‘pure’ and ‘holy’). At issue was not the photo-taking itself as much as it was the ‘impure’ instrument used to take the photos. But the hasid did not listen and in response the rebbe’s assistants grabbed his smartphone and erased the photos he took.
As the incident transpired, the rebbe reportedly became more and more upset until he got up and left the sukkah, casting a pall on the celebration.