Jerusalem – VIN News posted earlier an Editorial by Rabbi Yair Hoffman criticizing an event where an Israeli Rabbi in a Yeshiva for Baalei Teshuva in Yerushalayim is shown on a YouTube clip holding a ceremony destroying a laptop to protest the danger of the Internet.
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Some readers have emailed us claiming it was a Purim Prank, we decided to verify the facts of the story, and sure enough it turns out this was a serious event.
Below is an Exclusive interview VIN News Israeli correspond Ezra Reichmann just conducted with the Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Aaron Feinhandler, to hear why he decided to publicize the computer-pulverizing event.
VIN: What’s so bad about a computer?
Rabbi Feinhandler: The computer and specifically the Internet has broken up many families — both religious and non-religious. For the past 25 years, every week dozens of baalei tshuva from all over the country spend a Shabbos at our yeshiva and I am involved in counseling many of them. I know many people whose sholom bayis was ruined because of it. I have given speeches in countless places explaining how dangerous the Internet is.
On the Internet you see women without their hair covered – so why does your wife have to cover hers? If you see immodest pictures on the Internet, why are you putting up mechitzos at weddings? Why are you sending your children to chareidi chinuch if you’re getting the Islamic and Christian world on the Internet?
The reason we send our children to chareidi chinuch is because we want to keep out everything that is out there. So why are we bringing the Internet into our home? We want to dance at two weddings, but it doesn’t go.
Why did Moshe Rabeinu break the Two Luchos? He did it to shock the Jews. He wanted them to understand that the Golden Calf doesn’t go together with the Two Luchos.
Eliyahu Hanavi did the same thing. He told the Jews of his time: Go with Elokim or go with baal — but you can’t have both together.
VIN: Whose computer did you break?
Rabbi Feinhandler: The computer we broke this time belonged to a photographer. He used his computer to develop his pictures, but then he realized it was causing him to fall spiritually. He decided he’s better off taking pictures with a camera and then he’ll develop the film in a photo shop.
By the way, this is the 3rd time we’ve shattered a computer. The first computer we broke was a $1,000 computer belonging to a bochur who wanted to save himself from the temptation of watching films.
VIN: Don’t you have a computer in your yeshiva’s office?
Rabbi Feinhandler: We have no computer in our yeshiva’s office. How do we print letters? We send a handwritten letter to an office service by fax, and they return it printed instead of by email. We pay them for the service. And we have plenty of office work; we have 75 bochurim in our yeshiva and 40 girls in our girls’ division.
VIN: Why don’t you use computers with Rimon or Netiv filtering servers?
Rabbi Feinhandler: If we can’t get people to get rid of the computer completely, we tell people to use Rimon or Netiv. We don’t like to rely on them, because you can get rid of the filters. We know of people who managed to evade the filters, and then they fell into bad things. We can tell you countless stories of youth who left yeshivos and took off their kipot and girls who stopped dressing modestly because of the influence of the Internet.
Lev L’achim say that 70% of all youths who leave Yiddishkeit is because of the Internet or cellphones.
Our boys visit homes voluntarily to try to get people to remove their computers or at least change to a kosher service with filtering.
VIN: Do your students have computers?
Rabbi Feinhandler: Our yeshiva will not accept students who have a computer or unkosher cellphone. When we make shidduchim for our students, we stipulate that the home they found will not have a computer, they will work on a computer at a workplace only if it has filtering, and they will only use kosher cellphones. We won’t make a shidduch for any of our baalei tshuva unless they agree to these conditions.
It goes without saying that you won’t be accepted to our kolel if you have a computer at home or unkosher cellphone.
VIN: What’s wrong with having a computer at home if you have filtering on it? Isn’t it better to expose kids to the computer in a controlled way, rather than having them go elsewhere to see a computer unsupervised?
Rabbi Feinhandler: We feel you have to get rid of computer from your house, period. From my experience, once you have a computer in the house, your child will get used to seeing films. Chiloni films on discs are everywhere, a dime a dozen. The kid will quickly figure out that when Abba is not home or is sleeping, he can watch chiloni films without them knowing about it. After all, Ima and Aba said it’s OK to use a computer and they see all kinds of things on it too.
In a home where there’s no computer and kids don’t get used to seeing it, the kids don’t go around looking for it.
It’s not just a problem for the kids. It’s a problem for the adults too. The parents start seeing films and other things and that brings a big yerida to the home. If there’s no computer at home, the parents and kids will both be OK and won’t fall into problems.
Many families were broken up through meetings which began on the Internet. We want to save people from tragedy. Even many goyim admit that the Internet destroyed their lives. Kal v’chomer us, the am hakodesh, have to keep away from it.
Having a computer in the house is the same as having a cinema theater in house.
With a nonkosher cellphone, you can get connected to the Internet in a minute. It’s like a cinema theater in your pocket. I can tell you that whoever doesn’t listen to the rabbonim on this matter will fall. The temptation is too huge to withstand. Whoever listens to the rabbonim on this matter will have hatzlacha. Whoever cannot withstand the temptation of getting rid of their computer completely should at the minimum get a filtering service.
VIN: What if you need to work on a computer at home or at work?
Rabbi Feinhandler: They need to work on the Internet for their parnossa? It’s better to clean streets and dirty your body than to work on the Internet and dirty your soul.
The Chofetz Chaim told a person who was selling books of kefira that he would arrange a job for him to ring the bell to call goyim to church. When the Yid protested how could he do that, the Chofetz Chaim told him it’s better to ring the bell to bring goyim to church then to sell books of kefira which will bring Yidden to leave Yiddishkeit. The Internet is far worse than books of kefira.
Fool and ignoramus like his arab friends, laptops are the mean by which doctors enter medical data following an examination of whatever nature, radilogical, physical and laboratory . The data can be transmitted including the reading of films to any doctor in the world. This fool [Rabbi] reminds me of the Arabs who will fight any progress even if they ultimately suffers. Total ignorance
Another Messhugener Rebbi. Before the coming of Moshiach, there will be a proliferation of Meshugo’im telling us what to do.
Before we start bashing and calling the rabbi names, let’s look inside ourselves and really think about. He is not way off base and has a lot of valid points. Let’s admit it, How many of us have been effected by the internet in a destructive way. Sometimes it’s so subtle you don’t even realize it. Let’s keep an honest and open mind about what he is saying.
The dirty little secret of DVDs, that all the pro-computer, advanced and enlightened ones, conveniently ignore.
Baalei teshuvas [some] are the erev rav of the midbor. One “baalei teshuva” prominent rav now told me when I asked him if he would talk about the shoah ” you can be miyayish. I had [most of them no longer alive] who survived Auschwitz, Majdanek and Buchenwald like myself and raised fine families which keeps mitzvas. They are the component of Ayatollas of Iran
there really, truly are no words. this man is seriously out of touch. he is a radical by anyone’s standards. i wouldnt be a bit surprised if he doesnt practice what he preaches.
Rabbi Friedlander, is certainly entitled to his opinion. Howver, he is condemning many of his followers to a life of poverty and ignorance.
Kinda hard to argue with his logic, but…but…
You forgot to ask the most important question: Who funds Yeshiva Machane Yisrael?
Why are you interviewing this moron?
This article only confirms the worst fears many of us have that at least a substantial portion of the Chareidi community is intentionally destroying an entire generation of yidden. By the time these fools recognize what they have done, there will be tens of thousands of dysfunctional and impovrished yidden with no means of earning a livlihood who will be on the streets begging for tzadakah to feed and clothe their families and unable to function in the modern world. Hashem yarachem on this rav and others who are engaging in this travesty.
While a lot what he says may be true, I don’t see how his extreme position will help anyone besides for the three people that came to him.
the rabbi is so right
I wish we all get filters
we don’t see how we are falling
I hope his fund raising “collectors” avoid any house or people who own a computer. I am assuming he would not accept such dirty money!.
I totally agree with Rabbi Feihandler. Absolutely. I figure someone has to agree with him before this bolg gets flooded with anti Rabbi comments. After all, who’s writing the comments here, people without computers?!
It is a sad commentary – on the viewpoints of this Rav – if one did not use the computer how could one read this article. We all have followed the derech, inspite of modernity. According to this Rav – one should stay coistered in his home and never go out. It is sad one does not have sufficient strength in ones emunah to ‘tackle’ the world.
Because of the internet and computers one now has the way and means to open the door to vast amounts of learning, not previously available before. As with everything else one has to have self control.
Something sounds a little fishy to me. I’m only an amateur photographer, but I know quite well that digital photography is a great deal more efficient than film photography. The ability to correct mistakes on the fly, the ability to shoot as many pictures as you like cost-free, etc. Anyone working professionally who is using film is at a real disadvantage.
Yes, there are film purists out there, but those people generally never stopped using film. I would be very surprised to find a professional photographer who went from using digital to using film exclusively.
The Wolf
just answer
who is more erlich yid
with internet
or without?
who has a better home?
who has better children?
this Rabbi is right
not rabbi hoffman
This guy thinks it’s wise to avoid the issue with children – he is dead wrong. They must see how a parents handles it the right way, and yes, it’s a lot harder and a lot more time-consuming and parenting-skills-demanding than just taking it out, but it’ll pay off…
Rabbi Feinhandler is entitled to establish guidelines for his school. It is also
reasonable for him to expect compliance with the rules in effect there. Nonetheless,
it is not reasonable to expect everyone else in the entire world to follow suit.
Specifically, there are indeed numerous unsavory aspects associated with unsupervised internet usage. But like anything else, it is all about education which
entails teaching the lesson of responsibility. Consequently, it is incumbent on
all of us to bar access to l sources and sites spreading immorality and unholy
propaganda inimical to our Torah lifestyle. In the final analysis, it is not the internet
per se which is unwholesome but rather man who abuses his free will to
choose evil over good. May HASHEM guide us all in our pursuit of Torah and
Mitzvahs.
The other day it was shutting down a place that does women’s eye brows, then it was men lusting after manikin heads.
I understand trying to minimize temptation, but the other side of that coin must include some common sense and even more importantly some self control.
#2 ….i did think about it for a long time – the fellow is an imbicile or a moron. i will use the internet to find out which has less mental capacity.
We should break a few peoples heads, do you know how many people have murdered, robbed, abused… and the list goes on and on.
People are a very bad thing we have to get rid of!
But if you think for a second maybe we can save em, (and the computer), everything can be used for good and for bad, and if we destroy everything that can cause harm we might as well use the hydrogen bomb, that will take care of all the bad things.
I understand and respect the Israeli rabbi’s concerns about the dangers of
internet usage. But he must have in mind his own school. For the rest of us, we
should act like adults—Jew and Gentile alike—while using the internet. The internet
can be harnessed for good—like anything else. It is all about making the right
choice, Jews following the Torah and non-Jews following the Seven Noahide
Commandments. As regards the internet, decent people should certainly
avoid “unkosher” and immoral places on the web. Enjoy your Purim holiday.
“The computer and specifically the Internet has broken up many families — both religious and non-religious.”
Now, replace the words “computer and specifically the internet” with the words “cellular phone,” “telephone,” “telegraph,” “printing press,” “paper,” “pen,” “parchment,” “papyrus,” “stylus,” “clay tablet,” etc. Better yet, which of these things can tempt us as much as our own eyes and minds? If the heilige gaon really wishes to destroy temptation, I’d encourage him to pluck out his eyes and have himself lobotomized.
The baalei teshuvah movement in their rage against their “treifene background” do not have the savvy and ability to understand that nuclear energy produced the bombs which destroyed hiroshima and nagasaki but also isotopes, radio-oncology and nuclear reactors which produce clean energy. It is their mentor’s fault of being unable to give them the knowlege that with a chalav you can cut someone throat and provide kosher meat. What is lacking is the guidance to enable them to descriminate
Fundamentalism, in any religion, is a curse perpetrated on mankind. They are an (un)neccessary evil.
Re; to # 24. You don’t need the internet to confirm your belief. It is obvious .
Bottom line, he’s 100% correct. Its the true. Most ppl end up seeing things they shouldn’t and wouldn’t if they had a filter. Don’t fool yourselfs.
OK,, here goes,, U just watch it guys,,, as time will unfold this “rabbi” will be found out with some major addiction involving the computer,,, It is not a coincidence that the saying, “Me thinks he doth protest too much” became so famous!
Why don’t people understand that everything in this world is Tov Virah. Even learning Torah can be used for evil in certain circumstances. (Hashem Yirachem) With regards to the story of the Chofetz Chaim ztl, he was talking to someone that was selling actual books for Kefirah. The internet has books of Kefirah on it but it is not itself evil. I go to Hebrewbooks.org all the time to do research on Torah subjects. Without the internet I would never have that ability.
I know, a well known chassidisher Rav in BP who uses his computer to mechaber Sforim .
The rabbi is so wrong about not even letting filters that kids should have to go to the library and neighbors to use the internet to go shopping and “accidentally” visit certain sights i personally saw a Chasidishe bochur must of been not more than 16 dressed even wearing a hat out in the open in a library in flatbush on a porn sight forget about the bochur for a moment goyim mamzeirim who some of these kids parents are prostitutes drug dealers alcoholics etc.. Don’t do this it was such a chilul hashem and wasn’t the only one that realized. parents beware what your kids are up to in the library
I agree with this Rabbi.
Unfortunately I will not be getting rid of the internet in my home because I am addicted to it.
I am frum, consider myself chareedi, on the internet (obviously) I must say whilst I find all this extreme, I do find myself occasionally stumbling and viewing or downloading things i should not. The simple fact is it is all too accessible online. Whilst I am not sure this is the answer, we cannot ignore the fact that the internet brings tremendous temptation to our doorsteps and into our homes. We need to accept and admit that. Rav Michael Broyde of the Beth Din of America who I presume is considered “MO” said you are not allowed yichud with the internet – in other words a PC must be in a public place in the home and to treat it like any other issur yihud – and that is a “MO” view. SOme of the comments here are shocked by the video but don’t sweep the problem under the carpet either.
What would probably help is if instead of the extreme approach shown here which most people are not going to accept, to find a practical way to engage people in our communities to work together to solve the problems.
Phones can be used for immoral purposes too. And worse… I have it on good authority that phone switching is done via computers! Geeps. Sounds to me like we should ban them as well. (Watch it. thats next). The real question is, why do we give this idiot any respect whatsoever?
Somebody that has a computer in his home without a filter is just looking for trouble. When the trouble arrives it will be to late
How sad. We have allowed instability to pollute the minds of our children. Rabbi’s like Feinhandler, “Break up more families,” and cause more damage than a library of smut films. I “can tell you countless stories of youth who left yeshivos and took off their kipot and girls who stopped dressing modestly because of the influence of” these types of rabbis.
he picks out 1 instance out of a thousand the 999 others are perfectly ok and he thinks for that 1 all the others should suffer right now i am doing unbelievable geneology research and its so much fun fascinating anyone who is out of control should not go on the internet each and everyone of us are responsible for ourselfs its that simple
“Where’s your G-d now, Moses?”
A Computer cant kill or destroy.. its the person…. oh btw sofrim use computers…..
Sorry but even kosher sites these days are not kosher like yahoo lets not kid ourselfs the pictures are not appropriate. You would never want those pictures in your house having your children look at them so why are you???
Reply to # 53 Life is full of temptations. That is why we are asked ,to overcome them.
“Lev L’achim say that 70% of all youths who leave Yiddishkeit is because of the Internet or cellphones. “
Somebody should check this guy out. The last fanatic who falsely claimed people go off the derech for benign reason ended up exposed as a first class menuval. Why is he obsessed with the PC and cellphones? Why is he not concerned about abuse and poverty?
And how the heck does he expect me to listen to shiurim of Rav Schachter without the internet?
Maybe I’m from the wrong generation, but I have no idea whow to watch films on my computer. I only use it for Email banking, stock trading, news and Ebay shopping. Does this yeshiva have a problem with that?
I have personal email addresses of a couple of gedolay doraynu. Using the internet is permissible, however, it is true that many youth haven fallen prey to easy internet access, and fallen off the derech. Generally speaking there is no reason to justify giving internet access to teenagers. Computers can and should be used by children, however, the use should be with supervision, and the use should be limited and not the focus of their lives, and of course without internet access.
Some people think the best way to teach a child to swim is to throw him in deep water. Well, I guess the one’s that don’t drown learn to swim very fast.
But the safer way is to give the child the foundations, build his abilities, give him practice in safe waters, and when he knows well how to swim in the world of tivas, then he can be permitted into the deep waters of the internet.
“Lev L’achim say that 70% of all youths who leave Yiddishkeit is because of the Internet or cellphones.”
This is probably the dumbest thing I have ever read in my life. What causes most people to go off is either poor parenting or poor schooling mostly because of fools like this “rabbi”
I used a computer at work and when I retired I do the same work [in smaller amount]from home. I have a choice or breira on what a I click and the websited like this or for professional information. I davened in concentration very few davened there and after 4 years I was liberated and daven today. It is the person who strays not the computer and there are some items I should not eat which I avoid. Man has a free will and can make choices. Have you people every heard of free will.
We have already ruined the word “frum” by special pleading. “Frum” used to mean shomer Torah and mitzvos. It’s been debased to basically refer to people who wear certain clothes and live a particular lifestyle Now it looks like we’re going to do the same to “erlich”. The word means “honest” or “upright”. As such it could apply to anyone regardless of religious observance (or of religion altogether).
As with anything else, when deciding to ban/permit a product or service, one must do a cost/benefit analysis. It’s easy to say “ban it,” but you have to give serious thought to the consequences that will come out of that ban. I do not believe that this Rosh Yeshiva has thought this through and made the analysis, since it should be fairly obvious to anyone who gives the matter a few moments thought that the costs associated with an outright ban on all computers (whether connected to the Internet or not) are extremely high. By restricting employment to jobs that don’t involve computers (as the Rabbi seems to advocate at the end of this interview), he is condemning all Jews who follow his words to a life of low-paying, menial and often mind-numbing jobs. That is easily an example of a decree which the public cannot abide by — and such decrees should not be made.
The Wolf