In Israel, sports is considered verboten, and regular Chareid bochurim cannot play even a game of pickup ball. Obviously, in America, even the best bochurim can play ball during teir downtime with nary a frown. I discussed this once with an American Rav in Israel who explained that Israeli cutlure is more confusing - if a bochur were to follow pro sports, then he is wathcing a Jew be mechallel Shabbos to play ball.
In short, because they are all Jews, the boundaries are blurrier, so Chareidi culture instituted much stronger ground rules. In the US, whilst we certainly don't want pro sports stars as role models, the cultures are defnied enough so that iit's not an issue. A good analofy would be bishul akum - whilst the reasoning behind it seems extraneous today, it was obviously a significant factor in seperating the cultures in Chazal's times.
I think the same cheshbon applies to smartphones. Due to their insidious nature, those communities that seek to distance themselves from them do so in a stringent manner - which would include both absolutely banning them from shuls, as well as brainwashing the youth against them.
The Chofetz Chaim shows how speaking lashon hara is just as bad (worse, in a sense) than eating treif - yet none of us would have the chutzpah to bring a McDonals' burger into a shul, and at the same time most every shul has plenty loshon hora being shmoozed - what gives? The answer is the same - trief has a stigma, LH doesn't. Halevai LH was the same as treif - it would assist us all in distancing ourselves from it.
I have nothing but praise for those communities attempting to stigmatise smartphones so severely.
Well, a common chatachteristic of ALL religions is the hatred and contempt for the other abd fir independent and free thought. Judaism is no different. אתם קרואים אדם... ועל זו הדרך.
Canada is going down the drain. A once decent country is destroying itself. I saw the animals who came to harass Jews outside the BAYT. Many rabbis such as Rav Teichtal taught us that the holocaust came about because Jews spurned the opportunities to return to our land! What then awaits the Jews of the exile today? I say this out of genuine concern, because most of my family is still in Canada. Apart from Chapman's ice cream, which isn't cholov yisrael, what advantages does Canada have?
When I was using my smartphone outside a shul, quite a fee bochrim walked by and tsktsked. I was shocked at their chutzpah. But I get it.
In Israel, sports is considered verboten, and regular Chareid bochurim cannot play even a game of pickup ball. Obviously, in America, even the best bochurim can play ball during teir downtime with nary a frown. I discussed this once with an American Rav in Israel who explained that Israeli cutlure is more confusing - if a bochur were to follow pro sports, then he is wathcing a Jew be mechallel Shabbos to play ball.
In short, because they are all Jews, the boundaries are blurrier, so Chareidi culture instituted much stronger ground rules. In the US, whilst we certainly don't want pro sports stars as role models, the cultures are defnied enough so that iit's not an issue. A good analofy would be bishul akum - whilst the reasoning behind it seems extraneous today, it was obviously a significant factor in seperating the cultures in Chazal's times.
I think the same cheshbon applies to smartphones. Due to their insidious nature, those communities that seek to distance themselves from them do so in a stringent manner - which would include both absolutely banning them from shuls, as well as brainwashing the youth against them.
The Chofetz Chaim shows how speaking lashon hara is just as bad (worse, in a sense) than eating treif - yet none of us would have the chutzpah to bring a McDonals' burger into a shul, and at the same time most every shul has plenty loshon hora being shmoozed - what gives? The answer is the same - trief has a stigma, LH doesn't. Halevai LH was the same as treif - it would assist us all in distancing ourselves from it.
I have nothing but praise for those communities attempting to stigmatise smartphones so severely.
Well, a common chatachteristic of ALL religions is the hatred and contempt for the other abd fir independent and free thought. Judaism is no different. אתם קרואים אדם... ועל זו הדרך.
Canada is going down the drain. A once decent country is destroying itself. I saw the animals who came to harass Jews outside the BAYT. Many rabbis such as Rav Teichtal taught us that the holocaust came about because Jews spurned the opportunities to return to our land! What then awaits the Jews of the exile today? I say this out of genuine concern, because most of my family is still in Canada. Apart from Chapman's ice cream, which isn't cholov yisrael, what advantages does Canada have?