‘Reactivation’ regarding the dangers of the Internet – the importance of understanding the risks
(From the booklet ‘Restart’ by Rabbi Binyamin Finkel)
The importance of understanding the risks
Before providing practical tools and solutions for coping, it is very important to understand the nature of the dangers of using the various media. Many may think that the danger is obvious and does not require any explanation, and on the other hand some believe that there may be serious problems but things are not as like shouting, they can point to heavy and light users who look pious, like those who can not disconnect from their close electronic companion. Look and sound like normative human beings and even happy and content in their lives.
Both of these have something to learn about the danger and its nature. Because apart from the basic need to know the concerns involved in order to understand the need to stay away from these devices, there is a great need to deepen the understanding of the mental processes that arise as a result of the use of technology. In this understanding we not only acquire knowledge for avoidance but also tools for coping. A clear and in-depth understanding of the damages, inspires us with strength and power to face the temptations and push out of our minds all sorts of excuses that do not holding.
Types of dangers:
The dangers in technological tools are divided into two topics:
- Prohibitions – burglary, heresy, false opinions, slander and gossip, profanity and the like.
- addiction.
The subject of the prohibition is simple, the Internet and the movies are full of things that the Torah forbids watching and reading. In any case, as long as there is a possibility of access to the prohibited things, they must not be used at all in the permits as well.
And other thing is the matter of addiction which is not at all self-evident. First of all, it is important to emphasize that when dealing with addictions, we do not necessarily mean heavy addictions that require detoxification treatment. Addiction is a scale that creates from a waste of time to a heavy addiction.
Already at the basic level of addiction there are two problematic effects:
- Waste of time: By using it unnecessarily.
- Fear of missing out: a phenomenon that sometimes characterizes even email holders only, intense searching in the mailbox, WhatsApp or high-frequency news sites, for fear of missing some message or new information .
And as a person persists in watching and / or surfing, an emotional dependence on the enjoyment he produces from the media begins to form in his mind. Up to the difficult levels at which the person becomes bound to his addiction, when in such situations there is usually no ability to disengage independently.
There are perplexities
The area between the consumed technical use and the conspicuous addiction is the confusing area, where there are most questions and a lack of understanding of the potential risk. With the question in mind: what’s so bad about watching movies and surfing the Internet for fun? There are even those who would argue that addiction at its low levels is not a bad thing. It is also very common to claim that the use is for entertainment purposes, as long as it is controlled and does not exceed the limit of good taste, a mature and responsible person can certainly trust himself.
And the truth must be said that indeed these questions are in place, the damage from unnecessary use is not a simple and obvious thing – it is something that takes place below the surface, but its results are not so pleasant.
What is really the big problem? Aside from the waste of time and restlessness as a result of an obsessive pursuit of any news or messages, are compelling reasons in themselves to avoid and create as much distance as possible from these measures, there are even more significant fatal risks.
Addiction – an imperceptible process
The main problem with using media for entertainment is that in technology you know where you start but not where you end. Many of those who degenerated into severe setbacks or heavy addictions started with perfectly permissible things and minimal use, and many times they persisted in balanced and sane use for not a short period of time before they began to stumble. Until here there was a slight glimpse of momentary curiosity, another stumble in a time of difficulty and weakness, temporary boredom or something that popped up completely through no fault of their own. Once, after a year once more, after two months once more and so on, until after a while they found themselves feeling bound without the ability to disconnect. They start doing nonsense that in the past would not have imagined to be in such a reality, but they just do not have the strength to face attraction, once they succeed and three times they fall. And unfortunately this is a chronology that repeats itself over and over again, quality people – who see the care and pain in their eyes – are addicted, fail and have no succeed to save themselves.
The process of addiction is slow, gradual and imperceptible, and can also be interpreted over many years. So it is definitely very difficult to expect during the first tasting, the results that can only occur for a long time.
Nor does a person have the ability to predict the life events that will occur with him, it is very common for a relatively stable person who has never felt a significant attraction to watch movies or surf the Internet, finds himself deteriorating deeply and quickly due to a difficult situation in his life. Therefore it is very important to reduce as much as possible the exposure and especially the legitimacy towards it, because each taste stimulates the appetite for the one after it, and if not immediately then in a time of crisis.
And when a person starts to connect to movies and surfing, even when they do not fulfill his entire agenda, but only many of his leisure time. The main damage caused is the damage to the most important thing for a person – damage to the quality of life.
Quality of Life
Quality of life means satisfaction, joy, contentment and calm, when life is conducted wisely and with no reason – a person who is generally satisfied with his life most of the time. Of course, even one of these goes through extremely challenging and difficult events during the twisting of life. Indeed, quality of life, joy and satisfaction are not commodities that can be obtained cheaply, in order to win them many bumps have to be overcome. But for any lover of life, it is highly recommended to invest the necessary efforts to succeed in being happy. It’s not easy at all, it’s the challenge of life – the main project of everyone’s life, but it’s also the most lucrative deal a person can make.
The recipe for happiness consists of many efforts, mostly mental. There is a need for restraint, mental flexibility, adaptability to changing situations, building stable human relationships, investing in family, motivation and intense self-work. It is of course an ongoing process, full of challenges, laden with failures and moments of crisis. But despite everything it is simply worthwhile, moreover over time the difficulty and challenges also get an evening taste of a sense of power and satisfaction from any overcoming.
Investing in happiness is not only worthwhile but also necessary, because it is not possible to live a ‘middle’ life. He who does not strive to be successful and happy does not remain in a static state, but retreats, becomes more depressed and frustrated, and life becomes drier and more oppressive. Because naturally life is stressful, oppressive and full of struggles, and whoever does not stand in the face of all this turmoil and pave a path for it, he is automatically swept away and drowns.
The damage in technology to quality of life
Modern technology has created a new substitute for investing in the quality of life, a world of interactive imagination and dispelling professional boredom. A whole world full of experiences and thrills, interest and innovation, color and sounds. Huge spaces, and diverse connections with people from all over the world – a fantastic world.
This world is the modern city of refuge for anyone who wants to escape the hardships and demands of life, which eliminates the need to make an effort to be happy. It is accessible and easy and does not even cost a lot of money – an easy and advanced way to be happy.
The questioner will ask: And what’s really so bad about it, it’s really very nice, and I’m really bored and do nothing, and it’s even got a kosher from rabbis, or “I’m nervous, I had a hard day and I just want to relax with some movie”.
The answer is that while movies and surfing the Internet are very pleasant for their time, they are significantly detrimental to the enjoyment of life outside the media world and in two respects.
- Desalination of the taste of life: Because in real life it is not easy to be happy and satisfied and there are many and varied difficulties. After all, once we are exposed to a world that is fun, overwhelming and fascinating with such great ease, the real world in which we live most and the center of our lives becomes gray and bland in our eyes.
This is noticeable in the movies, everyone has a tendency to connect to movies and scenes of a certain kind. This is because the viewing creates the viewer’s identification with the protagonist who embodies the fantasies he wishes for himself. Therefore, after imagining himself as the actor when everything is going exactly according to his dreams and experiencing it in such a tangible visual way, it is very difficult to later return to reality and adapt to it.
And the same effect exists in the other uses of the network, which provide diverse pleasures in a spectacular, fast and dynamic way. Which is naturally not found in the real world, and in any case increasingly reduces its taste in the eyes of man.
- Mental muscle degeneration: Like a patient who has been anesthetized for a long time, who needs after waking up for a period of rehabilitation the muscles that have degenerated from the prolonged time lying motionless, so are the things about the mental muscles. When you practice getting pleasure easily, the mind slowly practices not to strain and the challenges of life become doubly difficult anyway. Every light effort seems to consist of ten counters, leading to more despair than life and more melancholy.
As mentioned, the potential for these harms begins even when the use seems to be controlled and proportionate, because a change of mind takes place in the mind slowly and imperceptibly. A person watches a movie or engages in something else interesting on the web, the use is fascinating and evokes his overt and mostly covert emotions, and at that moment the brain signals to itself that there is a much more beautiful and interesting reality in the world than classic life. This information permeates and is fixed in the consciousness, so that in moments of difficulty, boredom or discomfort in life, this information may emerge. Then naturally the person feels that he has no reason to try to solve his problems, find a positive occupation or try to maintain a good mood despite the difficulty, the non there is a much easier solution – using media.
And as we go back and forth in viewing and surfing, this perception becomes stronger and stronger, which deepens the lack of taste in life and decreases the ability to cope more and more. Until eventually the problem also begins to be felt and tangible, and a person may reach a state where he feels completely powerless and unmotivated, with the only alternative left being the escape to the web and movies.
Risk awareness
When it comes to taking a step on the subject of computer technology, the most important thing to remember is the inherent risks that exist in the means of technology. People claim I have a need and necessity for this and that, and I even asked a rabbi who weighed all the sides and allowed me. Everything is good and beautiful, there is no denying that it is necessary and there are those who really have to have all sorts of means and it is possible when it is kosher and filtered.
But just as it is possible to be a chemist or a biologist even though these professions require that he be with the unsympathetic company of dangerous acids and viruses, as long as one recognizes the many risks and does not distract from the means preventing direct of exposure to them. Yes things are said in relation to media tools, it is imperative to remember and internalize that in these things there are accessible and easy options for damage to the thing that is most important to us, to the taste of life and our joy. And even if we have an absolute necessity to use them, we must not forget what we are dealing with and take all measures of distance and protection from the risks involved. The instructions for the proper use of these sophisticated and lethal devices will be explained in the next section ‘How to Avoid Falling’ ?.
How to avoid falling?
Creating distance – the only way to prevent falls
Fall Prevention There are not many tips There is one solution, do not start with it! – Stay away maximum distance from the experience. Regarding the prohibition of a Nazir, the sages said, “Turn around and get around – we saying to the Nazir, to vineyard you will not approach.” And many of the work books, expanded on the fact that most of a person’s work should be in avoiding experience and not in dealing with it. And things are easy and material in relation to the technological experience, because if in classic attempts in total many people manage to stand the test of time, in this attempt most of the people who had access failed. It may not be immediately the first or second time, but at some point it happened – so reality proved.
“Worker at a large software house, he asked the CEO of the company to install Internet filtering on his computer. The CEO, without a skullcap but with a traditional background, expressed a willingness to help, but there was a question in his mouth. Look, I’m a traditional person, he told him, and among other things I avoid eating pork, but it’s not always easy for me to comply with this custom. The times I stay abroad, when I go down to eat in the hotel dining room, I am surrounded by dozens and hundreds of people who sit and enjoy eating grilled and well-made pork accompanied by appropriate toppings. On the face of it this is not an easy situation, but I manage to stick to my principles and I am not tempted to taste the meat. And now, turn to the employee in bewilderment, explain to me what the difference is between me and you. If according to your principles it is forbidden to surf at certain content, stand on it stubbornly even when you have no technical impediment, it is not so difficult. And the evidence that even I my spiritual level is low, successfully copes with the temptations at my level… ”
The differences between the classic attempts at seduction in the media
This question is very common and is heard from people in different ways, “Why do you have to go so far, do frequent filters or make an effort not to bring internet into the house? I am a guy / adult, I have stood up to various attempts? I am serious Jew what is the Great fear for me? ”
And the truth is that this is also one of the most logical questions heard in the field of technology vulnerabilities, what is the difference between this experience and other human attempts?
And the answer lies in the iron triangle that characterizes media attempts – attraction, accessibility and confidentiality.
- Attraction: There never seemed to be such a twinkling and fascinating obstacle. And there has never been a place where so many temptations of different and weird types have been gathered, each of which has innumerable options of use, written material, pictures, films and the ability to contact everyone in the world. .
- Accessibility: On the face of it, the problem with the great accessibility of technological means seems to be the possibility of failing them again and again easily, and indeed this is certainly a reason for over-caution, but there is another, more substantial and comprehensive obstacle .
Every person has ups and downs, good times and bad times. In the good moments everything flows on who rests, but in the difficult times all kinds of impulses and negative thoughts begin to emerge. As long as the obstacle is technically far away, there are many obstacles that must be overcome before the fall, which naturally prevents most of the falls with help from up. But when accessibility and availability are high, even someone who is Gosh-fearing and content with his life may, in a moment of difficulty and, alternatively, out of control of momentary curiosity, be quickly tempted without having time to stop. While it can take months and years for the exact timing of the trial to occur, it can always occur. Because the very fact that we belong to the human race, which also consists of a material body and at the heart of which is alongside the good instinct, also the evil instinct certainly allows such phenomena, as has unfortunately been proven many times in reality..
it says that accessibility is not only dangerous for those who already have a hard time dealing with the tempting temptations, but even those who seem to be standing on stable ground are at risk from the accessible temptation, who are just waiting patiently for the time to attack.
- Confidentiality: If on the street of a city there is the barrier of shame and apprehension of a kind, in secret in the company of the device – this significant barrier does not exist .
Therefore, the only preventative measure that exists in order to be saved from a fall, is to stay as far away as possible from the options for seduction and obstacle, and so on..
Devices with access to prohibited content
There is nothing too exaggerated to avoid exposure and access to them, because at stake is both the life of our “this world” and the life of our “next world”. For example, a guy whose parents use tools that he can fail at, must ask a wise question about getting home in such situation and in what fences and ways.
The same in matters of livelihood, there is no justification for continuing to work in a place with access to prohibitions and it is also not profitable, there are many who have paid the price which includes, among other things, a significant economic aspect.
Mental supervision rejects the entire Torah, and the forbidden devices are no less life-threatening. They can destroy an entire spiritual world of an adult as a young person, they can also bring down goshly people and true servants of Gosh. And unfortunately the variety of falls that have reached very undesirable places is very wide, it encompasses all ages, personal styles, different backgrounds and different spiritual levels, men and women.
The explanation for this painful phenomenon is, as mentioned, quite simplistic, that we are human beings with a material body. Our body is attracted to the pleasures of the “this world” and is not give up of any lust from the lusts of the “this world”, so even if we succeed in clinging to spirituality and transcending the work of Gosh, the body still continues to strive for every lust in the world. Although as a person works on himself and progresses in his work, his desire for material matters diminishes, but it does not disappear completely and in times of difficulty and crisis, a quality Jew can also fall. And not because he is a weak person, but simply because he belongs to the human race – being a person.
Devices with access to entertainment content
It is not explicitly written in “Sholchan Aruch” that it is forbidden to watch movies without forbidden mirrors or to roam the computer network, but as we will see, the use of entertainment technology destroys the quality of life in our hands. And a person without a quality of life can also not be a good Jew, it is impossible to be a servant of Gosh if you are not productive, not active and not happy. Because the AB of a Jew is to be a person who progresses, and not a person who retreats and gathers into the world of the imagination that forgets the life and the role they impose on us. And so such devices are both destructive and forbidden, in terms of “why we Pasuk? It’s common sense” (Which is also very rare to find such means that are completely free from any prohibition, and apart from what they are tempted and accustomed to see more and more and thus prepare the ground for deterioration to forbidden content. And all this apart from what the sages of our generation forbade in explicit letters).
Therefore, those who want a quality life (which is more difficult, but much more rewarding), as well as those who want to be a good Jew, should stay away from access to them no less than prohibition content..
Devices for necessary need
This is the biggest tangle, with the same tool having both a vital need and a danger. And the big problem is that there is no way to separate the adhesives, there is no hermetic protection, period. Even those who only hold emails are still concerned about email addiction only (which is definitely a phenomenon that exists), as well as content that may be sent to them through it.
Therefore in such cases what is required of us, is to reduce the risk and distance the accessibility to it. The hottest recommendation that can be given to anyone, is first and foremost not to bring the internet home! And it is worthwhile and very lucrative even if it involves difficulty and inconvenience and even if it involves financial loss again, it is not mandatory, you can find permits for it, but it is a recommendation and advice that there is no good than that and there is no better fence than that. Staying away from home prevents the acute risk of unavailable access, exposure to children (who always know better than adults how to use it) and reduces the ease of use that is the main cause of drift..
If necessary, it is better to ask ten times for help or going to a supervised online store, than to bring it home, even if it is the most filtered. There is no more lucrative deal than this, truth is charging a price, it may even be high, but it is just worth it.
People who did this and threw away the kosher internet, saw a blessing in their lives as a direct result – more inquiries and more vendors. And the amazing thing is that those people before they took out the internet did not feel it bothering them or wasting their time, and see what a miracle from the moment they suddenly took it out they noticed how long he robbed them and how much ability to enjoy the small moments of life they were deprived of (things were written from personal experience).
Easy and Material The son of Easy and Material that would be of immense benefit to anyone who owns a smartphone for any purpose, if he converts it to a filtered computer or a device that is not pocket-sized, so from a close companion, the Internet sticks much more to its basics as a tool. This is an abysmal difference for the quality and joy of life, calmness and common sense. And again, these would mean that you do the best thing at the world.
When there is no choice
Of course need and convenience are subjective things, as well as choice and lack of choice, and everyone has their own threshold of choice. But even when you conclude that you need a certain Internet access, do not use without fencing yourself..
First of all, narrow down your browsing options to entertainment content like news and videos, and if you wish, reduce the options as much as possible to the bare minimum..
Second, it is imperative to fence yourself in with a good reception in terms of surfing time, set certain hours or that more than a certain time during the day you will not use. A great idea for those who work from home, is to limit the use to working hours only and to make additional arrangements in half an hour or an hour before or after working hours. Please, for your sake accept the challenge and stand on your acceptance validly, do not be tempted to violate it not even once and for the most urgent need. Because this fence is not a safeguard for safety, it is your only shield from a slow deviation towards an addictive and unwise use. And if you break its essence as an irreplaceable iron rule, you erode all its effectiveness as preventing slipping into the realms of lack of self-control.
Recognition of problematic
“Two bad villagers met each other on a rainy day when their faces were bad, and when a man was interested in his friend’s hunched mood, it turned out that they both had one dream last night. And in their dream a celestial voice warns them that all the grain that will grow this year in the world will be poisoned by an incurable madness disease, so that all the inhabitants of the world who plan to eat from the fruit of the earth will lose their sanity. The recurrence of the dream in both of them is evident as words of truth, and now they are together asks, which is better, whether to eat from the grain and go mad or to die of lack of food? Lets Counted with the village elder. The old man answered and said: It is not possible not to eat from the grain, you must live, so you will eat together with all the inhabitants of the land. But just before you taste New Year’s crops for the first time, hang a necklace with a gold pendant engraved with ‘I went crazy’ on your neck. So while you may be as crazy as everyone else, at least you will not forget that you are not in good shape”.
So we should not put up with the situation, even if we have to live in an internet access company. We will pray and long for the day when we will not need these necessary uses, and we will be able to avoid friction by the problematic means. And this is what will help us both to disengage as soon as the necessary need is over, and to remain more uplifted and more in control even while the necessity still exists..
The same is true of one who has fallen to one degree or another and is aware of his problematic condition, but does not find the strength in his mind to overcome himself, for which the most important thing is not to get used to and come to terms with this reality. Because even if he has not yet managed to get out of the problematic situation, at least he should not make the situation a norm and a reality that cannot be changed and that may not even be so bad. But he will always remember that this is a problematic and very problematic situation, which, although not easy to break away from at all, must not be accepted in any way..
Taking advantage of opportunities
It is quite understandable that it is not easy to break away from all kinds of means, which definitely make life easier and are even needed for various purposes. And not at every moment and in every situation does man himself find the strength to stand up and make changes. But there is a good ‘opportunity taking’ advice there. Everyone has occasional moments of awakening, reading material on the subject, a strengthening sermon, “Yamim Noraim” or some special event that happened to them. These moments are an opportunity worth taking advantage of to hurry up and disconnect, add another fence or get a firm reception on the matter. And it is best to do so at the highest speed and without delay at all, because the nature of awakening is that it is fading. And those who fear that they may urgently need the Internet, do not worry, return is always possible, but disconnect is not always possible and certainly not easily. Let us seize opportunities and look only a blessing.
***
So far the article “Restart” by Rabbi Binyamin Finkel. And a small addition for “understanders”: the whole purpose of keeping Torah and Mitzvot is to reach the closeness of Gosh, and the closeness of Gosh is actually to reach from “reality” to the exalted state that is “above reality”, while the Internet world is an examination of “sub-reality”, quite the opposite From the state of closeness to Gosh. So even if you only use good content on the Internet, you are finally stepping in the opposite direction from “Proximity to Gosh.” And he who understands will understand.
Website “Meshiv kahalachah”
Following the above instructive article, the reader’s question towards us is asked: if so, why did you set up a “respondent correctly” site yourself? The answer is that setting up this site is not a way to exploit the power of the internet to spread Torah, That the Internet is not a proper tool (even with strict filtering) because of most of its dangers and so on. But the site was set up out of a painful knowledge of reality, that today there is a large public who seek answers to their questions on the Internet and not in any other way, and the result is that often get an inaccurate and incorrect halachadic / ideological answer, and the failure is great. Rabbi Ovadia Yosef who ordered everywhere to save what is possible .so that the many do not fail, and as we have pointed out in some of my verses in his answers, such as in the “Yabia Omer”, he says about giving Kosher to a restaurant that insists on serving dairy ice cream (which he ordered to give them kosher so that the food there will have at least kosher meat), A larger view of this in the book- “Maayan Omer” says that the Rabbi has ordered the ‘Shas’ party’s men-representatives in Ashkelon to vote for the permit to sell meat “another thing” in the industrial area of the city of Ashkelon, in order to prevent the court’s influence. And of course many examples. And of course in such things one should not learn from one case to another, so we presented the question to the great men of our generation Shlita whether open the present site for the above reason, and the Hacham Shalom Cohen Shlita Rosh Yeshivat Porat Yosef and President of the Council of Sages of the Torah, to open the site on behalf of the mitzvah to save the public who meanwhile seek the word of Gosh .
Well, this site should not be seen as legitimizing the use of the Internet, and here is to discover our opinion in this, that certainly those who can ask rabbis well versed in halachah “physically” (face to face) and not digitally, certainly should be done (and the answer will be more accurate when the rabbi knows Close to the questioner).
It should be noted that the responding rabbis do not answer directly from the site, but are subscribed to “email only”, and receive the answers by email, and return the answer by email, and then the site staff uploads the answers to the credit of the many as above
