Rav Dov Yaffe Shlit"a on Improper Use of Smart Phones and Mashiah
Rav Dov Yaffe Shlit"a, who is a Mashgi'ah at various Yeshivot in Israel, said the following essay, which was then put to writing by his students in a pamphlet entitled "Vetaher Libenu" - לקט עצות והדרכות בעניני טהרת העינים קדושת הגוף ועוד. The following is an excerpt (my translation):
The Final Birur
Not everyone will merit to see the coming of the Mashiah
I want to say something very critical! We are so much anticipating the coming of the Mashiah, but you need to know that not everyone will merit! And just like during the Exodus, not everyone left, similarly, during the coming of the Mashiah, those that are drawn after impurity will not merit to see the coming of the Mashiah...!!!
The critical test
Man sets his fate whether when Mashiah comes, he will be one of the fortunate ones or one of the unlucky ones Has Veshalom. And since we are close to the coming of the Mashiah, therefore, HKB"H gave the Sitra Ahara permission to test us and to select who indeed is serving Hashem honestly. It is very important that we do not forget this - that right now is the final Birur (selection): Who is to Hashem and who Has Veshalom is not? Therefore, it is so especially important right now to be careful not to leave the Camp of the Shechina because one who is not careful and is not paying attention could Has Veshalom lose his entire [portion in the next] world...!!!
"On the doorway of Gehinnom"
We see a scary thing - that nowadays, it is much easier to falter than in the past, since then, if someone wanted to Has Veshalom sin, he had to stay far away alone, whereas today, it is possible with a small device that can be found in the pocket to watch all the abominations of the world, Rahmana Litzlan, and by doing so, a man can find himself at the opening of Gehinnom... and lose his entire [portion in the next] world, Rahmana Litzlan. Therefore, we need to be careful using an "extra distance" from such things!!!
"Whoever is on Hashem's side, come to me"
The idea that HKB"H gave the Sitra Ahara permission to test us so much is not a coincidence - this is the strong test and selection before the coming of Mashiah to check and clarify who is for Hashem and who is Has Veshalom for the Sitra Ahara. Unfortunately, we already heard hair-raising stories about men and women - and even from honorable families - who have faltered in this terrible thing - Hashem should guard us. Therefore, we need to very much stand on guard!
And choose life
It says in the Torah, "Behold, I am setting before you life... and death". And the question is: which will man choose - HKB"H or the Sitra Ahara? Life or death? And this is not a simple question of whether he is doing something improper or if he had faltered or not. Rather, the question is to which camp you belong - to the Camp of the Shechina or to the Camp of Impurity, Rahmana Litzlan. And when the man goes to look at this device, it is considered as if he's choosing the latter... and according to what we said, he will not merit to the coming of the Mashiah and the like.
One who comes to purify oneself...
And fortunate for us that we are promised that one who comes to purify oneself receives [Heavenly] assistance, but one should remember that also one who comes to make oneself impure has doors opened for him! And one should pay attention that the Yetzer Hara is ensnaring us and wants to kill us. And Baruch Hashem that we are promised that even if one merely "comes" to purify oneself, already Heaven is helping him out.
To withstand the test
These are very critical things, and one who falters in this Has Veshalom, it will be very difficult afterwards to get out of it. And we must learn from Yosef Hatzadik, who, over all the impurities of Egypt, withstood the test and remained righteous. And without a doubt, we will be able to withstand these tests!
posted by yaak @ 2/07/2014 01:29:00 PM
17 comments
17 Comments:
Every single Jew is important. Yesha'aya Hanavie (Isaiah the Prophet) said: ואתם תלוקטו לאחד אחד בני ישראל. In the time of the ultimate redemption, G-d will “collect” every single Jew from wherever he may be. No Jew will be left behind!
Is it the device called the Smartphone that makes someone impure, or is it the tamei sites on the Internet that makes someone impure if he sojourns in those sites?
Now that's what I call real Ahavas Yisroel, real love for a fellow Jew. How can you say that Jews will not be included in the redemption???!!! I won't use the word I would like to use!
To anonymous 9:58 PM,
Would you say Yeshayahu and Yirmeyahu didn't have Ahavas Yisrael because they warned bnei Yisrael of the danger of their actions? Is one who tells a child not to run into a street lacking Ahavas Yisrael, because he should just say nothing bad could ever happen? Obviously, giving one advice that can protect him is an act of great love. There was a rebbe who was accused of lacking Ahavas Yisrael because he gave rebuke, and he said, "Do you know how much I daven to Hashem to forgive these very people?" To daven for the people and look for their merits is Ahavas Yisrael, but to encourage them to do the wrong thing and deserve punishment is Sinas Yisrael and chanifus. To help them with the needed warnings is real love.
Believe every real Jew will be saved. It is the erev rav Amaleikim, whom the prophet is speaking of that will have the same mapalah as Eisav (Edom)& Yishmael. They have worked tirelessly for more than three millennia do harm the Bnai Yisrael and hinder Moshiach's coming. The Geulah is meant for the Bnai Yisrael and those of the nations who stand with her. As we have learned, that everything that happens is for the sake of Yisrael. The rabbanim are forewarning the Yehudim to wake up and smell the coffee and return to their roots. Most Jews today are far removed from Yiddishkeit (galut of two millennia can do that easily) but many have that spark where they will not side with their enemies and they are the ones who need to be encouraged to do teshuvah and wake up to what is happening in the world against them and their brothers. The warning from these rebbeim about the phones, etc. are mainly for the religious world which has also been swept up with this gashmiut and the immorality that comes along with it and as a reminder they must be forewarned to throw away that nonsense and return. No 'Jew' will be left behind! Remember, Hashem tells us that 'everything I have done for your sakes'. Do not fear!
I agree about the improper use of Mashiach...
There are five soul roots of the Erev Rav that inherit GeHinnom: Amalekim, Nefilim, Giborim, Anakim, and Refa'im. Now we got to figure out who is who in order to ignore what they think since what they think leads to utter destruction. And they make up about 33% to 40% of Klal Yisrael. There were 600,000 men and 600,000 women in the desert + about 2.5 million children. There were also about 2.5 million from the Erev Rav in the desert for a total of over 6 million Jews. sound familiar? I am not sure why Moshe let them in. We have paid too high of a price for the Erev Rav's success.
Josh, :-)
My fault for the poorly worded title.
I think that Sefer Kol HaTor says that we have a responsibility to kill the leaders of the Erev Rav, but in Eretz Yisrael that creates a problem. One of them is the Mistress of Justice. So our war here can only be verbal or with the pen. Even then if one hits hard enough, one can go to prison. difficult war to fight when the Attorney General is fighting for the sitra acher.
got to get that. Shabak is knocking at my door.
Excellent Dov Bar Leib. Just want to also add that we know that Hashem was not happy that Moshe wanted to allow them to tag along, but, Hashem did not forbid him to; maybe it's just part of the overall Script that He has planned out for us because believe it's the erev rav that made the rebirth (state, which is just the forerunner to shleimut EY) to happen. Their hindering the geulah all these thousands of years was perhaps a way to refine the world within that time. Civilization has progressed (even though now at these end times, it's regressing) (filtering out a lot of scum), all to lead His children back to the Promised Land, EY. H' uses the evil doers for the purposes he needs, including doing themselves in too, like what's happening in the Arab & other muslim countries, etc.
Rav Yaffe i feel so sorry for you. BH our father in shamayin does the chesbon and not you.
Sorry to say this article is wrong from the start. the first and fundamental premise that "not everyone will merit..." chas veshalom is totally untrue.
In the redemption there will be miracles like in the redemption from Mitzroym, but unlike that redemption, in the true and final redemption every single Jew will be redeemed.
This was said over and over AGAIN by the Rebbe, and anyone arguing with it is wrong. and if G-d forbid that person thinks he knows better then the Rebbe then the person writing has deep problems of his own, the litmus test will be how he looks at other Yiden favorably or not.
since the first premise of the article is wrong, everything else is just a waste of time at best.
Ronnie Rendel: True, believe that every Jew will be saved. But, the Erev Rav will not. Their sins and hatred caused tens of thousands of Jewish lives just in the last half century of years and, of course, throughout the millennia. According to Kol HaTor, 'think; it is there where we find that the Erev Rav will be considered Amaleikim and the worst of our enemies. As is written, 'from within your midst will come your worst enemies'. At the end of the day, it will be Moshiach who will sort out everything for us.
Why are you all so uptight? He said at the end that we can certainly pass the test!
And for all the people who have written disrespectfully about this talmid chacham, see this (from halacha yomit of Rav Ovadiah zatzal):ובמשנה במסכת סנהדרין (דף צ.) שנינו, כל ישראל יש להם חלק לעולם הבא, ואלו שאין להם חלק לעולם הבא, האומר אין תחיית המתים מן התורה, ואין תורה מן השמים, ואפיקורס. (ועוד) ובגמרא שם (דף צט:) פירשו, רב ורבי חנינא אמרו שניהם אפיקורס זה המבזה תלמידי חכמים. נמצא אם כן שהמבזה תלמידי חכמים אין לו חלק לעולם הבא.
Based on this, the one who said above that he feels sorry for Rav Yoffe should feel sorry for himself. Those of you who preach love for all Jews are at the same time showing hate for a talmid chacham, who is certainly Jewish. Just because he doesn't have the same view as you does not mean that you should disrespect him. Practice what you preach!
Honestly, I don't think any of you will introspect about this, but there may some readers who can be objective, and in any case, there is an obligation to protest against an insult to a talmid chacham.
And Yaak, if you respect Rav Yaffe enough to post his comments and write Shlit"a, why do you allow your site to be a home of bizui talmid chacham? You are enabling these people.
Anonymous 12:30,
You're absolutely right. Not enough time today to respond properly, but some of the rhetoric was definitely over the top.
To the anonymous commenter on 02/20/14 who claimed to be completely lost,
Your comment went to spam, but please email me. My email address is on the upper-right side of the blog. Thanks.
I received the email that had gone into spam. For some reason it is not posted here. All I can say is that the Internet is a test, like all tests that we have in life. Yet, it is the Eitz HaDa'at tov veRa. So it is a unique test, the ultimate test. If Adam has eaten from the Eitz HaChaim first before eating from this Tree of Knowledge, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil would have become permissible to him. Avoid the negativity on the Internet. Choose the good, and sanctify the pareve (sites like Ebay). Use common sense, and all will be good with you. Learn some Torah, Eitz HaChaim, first to know where you should not venture. But use common sense. Throwing your cell phone against a wall will not save your life. These are not wigs from India where the hair was offered up as a "nesech" for avodah zarah. They are cell phones. Dear L-rd, give us some common sense!
Post a Comment
<< Home