Moshiach will come the moment people break their smartphones – more comments from the Rav
This is a harif shiur from the Rav.
Most people won’t like it, I’m sure, most people won’t take it seriously, and tell themselves that they can’t skip out on their Whatsapp groups, all the toyrah they are learning via their phones, etc etc etc.
I debated whether to translate this, even, because I already know that most people can’t relate, and will think that this is just fanatical extremism.
Just like all those Jews in America thought, when people said they should carry on keeping Shabbat, or keeping kashrut when they landed in the Goldene Medina.
Or, exactly like the Anusim of Spain thought, when given the choice of converting or shipping out of the country without their property and possessions.
I’m not quite sure when the idea that it should be ‘easy’ to be a believing Jew gained traction, but that’s the reality we live in today, and I guess all those people who like to point fingers at other people for not making aliya, to give one example, may feel a little uncomfortable with the idea that they are just as responsible for holding up geula, if they are still using their smartphones…
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To keep this real, it requires huge mesirut nefesh to ditch the smartphone these days, especially for people who have become accustomed to doing everything with it.
Me personally, I am struggling with even simple things these days, like trying to pick up packages from the post office, as everything is sent in a smartphone link, which I can’t access on my not-smartphone.
And the Whatsapp – so many ‘group things’ are happening on Whatsapp, and I am totally not in that space…
It’s mesirut nefesh, it’s not always so easy.
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At the same time….
Do you know what a LORA is?
A LORA simply requires 20-50 good pictures of a person’s face, taken from different angles, in order to create an exact online replica, or avatar, that can then be used to ‘create video’ of that person doing all sorts of things.
You can read more about a LoRA HERE.
Basically, they can fake footage of you doing ANYTHING, super-realistically, if they have 20-50 good quality pictures of your face at different angles.
And if you have been using social media regularly, or have ‘face recognition’ enabled on your i-Phone, simply to use your credit card or access your bank app – they already have more than enough images of you to do anything they want with.
Scary.
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Have you heard about the digital ID plan?
In the UK, they are rolling it out more and more all the time.
Read more HERE.
You don’t take the shots they want you to take, you don’t parrot the ‘correct thinking’ online they want you to take, you do anything to challenge the machine – and the machine suspends your whole digital life, no access to your bank, your apps, your contacts, it all goes.
Take a look at this:
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/20/tech/china-censorship-internet-id-hnk-intl
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So, just like working on Shabbat actually turned into a total spiritual ‘prison’ for the Jews that ditched their observance, and just like ‘becoming xtian’ became an ongoing source of terrible suffering for the Anusim of Spain for the next 400 years – we are facing another big test, as a people.
The test of the smartphone.
The test of the ‘Digital ID’, or ‘Digital Prison’.
And the Rav is inviting each person to leave that prison behind and to smash it to pieces.
I hope more of us will find the strength and courage to do that, and to not just make excuses, even though for sure, this requires HUGE mesirut nefesh.
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Extract of shiur from Chanuka, 5786
A person thinks that he loves the Tzaddik.
To ‘love the Tzaddik’ means that you break the Xiomi.
That you break the smartphone.
That you break the i-Phone.
This is called ‘to love the Tzaddik’.
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Just stam ‘to love the Tzaddik’ – so then, a person could end up murdering Yehoshua.[1]
A person can murder the Tzaddik.
Whoever is carrying around a smartphone, whoever is carrying around a Xiomi, or an i-Phone – they are murdering the Tzaddik at every second.
They are shortening the Tzaddik’s life, they are causing the Tzaddik to have cancer.
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People are endangering the Tzaddik, and the life of the Tzaddik.
A person needs to know that that war of a Jew, [i.e. the war of the Maccabees] – this was a war against Greek culture.
Not against the Greeks themselves.
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The Greeks renew themselves in every generation.
There are Edomites, there are Russians, there are Arabs, there are Nohkba,[2] there are Hamas – everything is these same Greeks, that come again in every generation in a different form.
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And so, a person needs to know that now, everyone should accept upon themselves to throw away the smartphones.
And the i-Phones.
And the Xiomi.
To throw them away!
To smash them into pieces!
These are ‘elilim’ (false gods), this is avoda zara (idol worship).
This is a million times [worse] than eating pig.
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When a person carries around an i-Phone, every second he is transgressing a million aveirot.
Eating pig is five negative commandments (lavi’in.)
What happened on Simchat Torah, what happened in that Shoah – this is all because of i-Phones, because of the Xiomi, because of the smartphones.
This is ‘Greek culture’.
It rules over us in every generation, anew.
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And this test only depends upon you.
The moment that you break the i-Phones, and the smartphones, and the Xiomi – Moshiach will come today!
I promise!
Moshiach will come at this moment – when each person breaks their smartphone, and their i-Phone.
Translated from Shivivei Or, #438.
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FOOTNOTES:
[1] In many previous shiurim, the Rav has mentioned how the meraglim wanted to murder Yehoshua, to prevent him from leading them into Eretz Yisrael, using the pretext that if they murdered Yehoshua, then they would be ‘saving Moshe’s life’, as he was scheduled to die before Am Yisrael entered Eretz Yisrael. The Rav is explaining that a person can tell themselves they ‘love the Tzaddik’, when really they are engaging in some very evil behaviours, and just using ‘love of the Tzaddik’ as a pretext.
[2] An Israeli slang term for the October 7th terrorists.
B”H i want to guard my eyes
Me too. I’ve actually been reading through two of the Rav’s prayer books on that subject, which I think has been helpful.
What does the rav say about having a computer with internet? How is that not the same as a smartphone you use in the house?
I’m trying to imagine life without whatsapp at this point. I communicate 99.99% with it. Friends, teachers, family members, my parnassa relies on it 100%, all info on the rav is from it, all connection to messages from my yishuv and community are on it. I knew of two people in my yishuv who didn’t have it and they were totally out of the loop on everything and kept asking others to post on whatsapp on their behalf. They knew it was needed to have a normal life here but they stood on principle.
It seems like such a necessary evil. I totally agree on the internet part of the smartphone but whatsapp is another story. I can’t go call someone every time I need the tiniest thing told to them. I know I won’t. I hate the phone. For business reasons, it becomes proof of what was discussed. Dates, times, prices. So, what about a more kosherized version of a smartphone? Where I use the few apps I need and the rest is locked? I use waze in the car and on the street nonstop. My parnassa right now relies on it 100%. I use moovit or another app when I need the bus schedule and to plan a trip, I am helping others who need the info too ad don’t know how to use the app. I check the weather before I leave and don’t have time to turn on the computer all of the time. I don’t get how a computer is any different for the things I use it for.
I also can’t really believe the rav is referring to those who live outside his community. Maybe I wouldn’t need it there like my son doesn’t who is in yeshiva there. But, in the regular world? I would disconnect from everyone which is sort of exactly what my introvert self would be happy to do. We entertained the idea of going off grid and off internet for a while. My hitbodedut told me that Hashem wants me to be part of a community and not run away like I’d like. I know Hashem does NOT want me to leave all aspects of the community and extended family.
I also think that maybe this IS the test as it goes against all logic but it really would hurt our parents as they only call from the US on whatsapp calls and send pics and messages all day long to keep in touch. All my chessed would stop as I only hear about the need for different community or worldwide needs through whatsapp. We constantly give away things or get things from giveaway whatsapp groups. Store sales come on messages, important yishuv security messages, etc. I am going back and forth nonstop asking myself truthfully what Hashem really wants. I need the computer to find an apartment in Yerushalim from here. Maybe once there I could see how to let go of it but from here? I am not sure it’s possible. We would have no parnassa. 100% of my job is from whatsapp as is my husband’s. It sounds like it would be relying on a miracle to ask Hashem to send me every contact and message I need with no normal way to get it. None of my clients will understand why I can’t get their messages anymore. No one wants to make calls anymore. I cannot throw it out today. Everyone would have to do it with me for it to work. It is the only communication with the teachers of my children as they are not in charedi schools. We are not living in a charedi place and probably never will as my kids won’t fit in. How can Hashem want this from those outside charedi areas? Only with charedim does everyone makes do with different non smartphone methods. They are not employed anywhere else. I can’t call a number and find out things I need.
Please explain how this could be. The rav is speaking to everyone? Throw away my computer as well? I only know of the rav and his community through the internet and whatsapp. As much as it’s a link to evil and the yetzer hara, it is the current world today and Hashem put me in it. I think Hashem would have as much reason to be upset with me as happy for me for me to get rid of it. It would be the end to all the connection with all the work I’ve done till now.
It’s funny because my phone has major issues with it and as it stands now I would lose previous whatsapp messages as soon as I switch phones. The memory is shot and it won’t transfer messages anymore like a normal phone can. I was thinking if I could do that and I think I just can’t do that on purpose. When my phone totally dies, I can start again but it would erase all history and private notes. All my saved info is on whatsapp. It would be like starting again. Painful but necessary maybe if it happens. I’m leaving it to Hashem for now regarding my old phone. Regarding leaving whatsapp? Hashem has to answer me and I’m not getting any clear answers. I would survive but would I live? Would I connect to others? Would I thrive spiritually if I feel all alone? I personally think it’s the same as a computer so I wouldn’t ever read anything from you again either. Feels hypocritical to use internet at home and just get rid of a smartphone.
You are making some good points, thanks for sharing so frankly.
The first thing to stress, is that not having a smartphone is 100% possible, even today, even for non-chareidim – but very, very difficult in practise.
I am experiencing that myself. I am not chareidi, I also work, I’m also in school, and I don’t have a smartphone.
Here’s the thing: Whatsapp is ‘easy’, so every one uses it. But when Whatsapp is not possible, other ways have to be found. I am on email. That’s what I use to send stuff and recieve stuff.
I call people and / or text them, not a lot of people, but then, I find all the ‘group stuff’ on whatsapp is mostly overwhelming and pointless anyway. If anyone thinks they are really communicating or having a real relationship via emojis, that’s a real shame.
Without Whatsapp, my world is quite small, but the people in it get my full attention and they are the ones it’s important for me to be in touch with, tachlis.
Re: the computer, a person doesn’t carry their computer around with them, and check it every 3 seconds for new Whatsapp messages.
Other people can see the screens, when using a computer, it’s harder to watch bad stuff, or get ‘lost’ online without someone else noticing what’s going on. That’s useful, but uncomfortable.
A possible solution is to upload the Whatsapp app to a stationary computer, and have fixed times for checking stuff every day. So still in the loop, but not ‘addicted’ and reacting to pings in the same way.
Same can be done for calling family abroad / sharing pics. While it’s nice to get a pic the second ‘the event’ is happening, getting it a few hours later is also not a big deal.
Each person has to do their own cheshbon hanefesh and I guess, be honest about where they are really holding with this, because it for sure requires a ton of mesirut nefesh to smash a smartphone.
And at the same time, even a little progress along the right lines of tachlis trying to limit smartphone use with tagging and finding work arounds is definitely also very, very valuable, and shows God a person’s intention, that they aren’t just happy making excuses, but really trying to figure it out, somehow.
Each little bit of progress tips the balance for everyone else, and influences everyone else.
Because no-one really likes being imprisoned by their Whatsapp and smartphone, deep down.
Just, we’re waiting for some brave ‘other’ to make the first move, and show us how it’s done.
There’s so much more I’m thinking of now. Every piece of news I read is from a whatsapp post someone sends. I don’t read the news ever. All of my alternative healing info. All my homeopathy messages from my homeopath, so basically all my medical intervention is on it. How do you send pics? Photos and documents? It’s crazy how my life is so intertwined with it but it 100% is. It stops on shabbos and holidays only.
1) Who says all that ‘news’ is necessary, or even good?
2) Email still works fine, BH.
3rd part to my post, Just for the record, I really hate that the phone is my life. I would love to not need it. I would love to get rid of it but I see that as possible not in this current reality but maybe in moshiach’s time unless everyone gets rid of it at the same time. The rav is living in a different reality than mine. I’ve been trying to move closer for two years at least but I am still here, in a place where I have no choice but to be dependent on my smartphone.
If ‘the phone is your life’ – and then, the Evils decide to turn the phone off, because you didn’t follow the ‘schedule’ from the kupa… what then?
That’s the whole point of digital ID. The people who have their ‘whole life in the phone’ are over a huge barrel, and in a very fragile place. For many reasons, it makes sense even for normal, non-chareidi people to reduce dependency on the smartphone…
Be the Nachshon ben Aminadav for your community, and jump in to asking for information from gan etc in other ways. Do some experiments on weaning off, and see what happens, with God’s help.
You are a strong person, Miriam. For sure if you decided this was the right thing to do, you would take some giant strides in that direction, and open the way for others around you to follow.
I have considered it many times and it just isn’t a possibility unless it’s forced upon me which in actuality I would happily embrace as all of us would just go back to a simpler life.
You can’t have whatsapp on your computer unless you have a smartphone as well as it is just a linked device and doesn’t work otherwise. I don’t mind leaving the house for a short while with a kosher phone or no phone as I leave my phone at home when going for a walk. I can’t work though without it. I can’t travel without it.
I think my main point is that I have accepted to never watch movies, TV shows or anything inappropriate from many years already. It makes no difference if I’m on the computer screen or in front of my phone. I think if one has email and uses the internet at home there is no difference in having a smartphone. Many of my messages are time sensitive (like a question of if I can stop by in 5 min and no, I do not want to call every time, simply people do not want to be called and often don’t answer the phone) and an email doesn’t work well. My one friend who always communicated by email instead of whatsapp was so difficult and she knew it. It would take hours to respond to a simple clarification and always resulted in a long telephone call. She was elderly so I gave her the kavod of dealing with this extra difficulty but it is not a tolerable situation in the real world outside of charedi insular life. I don’t think you get the sense of being connected to others it gives. I am naturally an introverted hermit and happy with it. I push myself to move out of my little life to join others because I know Hashem wants that. All my communication and information about the rav is over whatsapp actually. If Hashem wanted me to go into seclusion, I could give it up. I seriously think the rav was talking to his own community. It doesn’t work in a mixed community and world. Very religious and serious ovdei Hashem work over whatsapp. There are no inappropriate messages or pictures. I message rabbis often with questions. We actually have a community email and it hardly ever gets used as it is totally impractical. I can put a message there but I must use whatsapp as well, many don’t use email, especially those under 30 or 40. I hear what you’re saying but I feel computer is the same as a smartphone so if I can’t get off both, there’s no reason to stop with a smartphone. Does the rav talk about internet in general? He approves of it? For young boys or girls, yeah, I’d be concerned with the dangers of unfiltered devices and they have no reason to use any of it in yeshiva as yeshiva is their entire life. My son doesn’t need internet but he does nothing outside yeshiva.
Your answers don’t help me think giving up smartphones is what the rav wants of us outside his community.
I get paid often from Bit and Paybox and send payments that way. I pay for parking through my apps. I make appointments through the apps. Why would it be normal to live without these conveniences? I need to pay people virtually in small amounts for free and accept in the same way. It is a crazy life these days, modern convenience turned into just the way the world works. Your bubble is not possible for almost all of us.
Miriam, it’s not ‘my bubble’, it’s what the Rav said.
Just to be clear.
The point is, is IT possible, just hugely inconvenient in a million ways.
That you don’t think the inconvenience is worth giving up your smartphone for is totally 100% up to you and understandable.
But don’t pretend that it’s an impossible choice, because it isn’t. It’s a very hard choice, with a lot of difficulties involved. And of course, many many blessings, too.
Like every other mitzvah in yiddishkeit.
Keeping shabbat is also really, really hard for a lot of people. Is that also ‘my bubble?’
If a kid wants to marry out, God forbid, and they’ve found a wonderful person, just that person isn’t Jewish – is that also an ‘impossible choice’ and just an ‘abnormal bubble’?
If that’s the idea, then why stop at smartphones?
Anyone should just do whatever they want to do, justify whatever behaviour they want, and carry on believing they are the biggest tzaddik on the planet, regardless…
Right?
If someone used your arguments above to justify why they couldn’t make aliya, what would you say to them?
Would you agree, that aliya is just impossible to square with making parnassa, and remaining part of a community, and staying in touch with family, and that all those shouting about making aliya are just ‘living in an impractical bubble’?
Or, would you say that for sure it’s fraught with massive challenges and difficulties – but with God’s help, they can be overcome?
Be honest, now.
But WHY would giving up something that helps me live and connect so much in life and follow Hashem’s ways and do so much chessed be a blessing in any way? If I thought the rav was talking to me with my life the way it is, I would understand it only to mean to drop everything and move to his community. There’s really not an option to stay where I am and disconnect from the world. It would only be a curse and not a blessing. If giving it up would bring moshiach in a minute, I would do it. I’m existing in this life only to do Hashem’s will. I can’t say I’m getting to enjoy it much, I’m so super busy doing things for others and trying to fit in all the crazy life changing additions and changes that the rav has introduced into my life up until this point. I’m nothing like I used to be. I work for Hashem only. In my hisbodedut I don’t see that Hashem wants me to give it up just yet. I have very little time for it anyway. This is why I can’t reconcile that you’re saying the rav is talking to me. It is not like any of the obvious mitzvot you pointed out. Like keeping kosher, shabbos, intermarrying? I don’t get it. I’ve totally rearranged my life to serve Hashem in every way I can. I would never do anything ossur on purpose. I can’t believe the rav is talking to me or else I’d have no choice but to go move to his community today. That doesn’t make any sense. Please explain to me how I can accept all these rabbis, especially the one that connects me to the rav is allowed this but I can’t be. I can’t believe whatsapp is ossur. It’s not written in the Torah. It’s not the way of the foreign cultures. It’s used very beautifully for wonderful reasons.
I fully believe one can take the good out of the convenience of smartphones. The rav has said we need to all go to kever Yosef tonight or Uman, we need to all toivel in the kineret today…maybe things which are not literal. WHY do you think he means getting rid of technology is what every Jew needs to do? I really think he’s talking to his community and I’m not going against Hashem by not taking him literally.
This discussion reminds me of Rabbenu’s story of the clever ‘philosophical questions’ that no-one can answer, like, ‘why would someone take a pane of glass out of their front door in order to fix their window, when a bird could then fly into their home?’
Thanks for posting, I have alot to work on and am far away from being at that point. Sometimes I feel despair
Josh, there is no despair in the world! Which basically means, even though we can feel despair about the mountains we still have to climb, and all the bad middot we still have to fix, and about things ever turning around really, for the good – Hashem wants us to remember that ultimately, everything is in His hands, except for the yearning and desire to change.
When we get upstairs, the one thing we will really be judged on is whether we asked God to help us overcome our problems and issues. If we did, and God chose not to ‘help us’ – how can we be blamed for that?
But if we didn’t do regular hitbodedut, got all arrogant about the good stuff we are actually doing, tried to ‘figure it out alone’ – then, we’ll be in trouble.
I am also not where I want to be, spiritually. Every honest person will tell you exactly the same thing. The point is to not despair about God being ABLE to turn it all around, even if He is currently not choosing to do that.
We just keep talking to God, doing the cheshbon hanefesh honestly, but without beating ourselves up for being ‘bad’ – and if we have the opportunity to fix something, we take it gratefully, and know it’s a present from God and not because we are ‘super-fantastic-tzaddikim’.
If we follow that path, of just staying close to Hashem with humility, even if we have a lot of work to do – there really is no despair in the world.
Even just truly wanting to be better, to do things better, it starts to fix the world spiritually in ways that we can’t even fathom.
A lot of good points made here. I would like to say that it won’t matter whether a person has a smartphone or not in the world of Digital ID, everyone will be subjected to it. In Israel they know everything about you regardless if you have a smartphone or not. It is one big police state.
The point is, when you do what God wants, you get get siyatta di shmeya and a much healthier soul, regardless of what is going on in the police state.
This sounds like quite a defeatist attitude, honestly.
Even small people can make a massive difference, if they are truly connected to the real tzaddikim and to God.
Look at the Maccabees.
If this is the case, then much of the tzedaka including for the Rav would dry up. Many tzedaka campaigns are done over whatsapp and money raised almost immediately. So therefore, if the smartphone is Assur for anyone to use, then no tzedaka should be accepted that is paid from it, as the money should be considered assur as well.
There is an idea in the gemara that you can’t build a mitzvah on the back of an aveirah – you can’t bring a stolen animal to the Temple as a sacrifice to Hashem, for example.
If you really believe that Whatsapp is the only way to raise tzedaka, you are entitled to your own opinion.
It’s for sure more convenient, but it’s not the ONLY way.
I once heard a ‘psak’ from a Rav in London, who advised people to not make aliya, because he noticed that people stopped giving so much tzedaka to his causes, once they were in Israel…
True story.
One day, maybe I’ll tell you about the argument I had with an extended family member many years ago, who was extolling Facebook as the best way to do a whole bunch of ‘mitzvot’, like keeping in touch with family, raising money for good causes and finding out who to daven for (like, hardcore Facebook addicts had time to ‘daven’ for anyone…)
It was BS then, and it’s still BS now.
She got divorced a few years ago, and her kids are heading off the derech….
No-one has to do what the Rav says, of course. It’s ‘advice’, not the 10 commandments.
this reminds me when I deactivated my fb account back in 2021. one girl in particular was adamant I should stay on because fb “needed my torah”. despite this, she chose not to follow where I posted new divrei torah and art. as far as I’ve heard the reality of her life circumstances have become even more complex and she is even more deeply ingrained in social justice causes shouting into the void.
when I dropped that platform I remember thinking “but how will I find a plumber or electrician or massage therapist when I need one?” and I had to give myself a reality check that I was limiting hashem and hashem can cure someone even after going to the doctor and send me a plumber even without fb. the same is true about every other platform… but it is getting increasingly difficult to do even the simplest of tasks without constant tracking and surveillance specifically through smartphone apps and it’s even getting difficult to opt out of facial recognition.
I was talking to someone yesterday, hardcore Bet Shemesh ‘dati leumi’, who surprised me by being very thankful for the large numbers of Chareidim in Israel, who in her view, are ‘holding the line’ against the big tech digital enslavement. She works in tech, and believes that because the chareidim are numerous in Israel, and motivated to not just do what is ‘convenient’, there is hope here that the State won’t be able to do what other places will do, with digital IDs etc, in the same way.
She also told me that Australia and France are banning all social media accounts for under 16s… perhaps, the dawn is finally starting to break, inspite of appearances to the contrary.
I love these stories! I’m sure she’s right about the chareidi population holding the line. I’m taking a “trauma sensitive yoga” training where the 30+ students are predominantly “secular” ashkenazim and I’m noticing quite a number of non-touch screen “dumb” phones. people are getting fed up with the compounded stress from these devices.
as with all legislation I’d be curious about the fine print… even without the legislation I know it’s increasingly common for social media platforms to require govt. issued ID to use certain services. the whole banning social media for under 16 may then criminalize someone who doesn’t upload their govt ID to use the platform to “prove” they’re over 16. you know. for the safety of the children. of course if you’re already hooked into the system and you believe your parnasa will suffer without it will feel trapped further into the surveillance. this is the cunning of amalek. 20 years ago everyone thought they were just sharing cute photos and connecting with loved ones. I also didn’t know I was feed the beast. until I did.
all of this brings us back to emunah, bitachon, ein od milvado. the more each of us opts out we take power away from the evil empire and return the power to real malchut.