Daf Yomi Nazir 25
Lately, more and more shuls have been instituting cellphone
bans. We’re not talking about Shabbos
and Yom Tov; that goes without saying.
No, during the week. After all,
you’ve come to talk to G-d, not sit there playing Candy Crush or Angry Birds,
right? Every text and tweet that buzzes
in your pocket is a distraction from your conversation with the One Above.
One shul I know of has a rule that if your phone rings
during services, you are immediately suspended for twenty four hours! A friend of mine’s family are members
there. He decided not to schedule his aufroof at the shul, for fear of having
his cell go off on Friday morning and being unable to attend his own simcha the next day!
Should shuls ban cellphone use during services?
The Torah declares, “Only
your sanctified animals that you shall have and your vows shall you raise up,
and come to the place that Hashem shall choose.”
It was taught in the Yeshiva
of Rabbi Yishmael: The verse is dealing with offspring of sanctified animals
and their substitutes. What should be
done with them?
One might assume they should be brought to the Holy Temple and then he
should withhold food and water from them so that they will die.
Therefore the verse continues, “You shall make your offerings, the flesh
and the blood.”
Tosfos explains: The
Torah already discussed the sanctified animals themselves in the Book of Vayikra. Therefore, the Talmud concludes that this
verse in Devarim must be talking about different animals, i.e. the offspring
and substitutes, instructing that they too – although mere by-products of
sacrifices – must be offered upon the altar.
The Yeshiva of Rabbi Yishmael suggests one might assume one
should bring certain animals to the Temple and then withhold food and drink
from them. What would be the point of
bringing the offerings, only to have them starve there? If you don’t end up sacrificing them upon
the holy altar, would it be worth all the shlep?!
And yet many people come to shul and do just that. They’ll drag themselves out of bed. They’ll get themselves and their kids all
ready for shul. And after making all the
effort to get there, they spend the entire time chatting to their neighbour!
Of course there’s a place for socializing in shul. It’s not called a beit tefillah (house of prayer); it’s a beit haknesset – a place of gathering, which includes so much more
than prayer alone. But prayer must
still be the primary component. If it’s
only about socializing, you could do that at Starbucks. And the coffee is much better there than the
instant stuff most shuls serve! Yes, socializing in shul is important; but the
main reason you’re there is to talk to G-d.
Sometimes you’re not chatting with the person seated next to
you. It’s a weekday and you’re taking
care of important business matters via text.
But what could be more important than beseeching the Almighty for His
blessing? Would you interrupt an
important business meeting to talk to G-d?
So why do you interrupt your conversation with G-d to respond to your
client?
Personally, I’m not in favour of complete cellphone bans in
shul. Technology has been very helpful
in making our lives more convenient and peaceful. Doctors on call, who otherwise would have had
to stay at the hospital, can now go to minyan and watch for any emergencies
that might call them back.
As a father, I might shoot my wife a text and let her know
the minyan has gathered on time and I can take the kids to school. But otherwise, unless one is dealing with a
truly timely matter, one should try to avoid checking the phone during
services. Every individual should be the
judge of their own urgencies and determine whether they really need to keep
their phone on or not.
You made the effort to come to shul. Now give the Almighty your undivided attention. May you merit building an intimate
relationship with your Father in Heaven and resisting the urge to get
distracted by man or machine!
