1

“Put Down Your Cell Phone and Focus” – based on sources by R. Josh Flug

Nicholas Carr – “The Shallows” Is Google making us stupid? When Nicholas Carr posed that question in a celebrated Atlantic essay, he tapped into a well of anxiety about how the Internet is changing us. He also crystallized one of the most important debates of our time: As we enjoy the internet’s bounties, are we sacrificing our ability to read and think deeply?

With The Shallows, a finalist for the 2011 Pulitzer Prize in nonfiction and a New York

Times bestseller, Carr expands his argument into the most compelling exploration of the

net’s intellectual and cultural consequences yet published. The Shallows is, writes Slate,

“a Silent Spring for the literary mind.”

“Carr’s prescription is not to shove a sandal into the servers that are

eroding our brains. Instead, he wants us to take a page from Nathaniel

Hawthorne’s notebooks — the one in which Hawthorne wrote about the

way a morning reverie in a spot in Concord known to locals as Sleepy

Hollow was shattered when the ‘startling shriek’ of a locomotive

brought ‘the noisy world into the midst of our slumbrous peace.’ The

shrieking railroad has given way to the constant hum and buzz of the

information highway, ubiquitous to the point of invisibility. If we want

to preserve the health of our brains, we will carve out a ‘peaceful spot

where contemplativeness can work its restorative magic.’ … The

medium may be the message, Carr suggests, but only so long as the

medium stays hidden. Reveal its inner workings — and the groupthink

or brain damage it can cause — and we will see the necessity of

resisting. We will be empowered to turn Google to our purposes rather

than being turned to Google’s.” –Gary Greenberg, The Nation

“The core of education is this: developing the capacity to

concentrate. The fruits of this capacity we call civilization. But all that

is finished, perhaps. Welcome to the shallows, where the un-educating

of homo sapiens begins. Nicholas Carr does a wonderful job

synthesizing the recent cognitive research. In doing so, he gently refutes

2

the ideologists of progress, and shows what is really at stake in the daily

habits of our wired lives: the re-constitution of our minds.–Matthew B.

Crawford, author of Shop Class As Soulcraft and The World Beyond Your

Head

from “Half Shabbos Is No Shabbos” – Jonathan Rosenblum, Jewish Action Magazine, March 2012

Jewish Week reporter Steve Lipman sent more than a few shockwaves through the Orthodox world with his recent article on texting on Shabbos by teenagers educated in Orthodox institutions. He reported on a Shabbaton at which

fourteen of the seventeen teenagers present were texting one another. So common is the phenomenon that it even has its own nomenclature: “half Shabbos.”

In a follow-up letter to the Jewish Week, Drs. Scott Goldberg and David Pelcovitz attempted to mitigate the impact of Lipman’s article. Their survey of 1,200 teenagers in Modern Orthodox institutions, they wrote, revealed that only 17.7

percent text on Shabbos [emphasis mine]; 15.5 percent surf the Internet; and 13.5 percent talk on their cell phones. I doubt anyone was particularly consoled by those numbers. While Lipman’s article and the Goldberg-Pelcovitz survey dealt only with Modern

Orthodox students, the phenomenon is by no means confined to that sector of the Orthodox population. A Bais Yaakov principal in a major urban center told me that at last year’s Bais Yaakov convention in Baltimore, one principal told him that he could name twenty girls in his community who text on Shabbos…..

The Shallows is also, in the words of Tufts Professor Maryanne Wolf, a sustained essay about the “loss of human capacity for contemplation and wisdom, in an epoch where both appear increasingly threatened.”

3

Rabbi Steven Pruzansky

Being Really Smart Posted on February 28, 2014 | 11 Comments

How should a shul respond if a member suddenly pulled out the Wall Street Journal (illustrious paper

that it is) during davening and began reading it? How would fellow members react if someone began playing

Scrabble during Chazarat Hashatz – assuming that the observer was himself not playing?

The distractions during tefila (prayer) have certainly changed over the years. I remember when a beeper

was a novelty, but such was limited to potential medical emergencies. (Come to think of it, I remember as

a child seeing one fellow actually read a newspaper in shul, during the Torah reading!) As we all know,

the scourge of today’s shul has long been the cell phone whose chimes, in many places, are regularly

interspersed with the cadences of tefila. Many of the chimes are recognizable – generic, factory-installed

sounds; others are majestic (Beethoven’s Fifth), some are uplifting (Beethoven’s Sixth – the Pastoral

Symphony, Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, or Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight Of The Bumblebee) and some are

inspirational and nationalistic (Hatikvah). But all, in the context of the davening are, frankly, inappropriate

and annoying.

This problem transcends all boundaries – religions, denominations within Judaism, as well as within

Orthodoxy. Far be it from me to speculate as to where the challenge is worse – Shtiebel, shul , Young Israel,

ModO, etc. It is pervasive. Fortunately, in our shul we have succeeded in eliminating this bane of the

modern mitpallel almost entirely through repeated reminders and gentle admonitions, such that the

occasional offender is almost always an unknowing guest or a visiting meshulach, or (rarely) a regular who

forgot he was carrying his phone with him. In fact, we encourage people to leave their phones at home or

in their cars, as they really have no acceptable use during davening.

But fast forward to today’s smart phone that not only functions as a telephone but also as a siddur,

chumash, newspaper, joke book, encyclopedia, Scrabble game and window to the infinite world of

knowledge and nonsense. It does everything but daven for you, although I am sure that App is in the works.

How should we relate to this modern contrivance which has both sacred and profane uses?

Our Sages went to great lengths to ensure that we would be able to maintain kavana (concentration)

during davening. Reciting words by rote and without attentiveness is compared (by Rabbenu Bachye in

Chovot Halevavot, Shaar Cheshbon Hanefesh, Chapter 3) to a “body without a spirit.” It is lifeless.

4

Thus, the Shulchan Aruch (OC 90) notes that, if possible, we should daven facing a wall, with nothing

or no one in front of us. We should never daven in back of someone wearing bold, bright-colored

clothing – it is too distracting. The Rema adds that, for the same reason, we should not even pray from

a siddur that has pictures in it.

And not only that: the Shulchan Aruch (OC 96) contains further admonitions: “When a person prays, he

should not hold in his hand tefillin, nor a sefer from the holy books, nor a full plate, nor a knife,

money or a loaf of bread, because in all those cases he is focused on not dropping them, and his

concentration will be disturbed and nullified.” In the initial instance, this applies to the Shemoneh

Esrei (the classic tefila) but it is extended as well (by the Pri Megadim) to Psukei D’Zimra and Shema, so

essentially it applies to the entire davening. These laws are rooted in the Talmudic discussion (Masechet

Berachot 23b) wherein Rashi states that all these activities “unsettle the mind.” The plate might break or its

contents spill, the knife might fall and impale your foot, money might be dropped and lost, and a book will

divert your attention. What should we hold in our hands? Nothing, except for a siddur, if necessary.

Anything that can be diverted for other uses, or whose primary purpose is not tefila, cannot be held

during the davening. Anything that is valuable such that its potential loss or breakage weighs on one’s

mind also cannot be held during the davening. The Pri Megadim adds another cogent reason for these

limitations: it is not derech eretz (here meaning “courtesy” or “common decency”) to stand before eminent

people holding extraneous objects in one’s hand, and certainly not while talking to them. How much

reverent should we be standing before the King of Kings?

It is obvious that cell phones should be prohibited from all shuls. Phones are a means of communication

with the outside world – the very world that we try to shut out for a few minutes several times a day so that

we can concentrate on our relationship with the Creator. I have been left aghast in some shuls in which

people actually carried on conversations after they answered their ringing phones – and nothing that was

remotely life-threatening (just mundane business, and the like). Those whose jobs require constant access

to a telephone (e.g., the president’s military aide who carries the “football” containing the codes that the

president will need in order to authorize a nuclear attack on our enemies) are really exempt from public

prayer. Certainly, a doctor’s life-saving work is held in esteem, and most know to keep their phones on

“vibrate” so as not to disturb others. This is old news. But this is new. Several months ago after discussing

this topic in shul, I announced a ban (since then, thank G-d, strictly adhered to, for the most part) on the use

of smart-phones during tefilla. A smart-phone, for all its wonders, is actually a holy book, a full plate, a

knife, money, a loaf of bread – not to mention a telephone, a newspaper and a Scrabble game – all in one.

It is everything that Chazal prohibited – valuable, breakable and a fount of distractions. Even if the phone

element is turned off, the temptation is too great and the diversions are too accessible. The email beeps, the

5

texts ring – and worse – it is the intrusion of the outside world that we struggle to keep afar

during tefilla…..

Source 1: Talmud Berachot 30b

Hasidim Harishonim would spend an hour before tefilah clearing their mind so that they could pray properly

Source 1b) Commentary of R. Ovadia MiBartenura

, ביראה' ה את עבדו( ב תהלים) דכתיב ומורא הכנעה - ראש כובד מתוך. עומדין אין

:היא תפלה זו ועבודה

Source 2a): Devarim 27:9-10

אמר ל ל א ל ישר ל כ ה והכהנים הלוים א ר מש לוידב א ת ושמע ישר היום הזה הסכ

יך ם ליהוה אלה .נהיית לע

ת מצו שית א יך וע מעת בקול יהוה אלה נכי מצוך ה וש ר א יו אש ק ת ו וא .יוםת

27:9 Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel, saying: Pay attention and

listen, Israel. Today you have become a nation to God your Lord.

27:10 You must therefore obey God your Lord and keep His commandments and

decrees, as I am prescribing them to you today.

R. Ovadia Seforno2b)

(:כו, ה עמוס) מלככם סכות את כמו במשבתך צייר. הסכת

ושמע. והתבונן:

6

hem MiShemuel, Ki Tav SSource 2c)

The actions of the hasidim harishonim are really required for everything we do,

especially in the area of self-improvement. As such, we are given the month of

Elul to properly prepare for the Yamim Noraim so that we enter it with the proper

mindset

7

Source 3: Ohr Yehezkel, Elul Talks

The ideal is to always clear one's mind in preparation for tefillah. It's too

difficult to spend so much time for each prayer, so we have a minimal

preparation. However, for Rosh HaShanah, which is a once in a year

event, we need to have the proper preparation to clear our minds and

focus on the themes of the tefillot of Rosh HaShanah.

8

Source 4: Resisi Laila 36b

Tishri and Nissan are the two

times in the year when we build

up a warehouse of spiritual gains

that sustain us in the month

between. In order to do that, we

need to be mentally prepared for

these months and Elul serves that

purpose

9

Kol Menachem, Perashat ShoftimSource 5:

If the world was created in Tishri,

the thoughts to create the world

took place in Elul. This is why

Elul is considered ימי רצון.

Talmud Rosh Hashana 34bSource 6:

10

Source 7: Writings of the Saba of Kelm

Source 7: LeDavid…Sefer Tehilim 27

11

21 Rabba Vayikra MidrashSource 8:

Netivot Shalom Rosh HashanaSource 9:

Source 10: Rambam, Hilchot Teshuva 9: 1-2

בשמה' ה את עבדתם אם כלומר זו דרך על והקללות הברכות ןאות כל פירוש נמצא

פנויים שתהיו עד מכם הקללות ומריק האלו הברכות לכם משפיע דרכו ושמרתם

טוב שכולו לעולם לך וייטב הבא העולם ליי שתזכו כדי בה ולעסוק בתורה להתכם

הזה בעולם טובים ליים העולמות לשני זוכין ונמצאתם ארוך שכולו לעולם ימים ותאריך

יזכה במה לו אין טובים ומעשים כמה פה יקנה לא שאם הבא העולם ליי המביאים

במאכל ושגיתם' ה את עזבתם ואם בשאול וכמה ודעת ושבון מעשה אין כי שנאמר

שיכלו עד הברכות כל ומסיר האלו הקללות כל עליכם מביא להם ודומה וזנות ובמשתה

שתאבדו כדי המצות לעשות שלם גוף ולא פנוי לב לכם היהי ולא ופד בבהלה ימיכם

12

בולי הזה בעולם טרוד שאדם שבזמן עולמות שני שאבדתם ונמצא הבא העולם מיי

הבא. ומפני העולם ליי זוכין שבהן במצות ולא בכמה לא מתעסק אינו ורעבון ובמלמה

מניות שאינן ממלכיות שינוו כדי המשי לימות וכמיהם נביאיהם ישראל כל נתאוו זה

ליי שיזכו כדי בכמה וירבו מרגוע להם וימצאו כהוגן ובמצות בתורה לעסוק להן

דעה הארץ מלאה כי שנאמר והאמת והכמה הדעה תרבה הימים שבאותן לפי הבא העולם

האבן לב את והסירותי ונאמר רעהו את ואיש איו את איש ילמדו ולא ונאמר' ה את

גדול ונביא משלמה יתר יהיה כמה בעל דוד מזרע שיעמוד המלך תושאו מפני מבשרכם

הגוים כל ויבואו' ה דרך אותם ויורה העם כל ילמד ולפיכך רבינו למשה קרוב הוא

השכר כל וסוף ההרים בראש' ה בית הר יהיה נכון הימים בארית והיה שנאמר לשומעו

הוא המשי ימות אבל הבא עולםה יי הוא וגרעון הפסק לה שאין הארונה והטובה כולו

כמים אמרו וכבר לישראל תזור שהמלכות אלא הולך כמנהגו ועולם הזה העולם

בלבד. מלכיות שיעבוד אלא המשי לימות הזה העולם בין אין הראשונים

When the Torah promises beracha for mitzvot and kelalah for aveirot, it is not reward and punishment in this world. Rather, HaShem encourages us to continue our ways. If we want to observe the Torah, HaShem will provide us a lifestyle that allows us to continue to do so by removing the obstacles that prevent us from serving HaShem. Rambam continues that this is why we long for the coming of Mashiach. It is a time

when many of the distractions of life will be removed and we can focus on serving HaShem