Rabbi Shlomo Aviner
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Avraham Avinu and the Internet
Text Message Responsa
Stories of Rabbenu – Our Rabbi: Ha-Rav Tzvi Yehudah Ha-Cohain Kook - Our Rabbi and honoring of the State – Part 3
Shut She'eilat Shlomo - Questions of Jewish Law:
On Air - Court case against a Jew during Adar, Sleeping in gloves, Buying books with tzedakah, Time watching program on computer, Informing fellow workers of rights, Relying on a miracle, A student who davens for a long time
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Talk given by Rav Aviner in the yeshiva during lunch
Q: Does a person need order in his life or is order secondary to the truly supreme and holy ideals?
A: Both are the words of the Living G-d. The Gemara in Yoma (33a) says that Abaye created order from the traditions of Abba Shaul. However, he drew them from the words of Abba Shaul which were beyond mere order. There is chaos without order, but we do not simply want order since there are ideals which are higher: The supreme world, self-sacrifice, love of Hashem, awe of Hashem, devotion to Hashem, etc… Yes, a yeshiva student – as everyone in life - needs order: To wake up on time, arrive to davening on time, eat breakfast on time (otherwise there is a mess all over and it is impossible to clean), learn at the appropriate times (which is called "seder – order" in Hebrew), etc… And everything must be in place: All of one's books, if you take a book you should return it, your clothing should be organized, etc… The Gemara in Shabbat (114a) says that a Torah scholar who goes out with a stain on his clothing is liable for death! This is the basic principle – order and cleanliness, and then there are ideals above order.
Our Rabbi, Rav Tzvi Yehudah, was organized. Every book in his house had a particular spot, and he knew where each one was. Every object had its place. When he placed a book on the table, he placed it parallel to the table and not on an angle. When the students left after all of the classes, he would go around and organize everything, since they forgot things, moved things, etc… But above this, he had incredible insights, and sometimes he learned Torah all night without sleeping, and sometimes he did not eat. All of this was beyond mere order. We therefore learn that we must act the same way. If we don’t it is a desecration of Hashem's name. A guest sometimes visits the yeshiva, and if he sees a student eating breakfast at eleven o'clock, he will think that he is a loafer. He wakes up at six or five-thirty in the morning, davens, eats and goes to work. It is true that perhaps the student learned until two or three in the morning and slept in, but this is not Hashem's will. Hashem wants the world to run by order: He fixed the laws of nature and gave fixed mitzvot. Once in a while there is an absentminded professor who forgets his hat on the train. He then walks into an electric pole because he is deep in thought. He has a bump of his head, so he takes the cover of a pot to apply pressure to his injury and then he enters the university with a pot cover on his head instead of a hat. This, however, is not necessary. It is possible to be a great Torah scholar and be orderly and neat. There is a story in the Gemara in Eruvin (54b) that Rabbi Eliezer forgot his jacket in the market of Tzipori. He later found it and it had a scorpion in it. A miracle occurred for him. But we are not so deep in thought about Torah like Rabbi Eliezer who forgot his coat and merited a miracle.

Our Revered Teacher, Rav Kook, said that nothing needed to be changed in the tradition religious schools. There was no need to add secular studies. He did, however, suggest two areas to improve: 1. to learn "Emunah" – works on proper faith. This was not an innovation, but it is obligatory and was forgotten. 2. to teach about order and cleanliness. This also was not an innovation, but the institutions in Jerusalem were filthy beyond description at that time. There was therefore a need to emphasize it. After having the passion to serve Hashem, please preserve the order and cleanliness. Would you like to order now?
Avraham Avinu and the Internet
From the parashah sheet "Mayanei Ha-Yeshua #338 – Parashat Ki Tisa 5768
If Avraham Avinu lived in our time, he would take a five kilo hammer and he would smash every computer with internet on the face of the earth. Everyone would immediately attack him: "You are crazy! You have destroyed the most beautiful instrument which has benefited humanity."
He would then respond: "Its gain is offset by its loss. I am in favor of technological advancement, but purity of one's soul is the most important thing. I am not impressed by the techno-barbarian which you have created with this instrument."
They would then say to him: "You don't believe in both the education of man and his pure soul? It is the personal choice of each person and his free choice, and he knows how to overcome his evil inclination."
He would certainly respond: "On the contrary, this is how a person is freed from the addiction of his inclination and returns to freedom. Please, the evil inclination is performing his job with loyalty and he does not need you to help him with the aid of 30,000 licentious websites – aside from all of the nonsense and 'lashon ha-ra' (evil speech). Please, do not raise a poisonous snake in your homes."
"If we understand you correctly," they would respond to him, "This is good advice and not a halachah of the Shulchan Aruch. It therefore remains for us to decide."
He would then pull a Shulchan Aruch out of his pocket and read: "Words of desire like the Book of Emanuel…they are also [forbidden] on account of enticing the evil inclination and one who writes them and copies them, and there is no need to say – one who printers them, causes the public to sin" (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 307:16). He would the turn to the parents: "You have not heard the parable about the father who buys his son a perfume shop on an immoral street, and the father finds him acting immorally, grabs him and is angry with him. People say to the father: What did you think?"
"Nonetheless," they would say stubbornly, "because of a few isolated instances, everyone should not lose out."
"If this is what you are saying," he would say with a pained look of his face, "you have no idea what is going on. You must know that many young people have fallen because of the internet as well as children, married men, righteous people and Torah scholars. And when one's spouse finds out about it, and it will be found out soon or later, she fells humiliated and betrayed. Many times she wants a divorce and much effort is needed to calm her and explain that it is not cheating, but 'only' impure, disgusting and vile things. The young who experience these vulgar websites also feel impure. He does not know how to escape the poisonous snake which is wrapped around him and is biting him. Even if he does manage to escape, these loathsome things and filth pursue him his entire life. He is mired in the mud, and wants to free himself from it. Woe to us…"
In the end, they will ask him: "What do you suggest?" He is surprised by the question and responds: "I suggest that there will not be any internet, but if you do not listen to me or there are factors which make it necessary, then there are two solutions: 1. Chardei (Ultra-Orthodox) Rabbis – who allow internet use for work – say that it is the same as the laws of "yichud" (the prohibition to be alone with the opposite sex – excluding relatives). A person may not use the internet alone, but only with others. Each person will have part of the password to enter. 2. An internet filter on the highest level.
Avraham Avinu finally smiles: "I do not desire evil for you or to oppress you, just the opposite, I want you to live free of all filth. You should have happy and pure lives."
Text Message Responsa
Ha-Rav answers hundreds of text message questions a week. Some appear in the parashah sheets "Ma'ayanei Ha-Yeshu'ah" and "Olam Ha-Katan." Here's a sample:
Q: Is it permissible to say "amen" to a blessing which one hears over the phone?
A: Yes, and for any live broadcast.
Q: Is it permissible for a mourner to attend a "brit milah"?
A: Yes, but not the festive meal.
Q: Is it permissible to eat fish with dairy? Please provide sources.
A: It is permissible, but some are strict. Shut Yechaveh Da'at 6:48.
Q: Is there a "segulah" (catalyst) to find a husband?
A: Prayer, repentance and tzedakah.
Q: Is it permissible to whistle on Shabbat?
A: Yes, whistling is not considered an instrument.
Original Source