Asifa for Yeshiva Chaim Berlin Parents Concerning Dangers of Contemporary Technology

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rav-aharon-schechterTonight, a gathering for parents of Yeshiva Chaim Berlin students will be held in Flatbush, Brooklyn, to raise awareness of the spiritual dangers inherent in many of the technological devices available today. One month ago, a similar asifa was held, and due to many requests, a send asifa will be held this evening to once again highlight the dangers of contemporary technology. The gathering will be held at the Yeshiva K’tana Bais Medrash of Yeshiva Chaim Berlin, at 911 East 13 Street, and will begin at 8 p.m. Maariv will take place at 9:30 p.m. The evening will be a repeat of the original asifa, including the address by the Rosh HaYeshiva, Harav Aharon Schechter.

With technological advances being made at a rapid clip, mechanchim and parents are being urged to not only keep pace, but to be a step ahead, in order to protect Yiddishe children from the harmful elements that are out there.

As reported here on Matzav.com, at the last asifa, Rav Aharon Schechter, who was visibly emotional while he spoke, gave an impassioned plea to the parents to protect the ruchniyus of their children. He implored them to prevent their children from obtaining spiritually dangerous devices that can wreak havoc on their pure neshamos. And he urged them to have the strength to say “no” to their children when necessary and not surrender to their children’s wants and demands.

Maseches Avos is called by that name, said Rav Schechter, because the job of teaching derech eretz is the job of a father, an av. And a father has to be able to say no to a child as well. Otherwise, said Rav Schechter, the children will grow up parent-less, and it will be tantamount to growing up in a dor yasom.

Without parents protecting and guarding their children from harmful influences, the children are left on their own, in a spiritually dangerous world, and are, indeed, parent-less in that sense, was the message the parents received from Rav Schechter.

The gathering was also addressed by Rav Chaim Aharon Weinberg, menahel of Yeshivat Ateret Torah, who showed a video depicting the ever-present dangers of modern technological devices, making it clear what children can get entrapped in and how vigilant parents must be during these turbulent times.

{Dovid Bernstein-Matzav.com Newscenter}


10 COMMENTS

  1. I think Rav Ahron Shechter deserves a lot of credit for limiting this asifa to the parents affiliated with his Yeshiva and the talmidim of Chaim Berlin. He is showing the wisdom and foresight to understand that his hashkafa may not apply to all and many may not be ready to accept it so easily. It is about time we stop weakening ourselves with so many ridiculous kol korehs based in Hashkafa rather than halacha.
    I applaud Rav Ahron for understanding that this is a hashkafic issue in which every family has to follow the guidance of their manhigim.

  2. “I applaud Rav Ahron for understanding that this is a hashkafic issue in which every family has to follow the guidance of their manhigim.”

    ARE YOU CRAZY? what do you think he will say that doesn’t apply to everyone??? Parents need to be extra, extra vigilant, who doesn’t that apply too? Who’s hashkafa is it to let kids run loose with every new internet connected mp3 player? This asifa is to make parents aware of the danger, who’s hashkafa is it to be blind?

    “I think Rav Ahron Shechter deserves a lot of credit for limiting this asifa to the parents affiliated with his Yeshiva and the talmidim of Chaim Berlin.”

    Where exactly did you get this from??? The past asifa wasn’t limited, and neither is this one.

  3. Reading some of the comments make me sick to my stomache.

    Not comparing the rosh yeshiva to Moshe rabainu but what is this business of “giving credit”.?

    Of course the riosh yeshiva is doing the right thing and he doesn’t need our haskmos!

    Secondly ALL the rosh yeshivos and got together three months ago and decided that each yeashiva will take care of the issue and have meetings. This is not a Chaim Berlin Issue. This is a klal yisroel issue.

    “credit” goes to all people that care.

  4. The “no” said when the young person wants to buy a device is one thing, but a harder “no” is when the child has already bought the device and is being called on to give it up. Peer pressure can be very difficult to resist. Perhaps the yeshivas can mount a campaign to make ignoring these “toys” a matter of pride – something like the campaigns against lashon hara. These gizmos can be addictive in the extreme. I have young friends who would practically go into hysterics if they lost their cell phones and couldn’t “text.”

    Don’t confuse using the internet for a constructive purpose – business, study, etc. – with the use of cell phones and texting. The internet, when used properly, has its place (although no child should be allowed to use it unsupervised). Hand-helds are another matter, and we have a responsibility to protect our children from becoming “text junkies” and roaming the net without adult guidance.

  5. No can be said many ways especialy in know your child,know what they are doing,know where they are,know their friends,etc.

  6. Please tell your readers about http://www.guardureyes.com. It’s an amazing network of help for people struggling in these areas. besides having tons of tips and information on the site, guardureyes has a forum where people give each other tons of chizuk and also they offer free phone conferences and hot-lines, accountability partners, tons of stories, lots of great internet filter options – and best of all is the daily chizuk e-mails on breaking free from internet addiction (as well as general chizuk on shmiras Ainayim). in my experience, if i don’t get FRESH chizuk every day, it’s very hard to stay erlich in today’s crazy world. This site is alive. It’s a whole thriving community of Jews looking to become purified!

  7. sad to say but lets keep in mind that this issue isnt limited to children – there are unfortunately many adults that are falling in this terrible war that the yetzer hara has waged against klal yisroel

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