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It sickens me to no end when I see people play with their phone during davening. There are those that have no shame surfing the web during chazoras Hashatz. So my question is, in Hashems eyes, who is worse, one who sits in middle of davening and reads the New York Times or one who is on his cell phone during davening. In my opinion, they are both despicable actions. That being the case, why would we not frown upon the one that plays with his phone during davening, the same way we would frown upon the one that reads a newspaper during davening.
Who said it is looked at differently? It is looked at the same.
So my question is, in Hashems eyes, who is worse? The black hatter with the long black jacket who was talking away on his cell phone at the Kossel when I was trying to say my prayers to haShem at the Kossel. When I told him to move away as he was disturbing my prayers he became angered, so he was the worst.
Fortunately, on R’H & Y’K the cell phone is Ossur miDeOrraisso to utilize, so when one is being judged on R’H morning & finalized at Neiloh, fortunately cell phone don’t cause a barrier, but unfortunately at the time of the Pissko on Hoshana Rabbo when one is making life saving supplications during the Hoshanos, unfortunately cell phones are ruining many people’s last chance to implore haShem.
I think the best way to deal with this is to daven facing a wall without anything between you and the wall. Then you close your eyes or look in the siddur for as much of davening as you can and try to concentrate on the words and to Whom you are standing to the exclusion of everything else. That will usually remedy the sickness you are feeling.
I’m sickened to no end when I see others sickened to no end. I hope that no others are sickened to no end when they see me sickened to no end because I see that you are sickened to no end.
Will there be an end to those who are sickened to no end? Or is there an endless sickening to no end?
I routinely turn off my cell phone upon entering the building of the beis hamedrash. It is unfair, rude, and a public disturbance to have a phone ringing when others are davening or learning. On occasion, someone forgets to shut the ringer, and it does disturb the minyan. The only remedy is to recognize that Hashem allows distractions by tefilo, since the Satan wants to interfere with out speaking to HKB”H directly. It is there for me to intensify my focus, not to give mussar to yenem. If I was someone whose mussar might be accepted, I might have another mission.
I choose to focus on myself, not anyone else.
funnybone: See the discussion on THIS thread, pages two and four.
I keep my phone on vibrate all the time, so it doesn’t disturb people during davening (or other times). In addition, I generally don’t take it out in shul.
The exception was the time I had my Ipad on the entire time during davening about two months ago.
The Wolf
If someone is “playing with their phone”, how is it different from someone who learns from a sefer during during chazaras hashatz, kaddish, krias hatorah etc? How do you know that the person busy with his smartphone isn’t reading emails from kosher Torah sources or looking at such websites, rather than anything else?
Another question:
If it bothers you that someone is constantly “playing with their phone” during davening, why can’t you just go over to them and be mochiach (rebuke) them? I mean at the end of davening one time and in private.
Does it mean that you maybe haven’t even given the person a Shalom Aleicheim? Maybe you and interacted with them over time in a manner that they would genuinely feel that your chastisement is meant out of a genuine concern ) for their ruchnius?
If you’re unable to achieve that “ve’ahavta rayecha kamocha”, if one can’t do anything real about it, maybe one should at least learn not be “sickened”.
How is someone using cell phone disturbing you, if he is not talking on it? Why is it any of your business what he”s doing during chazoras hashatz? I can understand why you would be “sickened” by people talking during chazoras hashatz, since that is indeed constructive, but if you are “sickened” by someone else”s level of kavanah, you really aren’t paying enough attention to yourself, and spending too much time watching other people…
If someone unfolded the New York Times and started reading the business or sports section during Modim, would you feel that no one should be bothered (much like they shouldn’t be bothered by the web surfer during Modim)?
I refuse top leave my cell on vibrate during davening. Just think – if it does ring, some percent (say 5%) of my brain is busy with “Who called?”, “What did they want?”, “Do I need to call back?”, etc. That’s 5% that is not available for my concentration to daven. That’s not ok.
Let us be melamed zchus. There are many halachos that are matir dinim b’mokom hefsed merubah. There are other dinim that are mutur b’mokom tzar. Likewise mifakchin al tzorchei tzibur is allowed in many instances. There are MULTIPLE instances that we can be dan lkaf zchus, and I don’t mean r”l bmokom pikuach nefesh for a choleh…what would R’ Levi Yizchok Barditchiver say?
He once saw a man wearing talis and tefillin (middle of davening) while he was harnessing the horses to his wagon. R’ LY cried out to Hashem, look at your children, in the middle of their work harnessing the horses to the wagon, they interrupt to daven and pray your praises!
It is all perspective!
As one godol said: We have two eyes, one eye to look favorably at other yidden, and one eye to look critical at ourselves.
Unfortunately, we often mix them up!!
I use 2 special cellphones every weekday morning. One is called Rashi, the other is Rabbenu Tam ….
Seriously, it amazes me how much people have become dependant on these devices. Makes one wonder how our grandparents, great grandparents…. survived.
I refuse top leave my cell on vibrate during davening. Just think – if it does ring, some percent (say 5%) of my brain is busy with “Who called?”, “What did they want?”, “Do I need to call back?”, etc. That’s 5% that is not available for my concentration to daven. That’s not ok.
I’m an old hand at ignoring my phone – especially when I drive and especially when I daven. 🙂 But if it’s going to disturb you as you describe, then by all means, turn it off.
The Wolf
Wolf, what happened two months ago? Did you not have a siddur, so you needed to use your ipad to daven?
A wise man once told me: Mind your own siddur.
When we pour our hearts to Hashem during davening, it is not a time to be judgmental of others, lest we be judged.
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