A couple gets engaged. MAZEL TOV!
The chosson tells the kallah that he has a very, very close friend whom he wants to invite to the wedding. The kallah is like "sure".
"We do EVERYTHING together," explained the boy. "I daven with this friend, learn with this friend, exercise with this friend, shop with this friend, eat with this friend, go to the bathroom with this friend and the list goes on".
The kallah is getting a little spooked out but she knows her chosson to be a rational, normal fellow so she tries to relax herself.
Then he drops the bomb: "I hope you don't mind if my friend joins us in the yichud room.... and then comes home with us and spends the night in our bedroom". 馃槻馃槻馃槼馃槼
The kallah is about to faint. Before she does, she asks him - "Who is this 'friend' of yours??
The boy says nothing and silently takes his phone out of his pocket and then says "THIS - is my friend".
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What business does a phone have doing in shul?? One comes to commune with the Master of the Universe and is essentially saying "I can't be totally present with you, Hashem. That would be boring. I need my phone with me. Someone might call or text!!!" Where I daven almost everybody has a kosher phone which almost everybody brings to shul. About every shmoneh esrei at least one of them starts ringing [or more often - playing Jewish music]. During davening [like during chazaras ha-shatz] some people are playing with their phones. As people are leaving shul, you see lots of people checking their phones. To paraphrase Dr. Seuss: "Phones, here, phones there, phones phones EVERYWHERE! I don't do not like phones everywhere, I do not like them, Sam-I-Am."
Why do people bring their phones to their chavrusas?? There is literally NOTHING more important on earth [or above earth] than Talmud Torah. Bringing the phone signals that the learning is not as important as any inane message or whatsapp group. WOW! 讜讻讚讬 讘讝讬讜谉 讜拽爪祝!
I was on the bus and and sat opposite a "friend" [or maybe two friends - the guy and his phone] of mine. He was busy the whole ride with his phone and finally got up and descended from the bus without so much as giving me a nod - not to mention a hello. What right does the phone have to be a means to lack basic derech eretz as it does countless times in countless scenarios??
The basic question is - Are people asking themselves the million dollar question: Is this phone at this time making me a BETTER Eved Hashem or not? If it is - GREAT!!! If it is not then it shouldn't be there.
I have so much more to say about this topic but I just got a phone call, so I have to go.... 馃槉馃槉馃槉.
