Come on. We need to discuss this with some maturity. Certainly there are nisyonos with the internet. That is undeniable. And there are ways to cope with them. If we spent our time banning everything just because there are challenges, we would need to put a moratorium on life. Existing without nisyonos is the mission of mankind, and that is the intent of HKB”H in His creation. And He placed us here to survive in that environment. And this environment has undergone massive changes over time, which is attested to throughout Torah. Today’s challenge in the use of technology and its role in overtaking so much of today’s life.
So, yes, HKB”H invented the internet, not different from the inventions that succeeded throughout the thousands of years since Bri’as Haolam. HKB”H doesn;t make bad things. He makes things which present us with the task of overcoming resistance to follow His will, perform mitzvos, and become closer.
All these discussions about the external challenges and nisyonos seem to omit the most important element. When we are small, the smaller challenges overwhelm us, and our risk of falling prey is greater. When we function at a higher madraigoh, these nisyonos pose much less risk. Now, let’s address the least popular thought. How do we score in the eyes of Hashem as successful Ovdei Hashem? Don’t bore me with descriptions of anything external, Clothing do not matter, nor do chumros. Even the intense experiences of a great drosho, mussar schmooze, or a terrific tefiloh. Nor do the huge amounts of tzedokoh, or the roles as guest of honor at fundraising dinners for the most worthy causes. All mitzvos count, but the true tzidkus is about our closeness to Hashem, and how much emphasis we place, in our heart of hearts, on our mission to connect to Him and emulate His midos. This element is blind to the score we would get on a bechinah in Gemora. It is blind to the dollar figures given to tzedokoh. It is blind to the extent of chumros we follow with regards to kashrus, tznius, shiurim, cholov Yisroel, etc. It doesn’t rate us on our exterior appearance (that’s correct, the white shirt doesn’t really matter). None of these say anything true about our closeness to Hashem. Neither does the crying during davening Roah Hashanah and Yom Kippur. What does more to define our reality is what we take away from our Elul, our Yomim Noraim, our performance of mitzvos all year round. What sort of dwelling do we provide for HKB”H Who wants his Shechinah to reside in our hearts?
When we accomplish our building of the interior, we would simply take note of the nisyonos, develop our strategies to cope, and move on with our lives of Avdus Hashem. It is sad that we are obsessed with the judgment of objects and technology while diverting our energy from a far greater purpose, our mission in our existence. I would hope that Elul would awaken us to focus inwardly. But threads like this (yes, a few others that are active now) are busy with the trivia. I know that internet and smartphones are issues. Most certainly. But if we allow ourselves to remain encased in the concrete of obliviousness to the reality of our creation, all that will change is the labels for these nisyonos. I seek to accomplish more this Elul than discuss whether we should ban technology.