Rabbi Ginzburg Offers Unconventional Advice on Screen Addiction
Translated & summarized from Arutz Sheva by baba
Rabbi Yitzchak Ginzburg of Yitzhar acknowledged his own struggle with screen addiction in response to a question from Rabbi Nir Manussi. Ginzburg suggested redirecting the intense focus people have on screens towards devotion to God. He advised praying for divine help to transform screen attachment into spiritual attachment.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Rabbi Yitzchak Ginzburg admitted to struggling with screen addiction himself.
- He suggested redirecting the intense focus on screens towards devotion to God.
- Ginzburg proposed praying for divine assistance to change this attachment.
- The rabbi spoke during a conversation with Rabbi Nir Manussi.
- He leads the Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva in Yitzhar.
Rabbi Yitzchak Ginzburg, president of the Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva in Yitzhar, has addressed the pervasive issue of screen addiction and endless scrolling on social media. In a response to Rabbi Nir Manussi, Ginzburg admitted that he too struggles with the problem.
Rabbi Manussi described screen addiction as one of the greatest challenges of the generation, with people spending entire nights scrolling through negative content, a phenomenon known as "doomscrolling." He asked Ginzburg for advice on overcoming this addiction, particularly in the context of education.
Ginzburg responded by acknowledging, "I also have the same problem." He explained that attachment itself is not inherently negative, drawing a parallel between being "stuck to a screen" and being devoted to Torah study or contemplating God's unity. He cited a verse that speaks to this concept.
The rabbi proposed that the solution lies not in distancing oneself from screens, but in redirecting one's devotion. "We all have this difficulty, this attachment to screens and the internet. But we can overcome it by changing the direction of our thoughts: just as I am now attached to the screen, so should I strive to be attached to God," he stated.
Ginzburg concluded by advising individuals to cultivate a desire for devotion to God, to pray for His assistance, and to ask for help in transforming their screen addiction into devotion to the Divine.