"Anyone who brings me their phone, chassid or not, will see the benefits”

“It will be good if they bring the phones to me for the duration of Chanukah, and after the Yom Tov passes, I will give each one back. The goal is for the tzibbur to see that they can also manage without them… And anyone who brings me their phone, chassid or not, will see the benefits.”

It wasn’t a typical anti-smartphone shmuess, but rather a suggested test of endurance: In a public address the night before Chanukah, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe made a deal with his chassidim, and anyone else who wanted in on the special brachah and segulah. While the Rebbe has said many times that unfiltered devices should be tossed, he requested that even filtered and approved phones should be brought to him for the duration of Chanukah. The Rebbe explained that to hasten the Geulah, everyone should take on a positive resolution to stretch a bit during Chanukah.

The Rebbe decided only to hold on to pocket devices and was not, for example, busy collecting laptops and the like. That’s because he was only interested in what goes into a Jew’s pocket: “How can a Yid say before lighting, ‘…And may my progeny merit to become talmidei chachamim… and may I merit to see sons and grandsons engaging in Torah and mitzvos…’ when he has this device in his pocket?” the Rebbe wondered.

The Rebbe’s words generated a storm among the chassidim and beyond, and during the course of the week, hundreds came to the Rebbe’s house to drop off their phones and unplug. Many chassidim with businesses posted messages that, as per the Rebbe’s instructions, until Zos Chanukah they would be depositing their device with the Rebbe and would be unavailable by phone. This was one disconnect they all understood.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 889)