The Seven Thousand Who Will Remain in the Future to Come Will Be Those Who Sign

On Monday, the 22nd of Kislev last week, Parshas Miketz, the leaders of the "Bnei HaNeurim (Youth) Association of the Holy Community of Shuvu Banim" entered the inner sanctum of our teacher, the Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days), for a Q&A session regarding technological devices and how much one must be careful of them.

The Q&A was conducted in preparation for the 'Chanukah Convention' of the Bnei HaNeurim association, which took place last Thursday night, the 26th of Kislev, the second night of Chanukah, under the banner of "And you shall choose life"—to choose to enter and sign before the Tzaddik (righteous leader) a commitment to abstain for a year from dangerous technological devices.

Before you is the full Q&A as published in the booklet "Bechartanu" (You Have Chosen Us), which was released for the convention:

There are young men who signed last year and had a difficult struggle throughout the year; they feel they don't have the strength to commit again for another year?

It is written that the second time is stronger than the first time. Although the difficulty is greater, it is much higher spiritually.

Young men say they signed and fell (into sin) in the end, so why sign again if they might fall again?

So what if they fall? This is an issur d'Oraisa (Torah prohibition)! It is more severe than desecrating the Shabbos (Sabbath). If a person desecrated Shabbos once, is he allowed to desecrate Shabbos again? One must sign again; one must strengthen himself once more.

There are young men who feel they know how to guard themselves even without signing, and they don't understand why they need to sign a commitment?

There is no such thing. Everyone must commit. This is what protects the young man. Everyone will sign, all the young men will sign. We need 1,000 young men to sign this year, that during the coming year they will not look at media players, Xiaomi phones, or any forbidden device.

A young man says, "If I don't look at videos or games and the like, I will be bored, and boredom leads, G-d forbid, to sin?"

What is boredom? How is boredom possible? A young man needs to sit and learn for 12 hours every day, from 8:00 in the morning until 8:00 in the evening. 50% of the Gemara (Talmud) is just stories. A young man needs to receive his vitality from the Gemara. New interpretations and additional explanations on the Gemara are coming out all the time; it is the most fascinating thing there is. How can a young man be bored?

Is it permissible to watch photos and videos of the Rav on forbidden devices?

G-d forbid, it is forbidden! It is an issur d'Oraisa (Torah prohibition) to look at such devices. This must be stopped. It is all nonsense and vanity. There is no need for the photos or anything else. The Rav's lessons are more interesting than all the media players, all the smartphones, and the nonsense.

There are young men who have become accustomed to using problematic media players or computers, and it is very hard for them to stop. How can they be strengthened?

One must eliminate the forbidden media players. The Sitra Achra (the "Other Side" / forces of evil) renews itself every day and wants to trap as many souls as possible. In the book Chesed L'Avraham, it is written that before the coming of Mashiach (the Messiah), only 7,000 people who fear the word of Hashem (G-d) will remain.

Are the seven thousand who will remain those who sign?

(The Rav smiles), Yes, certainly!