On Monday, 22 Kislev, Parashat Mikeitz, the leaders of the “Bnei HaNeurim” youth group of Shuvu Banim met with Moreinu HaRav Eliezer Berland shlit”a at his holy home for a question and answer session on the subject of technological devices and the need to distance oneself from them.

The Q&A took place in preparation for the Chanukah gathering of the youth group that took place on Thursday, the night of 26 Kislev, the second night of Chanukah, with the theme “You chose life,” to choose to come and sign with the Tzaddik to abstain this year from harmful technological devices.

Here is the complete Q&A as was publicized in the “Bechartanu” pamphlet that came out in preparation for the gathering:

There are bachurim (young men) who signed last year, and they had a difficult challenge over the course of the year.  They feel that they lack the strength to obligate themselves again for another year? It is written that the second time is stronger than the first time.  True, the difficulty is greater, but it’s much loftier. Bachurim say that they signed and fell in the end, so why sign another time if they’ll likely fall again? So what if they fall?  This is a Torah prohibition!  This is more severe than desecrating Shabbat.  If a person desecrates Shabbat one time, is it permissible for him to desecrate Shabbat another time?  You need to sign again.  You need to strengthen yourself another time! There are bachurim who feel that they know how to guard themselves even without signing and don’t understand why they need to sign on an obligation? There’s no such thing.  Everyone must obligate himself.  This is what protects the bachur.  Everyone should sign, all the bachurim should sign.  We need 1,000 bachurim to sign this year, that over the course of the coming year, they won’t look at music players, Xiaomi’s, or at any non-kosher device. A bachur says: If I don’t look at videos, games, or the like, I’ll be bored, and bored brings one to sin, God forbid? What is boredom?  How is boredom relevant?  A bachur needs to sit and learn all twelve hours, from 8:00 in the morning until 8:00 in the evening.  50% of the Gemara is only stories.  A bachur needs to receive his vitality from the Gemara.  New commentaries and additional explanations on the Gemara are coming out all the time.  This is as fascinating as it gets!  How could a bachur become bored?! Is it permissible to see pictures and videos of the Rav on non-kosher devices? God forbid, it’s forbidden.  It’s a Torah prohibition to look at such devices.  This must stop.  It’s all nonsense and foolishness.  You don’t need the pictures or anything.  The shiurim of the Rav are more interesting than all the music players, smartphones, and nonsense. There are bachurim who are used to using music players at times or computers, and it’s very difficult for them to stop.  How can they be strengthened? The non-kosher music players need to be done away with.  The Sitra Achra (the side of evil) is renewed every day and wants to entrap as many souls as possible.  In “Chesed L’Avraham,” it is written that before the coming of the Messiah, only 7,000 people will remain who tremble at God’s word. Are the 7,000 who will remain those who sign? (The Rav smiles) Yes, certainly!