QUESTION
The Rav has said that there’s a certain ruach hatumah (spirit of impurity) that is very strong in America, which causes people to have a very lenient attitude about media and internet use, to the point that even Rabbonim are quick to give a heter for internet use, both for others and even permitting media use for themselves, when they deem it necessary.
I am seeing more and more how even bnei Torah had to bring Internet into their homes so that their wives could work when they were stuck at home because of the corona lockdown. It pained me so much that people weren’t being moser nefesh not to have Internet. I feel like I can’t live here anymore, because I see how tumah can so easily make its way into everyone’s homes and no one is fighting this enough, and they just say sheepishly, “What can we do? Everyone needs to ask their Rav about what they need to do. And we can’t live without parnassah.” I feel that I can no longer live in America with such a permissive attitude towards media use. I am considering moving to Eretz Yisrael and certainly it will become a family discussion.
But, in the meantime, how can I remain happy and full of simchas hachaim as I live in America, when there’s so much tumah around me and I feel like everyone, even bnei Torah, who never would have dreamed until now of bringing Internet into their homes, are succumbing to the nisayon with the Internet, when it feels so spiritually dead over here?
ANSWER 1) You should cycle back and forth between two different states: (1) Feel deeply an emotional disconnection in your soul from everything in your surroundings. (2) Reach a state where you have the inner emunah (faith in Hashem) that this is the will of Hashem, Who dwells amongst the Jewish people even when they are in a state of the worst tumah. Keep repeating the cycle between these two different states [emotional disconnection from surroundings, versus believing in Hashem that this is His will].
2) Have times where you access this state of emunah, cycling back and forth between being the state of having emunah in Hashem that this is His will, and with the emotional disconnection from your surroundings. You need to keep cycling back and forth between these two states so that you will still be using your power of bechirah (choosing between right and wrong).
