Interesting Psak: iPhone users kosher

It has been a while since I've seen rabbis dealing with how bad people are for using an iPhone... but the issue is back..

It seems the Chief Rabbi, Rav Yitzchak Yosef, argues on many rabbis who have been quoted in the past..

Some rabbis have paskened that iPhone users cannot be witnesses, cannot lead services in shul, cannot blow shofar or even hear shofar, among other things... Rav Yitzchak Yosef explicitly argues and issued a psak saying one cannot prohibit the use of the iPhone and those who use "non-kosher cellphones" are kosher to act as witnesses.

Rav Yosef bases his psak on the rule of "people don't understand it as a prohibition".

I know in shulchan aruch this rule is used to explain why people who shave with a razor cannot be disqualified as witnesses - because people don't realize or understand why it is prohibited... Rav Yosef says the same regarding a lawyer - people understand that one cannot sue in civil court, but they don't understand the problem of a lawyer representing a client in civil court, even though it is prohibited. That is why, Rav Yosef said, a lawyer is not disqualified from being a witness.

The same is true regarding the use of cellphones. People don't accept such a prohibition. They don't see it as prohibited. They don't understand such a concept.

Regarding those who do disqualify iPhone users from being witnesses, Rav Yosef asked if they would even use this argument to release someone from the status of being a mamzer...
source: Kikar

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