--- description: Should iPads and other devices be allowed at the table for Passover? title: For Passover, iPads Are on the Table image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # For Passover, iPads Are on the Table by [Jared Newman](/author/jared-newman/) ## Jared Newman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 14, 2014 2:00 PM CUT by [Jared Newman](/author/jared-newman/) ## Jared Newman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 14, 2014 2:00 PM CUT As tonight’s Passover Seder approaches, I was amused to see the New York _Times_ [pondering whether iPads and other devices should be allowed](http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/04/14/us/a-question-for-seder-what-role-for-screens.html?referrer=&utm%5Fcontent=buffer31ffa&utm%5Fmedium=social&utm%5Fsource=twitter.com&utm%5Fcampaign=buffer "undefined") at the table for the annual Jewish holiday: --- > “” --- I’m currently in Maryland to celebrate the holiday with my family, and we were just having this debate over the weekend. It’s a topic that seems to be gaining momentum, with [articles in the Jewish press](http://washingtonjewishweek.com/11323/should-we-use-a-haggadah-app-at-the-seder/ "undefined") preceding the _Times_‘ story. There’s no right or wrong answer, at least for Reform Jews, and even conservative rabbis in the _Times_‘ story seem divided. (I’m assuming this debate isn’t happening in Orthodox circles, where electronics are forbidden during holidays.) In my family’s case, we agreed the risk isn’t so much with being smitten by God, but with being distracted by all the other things a tablet can offer. It may be tempting, for instance, to peek at a Facebook notification or glance at your inbox when the iPad is already in your hands. And kids may have less willpower than adults in that regard. But maybe that’s just a technological problem; Android’s [restricted profiles](http://www.cnet.com/how-to/android-4-3s-restricted-profiles-easy-to-use-but-heres-the-catch/ "undefined") and the [Kindle Fire’s FreeTime](http://blog.laptopmag.com/how-to-set-parental-controls-on-the-kindle-fire-hd "undefined") feature could let users whitelist only the apps that are appropriate for the holiday. In any case, we’re leaving the tablets off the table this year, though my mother says she’ll revisit the topic when her grandkids are a few years older. Something tells me we’ll still be having this debate then. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/61486/for-passover-ipads-are-on-the-table/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/61486/for-passover-ipads-are-on-the-table/"},"headline":"For Passover, iPads Are on the Table","datePublished":"2014-04-14T14:00:47.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:01:57.694Z","description":"Should iPads and other devices be allowed at the table for Passover?","url":"https://time.com/61486/for-passover-ipads-are-on-the-table/","keywords":["Tech","Tablets","apps","Religion","faith"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jared Newman","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/jared-newman/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/61486/for-passover-ipads-are-on-the-table/","name":"For Passover, iPads Are on the Table"}}]}] ```