Monsey Internet Asifa - Might Possessed by Fright
The Monsey Internet Asifa took place last night. Missisipi Fred covers it here. While I'm still waiting to hear Avi's report on it, Rav Wachsman reportedly gave a hyperbole filled speech about the dangers of the medium you are now on, comparing it to Pharoah's army pursuing the Jews at 'lightening speed' out of Mitzrayim. (Perhaps I should note at this point that Rabbi Wachsman was fortunate enough to become the son-in-law of a very wealthy man, perhaps affecting his perspective on all things necessary for us and our children.)
I'm not a fan of hyperbole in general, except for speakers for the distaff side.
Rav Solomon then emphasized we must be 'frightened, very frightened' of the internet.
There are certain individuals, perhaps many, to whom fright is the main motivator of life. I believe this is a psychological state distinguishable and separate from yiras shomayim. For example, I recently received an e-mail from a relative who almost never e-mails me, about the danger of the stalkers now threatening our daughters. Now this is a real and serious danger. But is interesting how the phenomenon of fear (a statistically insignificant fear) can bring the scaredy cats out of the woodwork.
I would think that Lakewood has much more serious fears at this time than the internet.
We must guard ourselves on the internet and on the streets.
Nothing's changed.
File: jews internet
Monsey internet
posted by Leapa at 5/10/2006 02:48:00 PM
5 Comments:
are our gedolim possessed with neurotic fears or moved by a higher sense of compassion? what are you tuned into? what frequency are you picking up? do you really believe the gedolim are into witch hunts? i really think you have the wrong religion. for those who have read arthur miller i will go no further. and for those who have not, consider yourself lucky.
Deerson: He wasn't speaking about gedolim's psychology as much as the psychological means by which they are attempting to motivate us.
This morning President Ahmaggetinouttahere said: "Israel is a state based on evil. One day it will vanish."
Distinguished historian Bernard Lewis (90 years old) said that this is the first time since WWII that the world situation reminds him of 1938.
And we're scared about internet ???
How do you know what goes on in Lakewood?
Unofortunately, news reports tell us what goes on in Lakewood.
How many bochrim have Treo's etc??
Though not a bochur, I have a Treo.
Only a person with a serious mental condition will attempt to browse the 'net with a Treo.
It is a distinctly unpleasurable experience.
I think that everybody should take a step back and look at what the Internet IS and what it can DO and then discuss all this. First I think we should always keep in mind that the Gedolei Yisroel, accepted talmidei chachomim of great stature, look at olem hazeh concepts with a different color glasses than the rest of us, and I include in the "rest of us" baalei batim of Torah stature. When a godol looks at the Internet, he sees a fire burning and immediately screams a warning to get outta here. And they are right, the Internet can be a terrible place to wander around. But then so is all of olem hazeh, with all its wonderfully persuasive lures. The Internet can and is, a resource unequalled in past history for ecomomic gain and knowledge. Go tell a businessman who finds resources online that save him thousands of dollars not to use this. Answer... any godol or rov will say, well OK, that's different, yeah you can go online. Or the kollel yungerman in Israel who learns all day and does online day trading at 4:30 PM for 2-3 hours and earns a comfortable living. All that said, I think that instead of constantly making sarcastic postings concerning the asifos against Internet, we should accept them as being protective of our society. If we don't set up parameters around our society, then the outside will constantly make srious incursions into Klal Yisroel and our collective Kedusha. The bona fide Internet users can continue to access and avail themselves of the "good" resources on the Internet because our Gedolim have set up the necessary parameters.
Prof: "All that said, I think that instead of constantly making sarcastic postings concerning the asifos against Internet, we should accept them as being protective of our society. If we don't set up parameters around our society, then the outside will constantly make srious incursions into Klal Yisroel and our collective Kedusha. The bona fide Internet users can continue to access and avail themselves of the "good" resources on the Internet because our Gedolim have set up the necessary parameters."
Prof, that's fine if the gedolim set up functional parameters - not if the wannabe gedolim scream about how it's chazer trayfe, no 'ifs, and or buts'. Those types of statements (and posters) and hyperbole cripple our children's efforts to advance, and make them either disrespect or ignore gedolim Now, what do we see/hear coming out of the asifas?
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