In a gathering on Wednesday, 4 Tammuz, two rabbis addressed a crowd of close to 100 residents of Crown Heights on strengthening themselves in matters of holyness.
Anash from a variety of age groups came upon special notice to hear some inspiration and direction on this vital subject.
Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Ofen, senior Mashpia in Yeshivas Toras Emes and of the Lubavitch Kehilla in Ramot – Yerushalayim and teacher in a girl’s seminary in Tzfas, began his talk by speaking of the importance of kedusha and its effect on the entire home.
He spoke of how Lubavitch was always known for its stringencies in mitzvos, and the same should apply to Tznius. He spoke of how the internet is one of the primary causes of the youth veering off the path of Yiddishkeit, and must be controlled.
“We must protect ourselves and our families from the internet by using the right filters, and emphasized that someone that does not need the internet should better not have it at all, but those that need it (for business etc.) should make sure to protect themselves and their families.”
Similarly, books and magazines with inappropriate content must not be brought into the home.
He then proceeded to talk of the Tznius Challenge that our community is facing.
“It is my opinion that most, if not all, of those who are lacking in this area, are lacking in the knowledge of the halachos and the extreme importance of the matter,” and told a personal story to this effect that occurred while teaching in seminary. He encouraged the men to learn the issues well and share them with their families.
Finally, he emphasized the need for this campaign to begin from the ‘people’, and others who see will want to join. Rabbi Ofen concluded that we must remember that ‘all beginnings are difficult’ and any change must happen slowly.
Rabbi Shmuel Bluming, a Moreh Hora’ah in the community and Maggid Shiur in Oholei Torah, strengthened that which Rebbi Ofen said, adding additional insight. He noted that the internet can be harmful even for those looking at “kosher” things, making a person anxious and uneasy.
After the program, many remained to ask questions to the Rabbis and discussed ideas among themselves.
Other suggestions were brought up by those attending, such as: making sure to walk in the street with hats and jackets (as was always the custom of chassidim) and the printing of a booklet with the many sichos and letters of the Rebbe on the subject of Tznius.
The crowd accepted the three suggestions of Rabbi Ofen – to protect themselves from the internet, refrain from inappropriate reading material and to influence those close to them in matters of Tznius, and everyone left inspired, looking forward to further such evenings.
Read the full speeches – HERE
I remember Rabbi Offen in Yeshivah he is man who davned for 3 or 4 hours Shachris how would a man like this know what is internet?
if you want to do the wrong thing, a ban won’t help
we all shouldn’t be on here reading “good things” anyway
In regard to your question about the country, the Rebbe once mentioned how a “chossid” sent him a picture of him posing, wearing shorts in the country. I think the story goes that the Rebbe was wondering how this “chossid” is not embarrassed to send such a picture… youre wondering if wear the hat and jack in the country, well, I personally dont. BUT THATS EXACTLY THE PROBLEM! PEOPLE THINK CROWN HEIGHTS IS HEFKEIRUS AND YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT!!! IT’S SIMPLY A MATTER OF “Perikat Ol”. It was always the minhag of Lubavitchers to wear a hat and… Read more »
This was a great talk, and even greater, that you are mentioning it here so that people will have the opportunity to see the reaction of the community. Yes, we need Rabbonim that speak out like these! Yes, we need to talk and make people aware of the pitfalls. Yes, we need to educate ourselves about the dangers out there! Would you place a sharp knife in the crib of your beloved 6 month old? what if I would tell you that the Arabs do that; they are educating their kids young…. So why allow our school aged children to… Read more »
B”H people are letting their voices be heard, the Rabbonim, that is! For all the foolishness, it’s ok, for if it wouldn’t bother them they wouldn’t respond! They have just been washed down and can’t take the heat. You are talking directly to them and to their weak point!!! Yes, thay are waiting to hear someone say that the internet and magazine are detrimental to our Yiras Shomayim because they too believe so and they are waiting for guidance in every way. So please, don’t hesitate to say something when you see something! It might be your good friend, neighbor… Read more »
Don’t worry about rabbi Bluming being “out of touch.” He knows whats out there in the world. He just chooses to remain above it.
…I guess it has worked so well in the past, they figured why not revive it now?
It’s a pretty easy way out of educating your kids, just make sure they are not exposed to anything besides what you tell them and they will do exactly what you want them to do. And then as soon as they open the front door, they”ll lose it all. A child’s education should have a stronger foundation than that. If it has the right foundation then it should be able to withstand exposure to other ideas.
Where do you see that it is a minhag to wear a hat and jacket? Where is the mokor to wear a hat and jacket when going out? In the country, do you wear a hat and jacket in the bungolow colony? camp? back yard? going across the street to get milk? Why not? I am seriously asking to know.
For information on good free internet filters and the dangers of internet for the Frum Community visit this site: http://www.guardyoureyes.org
i think that parents need to make their children not want to look at magazines, internet,……….etc………..because whether the magazine (or whatever) is in the home or out of their home and if the child wants to look at it then the child will find a way to look at it and do it behind their parents back.
( i dont know how one would make a child not want to do it or if its even possible.)
Unfortunately even if you don’t allow such things in your house, your kids are exposed to them in other people’s houses which often undoes what you are trying to achieve. Especially when they are friends of yours that you and your children have grown to respect generally. We all need to work together.
I read the article with such excitement that there are still people out there working tirelessly to help the situation and then with dismay I read the comments. I think the problems comes from the attitude of the commentators. #,s 1,13,and 27 think this is a laughing matter #’s 2,6,11,16, and23 have given up hope #,s 3,4,5,12,15,18,20,21, and 28 think they know better Come on, someone is trying to do something positive join the bandwagon and make a difference! Everything in the article has a point! Internet is a direct threat! Parents are the sole responsible party in a child… Read more »
Someone wrote: “Chilul Shabbos and Magazines? We need to teach our kids the difference between halacha and Hashkafah!”
If you think that a non-tznius picture or article or line in a magazine is not against halacha, then YOUR parents need to teach their kid the dif. between halacha and hashkafah.
Almost every negative comment here has something very foolish about it, it would take too long to respond to each one.
Here’s one example: “How can you say the problem is the Internet? It starts much earlier, at age 9 or 10!”
?????????????????
I was very surprised when I overheard a group of young and older people talking about sports games that they watch and follow religiously. Unfortunately today, the sports games all have cheerleaders” dressed” in untzneius clothing that barely covers them and the screens that flash the sight of these women are enlarged just so you don’t miss it. Its not a place to see chassidim and to bring your children if this is what we are teaching them ITS SENDING A MIXED MESSAGE. As does the shliach that has pictures on his facebook of his or her Friends dressed or… Read more »
Please, please take a look at the way some of the “Morahs” dress in some of the Chabad-run pre-schools and summer camps for the smaller children (I am not referring to the Counsellors in the older bunks).
they once askd the stypler goan if your allowed to play basket ball on shabbos, so he askd “what is basketball?” so they told him you bounce a ball and put it in a basket. so he said “mistame you should put the ball in the basket before shabbos.
Seriously, not keeping shabbos and reading magazines?
Um where is the similarity or connection there????
Maybe that is our problem, we don’t teach our children the difference between HALACHA and HASHKAFA…
a picture can wipe out a 1000 mymorim. it takes a lot of effort to become yiras shamayim. you have to have to motivation to make that effort. most dont have the motivation it has to come from the heart – where Hashem resides (as per the Rebbes words) if one truly wants to work on oneself wants to become yiras shamayim magazines and internet is not even a question. banning shmanning, work on ones motivation, why are we not able to get our hearts yearning for Hashem? what is in the way? why are we short-changing ourselves, we have… Read more »
Rabbi Offen taught me in seminary he’s the BEST teacher!
we all called him a Beinoni but hes also so down-to-earth and practical
never a truer word has been spoken.I am surprised that the lesson of negativity simply doesnt work .When kiruv work is done we dont say to people dont do this dont do that,so why is it acceptable to have that approach with our own?
you just cant stand rules
He spoke of how the internet is one of the primary causes of the youth veering off the path of Yiddishkeit, and must be controlled. This is where you lose me. I don’t know you Rabbi Ofen, I’m assuming you are a Torah true Jew and Chossid but with all due respect, a teenager or adult for that matter that wants to become non-frum really does not get his idea to do so from the internet!! It starts much earlier, at ages 9/10 ! As for banning magazines, besides the fact that its pointless as people will choose to do… Read more »
So everyone running the schools thinks the problem is at home. When is someone going to have parents talk about how the problem is the schools and how they’re completely out of touch with the students. Oh wait – we already know this
#134. Hat & jacket minhag Chabad? Have you ever been outside Crown Heights. It is minhag ha’olam of those with yiras shomayim.
Remving them makes you feel freer. Great for the feeling begashmiyus. But a prikas oyl beruchniyus. Literally throwing off…
In the spirit of thingds not dissimilar to inappropriate dress for tzniyus.
BTW, does anyone realize that the Rebbe would never go out on Shabbos withut an overcoat? Rabbi Dovid Mandelbaum continues the tradition (as do a number of others.) Not recommended for the average chosid.
I bet all the people who attended the event don’t break these rules to begin with. The biggest problem now days is that the new generation doesn’t care what’s right and wrong, our education system is lacking and there is no Yiras Shomayim, I am 25 and grew up in crown heights, in 8th grade there were already so many guys that were not keeping shabes, not putting on teffilin if they were not in school, it wasn’t that we did not know its wrong, the hattitude was and is who cares, no one cares anymore what’s right and wrong.… Read more »
Well Said!! We have to be strong in our Yiras Shomayim & our children will realize we are different,special i.e. we are the Rebbes Kinder ! Lets act,speak & dress like it!
exactly what I was thinking…..could not have said it better myself….
The Problem is, they are not in the “Chassidisher” homes…they are in the homes that are not, for one simple reason, so many parents think they are doing their kids a service exposing them to everything, and letting them make their own choices…because their parents took that right away from them. However, the risk always turns out to be greater than the reward…parents YOU need to be your child’s moral and kosher compass…
“Hat and Jacket
What is the reason to wear a hat and jacket when going outside?”
We as soldiers of the Rebbe have a uniform and code of dress. And that is to wear a hat and jacket.
Its not Aveirah if you don’t its just the chabad minhag. Do you consider yourself Chabad? than follow the minhagim of Chabad. Thats it.
about this that they gave this such a headline?
i thought they were banning the mishpacha, or perhaps the bais moshiach!
Maybe we’ll start to see a little more leadership and direction from our other rabbonim…
exactly what I was thinking…..could not have said it better myself….
this is amazing! just talking about these things is already half of the cure. even if it effects only one more person to act more modest its all worth the effort. whoever it is that is working on this keep it up! and much success! i will bl”n work on myself in this area.
Do something before it is too late. Don’t lose your children to the world of impurity on the web.
…for speaking out about what this community is sorely lacking in…may we all improve in our weak area…
What is the reason to wear a hat and jacket when going outside?
they finally woke up!!! Too little and maybe too late…
kosher internet is not the answer. if someone wants to sin they will find the way, one needs to set limits for oneself that there are websites that a jew does not go on. with the right attitude and the right chinuch there can be success. Yes it is important to have some kind of web protection, however that is not even half the cure. the more important ways of protecting oneself or children from the negative sites on the web is A. Make sure one is productive, when one is busy there is less chance one will go on… Read more »
it wont work
please start with the schools first
Why is everything that we don’t like-we ban, why don’t we have a more proactive approach, why wasn’t one of the point to DO something about it, like make another magazine.
For those who consider certain magazines ‘inappropriate’ they would have never brought them into the house in the first place, and those who don’t consider them inappropriate won’t throw them out either.
how do they know what a magazine or interent is?