Opinion & Comment
Chareidi Pluralism

The most common complaint that we hear about Yated is that we criticize other Jews. Why, so many say, do we always have to criticize others, especially those who basically are on our side? We are told that we should accentuate the positive and gloss over the negatives.

The most ridiculous follow-up to this complaint is the charge that we criticize to build up our circulation. The simple and obvious truth is that such criticism hurts our circulation very much. Those critics are not the only ones who do not wish to read such material. We have plenty of former readers who did not want to continue to read criticism of fellow Jews. It is obvious to everyone who works for Yated and not just to each of our readers: critical writing loses readers and does not gain any.

A close runner-up to that charge is the supposition that we prefer to write negatively. If anyone thinks it is easier to potch a child than to give him a candy, it can only be because he has never done both. It is much easier to write about sweetness and light than the opposite.

A newspaper is not as powerful an instrument as many believe, but one of the main things that a newspaper that has as its goal the spread of daas Torah can give to its readers is an accurate perspective on the critical issues of the day that require drawing distinctions. This is certainly the opinion and approach of gedolei Yisroel who set the policy of Yated Ne'eman.

The world of our readers is awash in a fabulous flood of unprecedented wealth. But taharoh and kedushoh are under unprecedented attack.

The world is not a pleasant place. There is no physical security; a terrorist threat looms everywhere. Despite the great wealth, making a living is very demanding -- of the soul in the form of mental and emotional efforts as well as in the physical time that often must be devoted to parnossoh. The great wealth does not bring with it the serenity of the body or of soul that are most obviously conducive to spiritual achievement.

The attractions of the flesh are presented more strongly and more aggressively and more prestigiously than ever. A person must guard himself and must guard his family from the yetzer hora at all times and in all places.

While material success is abundant, spiritual achievement is extremely hard. The shibud malchuyos is as strong as ever, even though there is freedom of religion and no official persecution of Jews anywhere in the world.

Readers of a chareidi newspaper are weary and looking for some relief from the struggle. They want to read uplifting material that tempts them to spiritual growth and refreshes their determination to withstand the other blandishments. This is a proper desire and we try to supply more than our fair share of such material. But the rabbonim set very strict standards for what we may publish.

In their desire to provide the product that is desired by their target consumer base, many publications aimed at the chareidi community broaden their coverage in a kind of chareidi pluralism to include benign, but gossipy, details of the family simchas of prominent people in the chareidi community.

Others go even further and give exaggerated coverage to many matters that are at best of minimal importance. An example is the writing about chareidi singers and musicians. Every new musical release is treated as an event and the content is analyzed at great length. Any innovations are discussed as if they were of the importance to the reader that we would ascribe to a speech of a true godol beTorah. Impressionable people reading such publications can easily come away with the feeling that the latest chareidi music is a topic of significance so that if one wants to be well- informed about the chareidi world he must know what is happening in its music.

Even when the music in question is benign, if it gets such treatment it distorts the status it deserves in the feelings and thought of an eved Hashem.

Publications that are run by businessmen and baalebatim for profit will put in this type of material because that is what people want to read.

Yated Ne'eman is run by rabbonim who have other goals. Those who share the goals of the rabbonim, or who want to share their goals, should be sure to read Yated.

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