In his column, Rabbi Yitzchak Blumenthal comes after the daily HaMevaser, blasting the chareidi newspaper for beginning to send electronic versions of the newspaper via email. According to Blumenthal, this is unacceptable and he feels that the move simply ousted HaMevaser from the union, those newspapers who call themselves chareidi – or as he put it, HaMevaser has removed its yarmulke.
He uses the analogy of a vendor selling popcorn at a movie theater. The vendor learns that the venture is not profitable and decides to enhance the rabbinate hechsher with a badatz, confident this will bring in the business since everyone knows the entire tzibur relies on badatz.
Well, the vendor made the move but business did not improve, to his dismay. Blumenthal explains his moshel, simply stating that the best hechsher will not improve business since the badatz tzibur will not visit the movie theater, and the same holds true regarding a chareidi newspaper being delivered electronically.
YWN-ISRAEL ponders the moshel, which is found in the rabbi’s column on the internet!
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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11 Responses
Blumenthal’s comments and analysis lack much common sense but why should we expect differently. If there are some HaMavaser readers for whom electronic delivery is their only means of getting the newspaper (e.g. they are out of the country on travel or don’t live close to a newstand and regular delivery routes), why wouldn’t Blumenthal want to encourage readership of a newspaper that provides appropriate content rather than having these readers have to rely on secluar newspaper or TV news which include considerable inappropriate content. This “psak”, if you can even call it, that seems more appropriate for the chief rav of Chelmn.
ha ha
the hamevaser is the only REAL toradiga paper in Eretz Yisroel.
The writer is another safardi with low self esteem, he writes on an anti charadi website and bashes anything that doesn’t seem exactly as he wants it
Hypocriyte is the word I would use for him
BTW if blumental is a rabbi, I am a lamed vov nik
The last line of his article gives him away: Since ‘Hamevaser’ advertised for a course for men – it crossed the line…
It’s a joke! He’s kidding.
To no. 6…no, he is deadly serious….I suspect the logic may be that if you are going to download the electronic version of the newspaper, you might c’v use that opportunity while you are online to post priztzus on your facebook page, book a flight to Uman with some lady you met at a coffe bar on Dizengorff and order a pizza made without cholov yisroel.
for all those who can’t see through the article. It was supposed to be a joke. It is being cynical, lets take the joke and move on, instead of getting all hyped up. And for the commenter claiming that Rabbi Blumenthal is a Sfardi Jew. I am sorry but you are wrong. Because Rabbi Blumenthal is a Ashknazi Jew. Not that it makes much difference for any mature grown up.
Gadolhadorah you’re too smart for the situation they want to put you away 😉
ooh my gosh? they are coming into the 20th century, therefore they are posul? faulty thinking like this thrives on stupid minds.
the fact that any newspaper uses the internet or email does not make or break what they report. The bottom line: is it emes what they write or not?
Many of the newyork Chardei Newspapers have electronic daily papers and they can be accessed/read when away from your home address. Baruch Hashem..