Dear Editor,
I hope that I am not being too radical by expressing my feelings about this issue. Actually, I wondering whether you will even post this letter at all, but I really do wonder what people feel about this issue.
It seems that in today’s fast paced world, everything has become everyone’s business.
What am I referring to?
Personally, I believe that the laws and customs of Tzniyus were not just meant for mode of dress. A person is supposed to live his life in a modest way.
Why has it become the norm these days to have a camera stuck in the face of ANYONE doing ANYTHING ANYWHERE? Why can’t people at least have the opportunity to do things in a quiet and modest way? Why does every person involved in any tzedakah event or chesed have to have his picture plastered online and in the heimishe papers? Aside from the wealthy person or Rosh Yeshiva who may be the target of the photo, there is always “collateral damage”, all those around the subject who have ZERO interest in anyone knowing of their activities !Shouldn’t “askanim” be able to do anything without a digital picture of them posted all over within minutes?
Somehow, it just seems to me that there is a lack of tzniyus in this. We are not meant to be an “in your face” type of people. Yes, we are discussing a different sort of modesty. We all know that Chas V’shalom you will never see a picture of a woman in any publication (Yes, not even Hillary!). But it seems to me that this has just gone way overboard. Pictures of this one giving Tzedakah, that one driving his car the other one learning, and yet another boarding a plane to anywhere! One askan I know was trying to get away for a couple of days on vacation, but 48 hrs. later a picture of him walking in Geulah was posted of him in a Lakewood publication! Needless to say, the phone in his hotel room began to ring shortly thereafter!
Maybe I am being overly sensitive. Maybe I am just being nostalgic for the few minutes of breathing we used to get. Without a cell phone. Without a Blackberry. Without email. Without always having to have your tie perfectly straight lest you show up in a picture the next day looking sloppy! Nostalgic for a davening or seder without a technology disruption. Or maybe for a quiet walk with someone to talk and think without a camera following you.
I’d really like to hear the feedback.
Thank you and remember to ALWAYS be smiling! You never know!…..
[Click HERE to view the YWN photo albums]
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42 Responses
Very, very nicely written. Just to point out: To be succint and clear your subject issue would be better described as an issue of mentchlichkeit rather than tznius. Although it is true that highlighting people’s good deeds diminishes the tznius so to speak of the person doing the good act, still overall your subject would be best decribed as an issue of basic decency or mentchlichkeit. I agree with you whole heartedly. Yashor Koach!!!!!
(1) There is an assumption that one wants his things to be used for mitzvos — this assumption even permits someone borrowing another’s te’fillin without the owner’s permission. There are exceptions and conditions, but that is the general governing principal.
(2) There is a mitzvah to publicize those that do mitzvohs.
Well put. Thanks for bringing this point to the publics attention.
Way worse than that is every car accident/fire/other tragedy that has to make it’s way onto YWN. It’s voyeuristic and embarrasing to everyone involved, and none of anyone else’s business.
love the fact that right underneath it, it says “[Click HERE to view the YWN photo albums]”
Rivky 25 is 100% correct and I am confident that Yeshiva World will follow through on her recommendation.
#5 nishtdufarvus… that as done on purpose, funny! i think this is really making a big deal out of something that isn’t SO terrible. yes, it’s a annoying, but be glad the pictures are showing nice, ehriche, frum people who we can learn from. You say it cheapens it… you know, if a few of us get inspired by those pictures, i think it’s worth it. besides, there’s a price to pay when you are famous!!! wouldn’t some of us LOVE to be the one being photographed?!
please these giverim love the attention they cant wait to be in the pictures. they even call the publications to tell them that some thing is going to happen so they can be in the picture.
hey, smart1, don’t you make fun. they deserve the support and publicity they get.
Many great Gedolim were very antagonistic to allowing photos being taken of them (for various reasons – including some considering it close to avoida zora.) The Satmar Rebbe (Rav Yoel) ZTV’L was famous for going to great measures to prevent photographs of him.
No 8 Not all of the geverim want thier picture displayed. There are many who give large amounts of money but without pulicity. The ‘Hatzneh Haleches’ has been totaly forgotten in todays day & age. Maybe if we will re-intreduce it things would be a lot better for Klal Yisroel.
We now live in a “Global Villiage.” We’re all connected 24/7.
That’s one of the reasons there is so much more stress today, and that’s one of the reasons that so many BochRim are too distrcated to concentrate on their Torah studies.
This letter is right on. It is a clear contradiction to “ViHatznea Leches Im Elokecha” to (imitate the goyim by) taking pictures (and video) every time someone sneezes.
It’s one thing if a tzedaka or Yeshiva wants the publicity, or, in general, lihagdil Torah ulHaadirah. But to just snap pictures of everythig in sight?
Obviously, Bar mitzvah/wedding/family portraits are for the respective people, for memento’s sake. But to take a picture of an Askan on vacation is a bit over the top, IMHO.
re: YW pictures – I think the editor posts those pictures “from the scene” for two reasons:
1. They want to emulate a traditional newspaper
2. So those who take the pictures can feel good about themselves that they got footage of the action.
I would take the letter writer’s point one step further and posit that showing pictures even of simchas is a lack of tznius (even if the participants are dressed and acting appropriately, which is not always the case).
I also agree with the letter writer. Most of the pictures are not necessary. The yiddish way of doing things is ViHatznea Leches Im Elokecha!!!
Again, menschlichkeit rather than tznius, but I have been appalled to see pictures from people sitting shiva! I assume the editors of major weeklies are reading; cosider this a letter protesting these pictures.
Any geveer that has a pretentious, arena sized, gawdy house and back yard has no right to cry “tznius.” If youre his neighbor, OY LOROSHO OY LESHCHEYNO. Most of the honorees of dinners and events have an understanding that their names/pictures will be plastered all over the place. So here’s the scoop: if you don’t want to be in front of the camera, avoid the rich guys in the chabura.
i think it’s ridiculous to put pictures from everyone’s different simchas in these papers. Of course, it’s always the rich people or people with yichus who get put in. Half the time, we don’t even know who they are – who cares if they made a bar mitzva? (I mean, it’s very nice for them, but we dont need it published and distributed around the world!)
i felt is was hysterical to see “RAV” pinchos lipshitz put his own photo into the yated (comics) centerfold for two weeks in a row.
he has now moved on from editor in chief “rabbi” pinchos lipschitz, to “rav” pinchos lipschitz.
It helps to remember that ‘ayin roah’ v’ozen shomaas, ALL the time
I dont know if that [Click HERE to view the YWN photo albums] was done on purpose or not, but if it was, it is quite rude. It is one thing to disagree with someone, but to print the article and then poke fun at it with by expressing complete disregard for the author’s point is wrong. If you represent the “Yeshiva” world you should treat people with respect.
Speaking of pictures, YW puts up, every week, pix of last week in Lakewood. Its the same stuff every week. How about showing us some pix of Lakewood people working for a living? Now, that would be a real nice change.
To Workingman (22) – YW has tried, but they are hard to find. Even those that do work for a living, have to keep it secret, because it is looked down at. A picture like that could get your kids thrown out of yeshiva, ruin a shidduch, etc. But YW will definitely keep trying
#19
Your comment is 100% loshon hara. Shame on you!!
rav dan segal spoke very strongly against all these “gedolim ,rebbes pictures publications.
But unfortunately not too many people seem too understand whats wrong about it.
[dont mean to hurt any yids parnasa]
md: “I dont know if that [Click HERE to view the YWN photo albums] was done on purpose or not, but if it was, it is quite rude. It is one thing to disagree with someone, but to print the article and then poke fun at it with by expressing complete disregard for the author’s point is wrong. If you represent the “Yeshiva” world you should treat people with respect.”—— I agree, I think it is a tremendous, “slap in the face” for that to be written! Editor: Please remove that from the bottom of the letter, and maybe apologize to the letter writer too. Pure chutzpa and completely unexpected from a, “frum” website.
Why is #19 lashon hara?
Rav/Rabbi/Mr/Dr/Editor/Preacher Lipschutz placed himself into a centerfold of a newpaper which was sold to 20,000 people! lashan hara? grow up. you must work for pinny…………
#27
No, I don’t work for Pinny. I don’t know him from Adam. What #19 wrote is absolute Loshon Hara by all standards. Perhaps you should learn the Halachos of Loshon Hara. Read Guard Your Tongue by the Chofetz Chaim transalated into English if you don’t know Loshon Hakodesh.
i agree that #19 is loshon hara..youre obviously making fun of him which is assur……anyhow as for the letter…its only too true some ppl get carried away and snap pictures of every little detail but then again there are those few, special families who will take the pictures of rabbanim in the newspapers to show there children pictures of poeople who live lives of kedusha… youve gotta admit…there are only too many familes whos newspaper “paparazzi” at home isnt yated neeman!
people are so busy taking pictures instead of LIVING the moment.
#19, judging by your comment, I’d say you don’t know/like the person you’re hinting at in your username. You seem to be slightly confused.
They put pictures in there for the many people unable to read English so that they have some idea about what is happening in the world ,some ,including our readers here know only some of a story and then repeat wrong info to others
Let YWN put in more pictures of the stories and also of the people posting (if they want)
BUT IT IS WRONG TO JUST TAKE PICTURES OF EVERYONE ANYWHERE WITHOUT APPROVAL OF THE SUBJECT!
The truth is that the constant stream of pics and clips and monthly videos of the choshuve Rabbonim does lower their status in my eyes; a bit. Who wants to see Rav Steinman shlita every week going to shul, giving a shiur, eating, learning etc., when I went to E”Y last time I made sure to visit Rav Elyashiv”s shlita daily shiur, and that was special! But now that there’s pictures, hookups and videos of it, it loses its mystic and specialness!! So I think that an occasional pic. or clip would be o.k., but the steady stream of them is getting boring.
(ever hear of the rebbe who composed a special tefila?: Avinu Malkeinu, kosveinu besefer kol haolam kulo!!)
1st thing—- rabbi p. lipschutz does not do the center page -its s/o elses job(fact)———-also 1 of my friends once made a very good point -u might not like the people who are always taking pic and videos bec u dont look normal or ur excuse might be i dont want e/o to know what im doing BUT its a good musser haskel for all of us —hashem sees e/t u do and its a good reminder(no im not trying to compare hakosh baruch hu to a human-so dont start attacking me)
oh and btw i think it was hysterical Click HERE to view the YWN photo albums]
putting gevirim into pics isn’t so bad, maybe the publicity serves as an incentive to donate more tzedaka
The newspaper/website/oganization should make their best effort to ask those in the picture if they mind having their picture printed/distributed.
We do this in yeshiva and those that mind say so, and their picture does not get out
3 people at an event taking pictures
of someone or something is NOT paparazzi..
You’ve never seen how they treat real stars,
the camera are in their faces,they taunt them
so they can get a better shot, and block their
car to have an extra picture. If people
don’t want their picture taken they could
stay home, but if your on public property or
private property (public event) then it’s fair
game.
To quote the Rabbi Pinchas Lipschutz blog, Kol haboreach min hakavod hakavod borei’ach acharov;
This is in Avos, and it works both ways.
#38 [NYpHotoGrapher]: Be careful when using the term ‘real stars’. The people you are referencing are anything but ‘real stars’.
Maybe I’m being naiive, but I suspect that those baalei tzedaka who really don’t want their picture taken, rarely have their picture taken. It’s not that difficult to give even large amounts of tzedaka and fund large amounts of chesed with only a minimal number of people knowing about it. If no one knows, no one will try to take your picture.
Imagine for a moment that you are a multi-millionaire who wants to donate say, half a million dollars to a local yeshivah, but you do so on the condition that it will be the last check you ever give them if they so much as even think about publicizing your donation. Do you think your picture will be in their next newsletter?
Before I get hounded by the “mitzvah lefarseim oseh mitvah” crowd, let me make clear that I have no probelm with people being publicized for their generosity. A reasonable amount of public gratitude is fine, normal, and deserved. I’m just saying that if you really really see it as a source of anguish, I believe it can be avoided. I know of such people, and I never see their picture in the Yated.
41, I think you’re right. There were a couple of chasunas I expected to see pictures of, but were never there. These gevirim live relatively modestly, and the chasunas were far from extravagant too. Good for them that they could keep a lid on the pictures. We need them too much for any extra ayin hara.
On one hand, I do remember seeing a picture of a very special teacher of mine at his grandson’s chasuna. I got such hana’a seeing him enjoy his simcha. OTOH, I can’t help but think, isn’t he entitled to privacy?
must we always kvetch? really – is this that big of an issue? isn’t it a chizu to see erliche yidden doing great things like the askonim do, combined with all the tzedaka work, etc..it should be mechazek us, they’re not baalei gaiva at all.