For some time I had been considering writing a letter to Yeshiva World News complimenting the quality and professionalism of the news and journalism you present on your website. As with many things in my life, I never quite got around to it…until now. Ironically though, it is not in response to an incredible article that you have published that I feel compelled to write, rather it is because of the incredible article and story that you chose not to write.
There are numerous websites and blogs that offer the news from a frum perspective. Each one has its own character and flavor and I have always been one to hop from site to site so that I could gain the greatest insight and angles to the story that had caught my interest. Over the years, I noticed that Yeshiva World News did not publish all the stories that I found on other sites. Strangely, I realized that it was the juiciest and most tantalizing stories that for whatever reason just didn’t appear on your site. I, being like so many others that relish in gossip, simply wondered what was wrong with YWN and I quickly moved elsewhere to get the “details” that I “needed”. I never thought anything of it.
But now everything has changed for me. Now unfortunately, I have a very clear understanding of why you omitted these stories. Now I understand why a real Jewish frum news site has to leave out stories and details. That is because I have been crushed by the repercussions of the Loshon Horah being spewed by the other news sources. This week has been incredibly difficult for me. I am very closely related to the family that has recently not only suffered the loss of a husband, child and sibling, but nebach has had the name of the niftar and the surviving family kicked around like an old milk crate.
I am truly pained and devastated by what they have done. My spirit is low and I don’t understand their justifications. In the name of honest, balanced and accurate news coverage, they have caused immeasurable tzar to other frum yidden who have done nothing wrong! In the name of bringing forth important issues (which are important) they have disgraced people and stamped them forever! They have caused me tzar and made me cry. Why? Why?
The saddest thing is that we all know the answer. People (and myself until recently included) are thirsty for those tempting, tantalizing and juicy stories. We live with a fear that our friends may know a bit more about so and so than we do. We will search for Loshon Horah anywhere that it is offered. When we are lucky enough to hear the “details”, that delicious feeling of “being in the know” flood s and flows through our body. We feel so good for a few hours or maybe even a day or two. But after a little while, that feeling dissipates… and we begin our search again. Only those that were spoken about still feel the emotions of that day. They will feel that pain forever.
I commend you Yeshiva World News. Undoubtedly, you are willingly passing up on hundreds or thousands of hits a day. There are stories that you won’t publish. There are details that everyone will have to seek elsewhere to delight in. The articles that you publish 99% of the time will be accurate, balanced and true to fact. And for the 1%, know that you are an authentic, sensitive, frum and ehrlich news site.
You do not destroy lives.
Chaim K.
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23 Responses
Kol Hakavod…
Chaim K: You’ve taken the words out of my mouth.
fantastic thoughts. couldnt have thought better!!
Chaim K u hit the nail on the head
Over a year ago, after learning sifrei Chafetz Chaim each day, I was mekabel on myself to never go to those other horrible Lashon Harah sites again. Yeshivaworld must be commended greatly for sticking to their guns and not giving in to the Yetzer harah. Those other sites will come up with many pseudo heteirim for everything they do. Just know that there is NO question that it is totally assur to read any of it. I hate to say this but those writing it & ultimately those reading it will have lots of horrible questions to answer after 120. #3, you are right that the only way these baalei aveirah will understand is through their pocketbooks. Spiritual things & Halacha mean zero. Read through Sefer Chafetz Chaim & Shemiras Halashon and you will see the terrible punishment and trouble these people are bringing on themselves. And ultimately to the people reading it. Don’t fall for the trap. The other side is the amazing awards that the Chafetz Chaim tells us we will receive for turning the other way & not looking or listening for the juicy Lashon Harah. Once you train yourself, you WILL be so much happier. You will cringe when you hear others speak Lashon Harah. Your life will improve immeasurably. I am no better than any of you. If I could do it, you can. trust me, you’ll never feel the same. And yes, shame on the supposedly frum websites that are being Chotei Umachti es harabim……Thank you Yeshivaworld. I for one DO support your advertisers…
Oh,and just one more thing….Why wait until these other disgusting websites wipe the proverbial floor with someone YOU know? Every yid is someones family, friend etc. We should take a stand NOW!
Firstly, let me salute the writer for his integrity in acknowledging his error and taking the initiative to send this message. He has an enviable zechus. Yiyeshar kochechem!
His message is particularly timely right now, when so many Jewish lives are in danger. We need every zechus we can enlist to win this war.
It is even more chilling, when I recall the words I heard some years ago at a Kenes for Shmiras Haloshon. Unfortunately, I cannot recall the name of the speaker or the source for his statement, but it left an impression on me which has remained for years. It is particularly relavant right now. (Perhaps someone can supply the source. i would be grateful.)
The gist of the speaker’s words was this:
No gentile can harm a Jew unless some fellow Jew has previously spoken loshon hora about him. In other words, it is up to US, not our enemies, how many victims there will be, chas vechalilah, and just what the outcome of this war will be. It is not the number of missiles, rockets, tanks, or any other form of weaponry. Neither is it the military strategists nor the statesmen who can win the struggle.
It is ordinary Yidden, like you and me. If we guard our tongues, Hashem will guard us.
May Hashem help us to win the true battle, that which each of us must wage with his personal yetzer horo. Next time we are tempted to say or listen to something we’re not sure is “kosher” . let’s recall the men who are laying their lives on the line right now. Each one is a Yiddishe neshomo; may Hashem help us to keep them all alive and safe, and may the nissim He shows us bring us all back to the Ribbono shel Olam in teshuvah shleimah.
Very true sentiments, and very sad. I too commend YWN for not posting about this story that Chaim K. is referring to. I did not know the people involved, but one does not have to know the parties to be heartbroken about this.
May Ha-Shem be menachem the family and friends.
7, you are dead wrong. The editor’s effort to omit “juicy” stories (i.e., those entailing unquestionable Loshon Hora) are readily apparent. In the example you cite, a story about an accident, when first reported, might be relayed as just that, a tragic accident, (YW mostly report disseminates stories reported by other respectable news agencies). Nothing wrong there. Should it later become “unreportable,” YW leaves it at that and rightly exercises editorial discretion in monitoring comments in the original article.
Chaim K.
The story you are referring to is tragic from many standpoints! I am sorry for the loss to your family. There was no toieles whatsoever in what was published against your relative. In this case, we must leave it to HKB”H to deal with them, as there is no other reecourse
#6, coltuv, you may be referring to what the Chofetz Chaim says (I cannot quote chapter and verse. Anyone?) that when Reuven does an aveiroh, he creates a dumb kateigor – without a tongue. If Shimon subsequently talks loshon hara about him, Shimon does Reuven untold harm, because not only does he cause a kitrug in Shomayim against Reuven for the avairoh Shimon is prattling about, he also gives tongues to all the hitherto dumb kateigorim, and they now have the ability to be mekatreig against Reuven for creating them with his sins.
Agreed, if we would only picture this BEFORE prattling about someone else, loshon hara would be seriously curtailed.
You are so right!
I myself am very close to the family, I came home at night and my family told me about the tragic news they saw on YWN .The next day I got a phone call from a friend of mine asking me if I was going in to be Menachem the family, when I responded in the affirmative, he told me he thought he’d just let me know that the other website (you all know which Reshoim I’m referring to) was “singing a different story”
They are no words to describe the sadness and anger that I felt. I was sickened! How dare they publish such an article?? Where is their Yiddishe conscience?
Boruch Hashem, I am not a “frequent customer” of that website, but we all know that the sustenance of these people depend on their advertisers. So I emailed all their advertisers with a plea that they not support such a “butcher”. Of course my plea went unheeded.
I can assure you that as far as I’m concerned, anyone seeking advertisement and publicity through their website will from now on get “negative advertisement” and I wouldn’t even think of giving them an ounce of business. And that includes all the Tzedoko organizations. If you don’t have the moral decency not to finance such a Loshon Horah Laundromat, I do not trust you with my Maaser money!!
I do think though that if these advertisers would get more than one complaint, they will reconsider their support of Loshon Horah. Albeit not for the right reasons, but Mitoch Shelo Lishma Ba Lishma.
This is an all out war against the Kofrim and Maskilim amongst us.
P.S. Everything was said and done Al Pi Daas Torah, I’m in contact with a few different Rabbonim about the issue
Yehudah Green
to flatbusher.
Ywn reported the incident with incorrect facts at the same time that all the news sources did. They just chose not to update the story. Possibly if the story had been clear at the beginning they would not have reported the car accident
ywn should have removed the news article.it was totally incorrect and misleading.if they want to be considered a credible news source they cannot post misleading reports.im not saying they have to post the story but once the do they must correct it or remove it.and if they don’t want loshon hara comments they can block ppl from commenting….theyv done it b4…….p.s. I was a good friend of the niftar and remain good friends with his other brothers
Ooh, ooh, I must have missed it, what’s the story? What’s the “raid”.
I’m partially kidding, I don’t know the story and i don’t want to know, but I think we should all be a little less yentish about everybody’s business.
I agree with a lot of the letter writer’s sentiments, but I find it disturbing that he is only so livid and bothered when he knows the victim…there’s always someone who knows the victim and there’s always a victim.
This should have bothered him before.
I would add one more point: A reason we love Lashon Hara is that it makes us feel better about our own shortcomings, as in “At least I’m not as messed up as Ploni”. It’s a little pathetic if we have so little real fulfillment and sel-worth that we need to see someone else suffer, or get caught doing something stupid to make us feel good.
#15
i’m sad to hear that you are laughing, but i do not envy your seichel
Chaim, first of all may you never know of tzaros again.
If you truly read all comments about this tragic, unfortunate and emotionally draining incident, you would notice that nobody chas v’shalom made fun of, put down the niftar, nor blamed, or cast any negative aspersions about the family. The way almost every comment was focusing on what we as a community can do to prevent further tradgedy from happening. There is so so much rabbonim, yeshiva mashgichim and others can do to watch out for people of their respective yeshivos and communities.
People were writing expressions of pain about the situation, and giving a cry for help for their own well being. Hopeflly, this absolutely devastating tragedy can be used to inspire Nosai B’Ol in our community and a greater sense of achrayus for fellow members of our society.
Mr. Green, what about others you butchered?????
There is no reason why anyone is allowed to believe this story the way the other news outlets have reported it. It is complete loshon hara and therefore everyone has to believe with his whole heart that it is 100% false.
Regarding YWN’s reporting, generally speaking, the author is correct.
However, their bias regarding the Lakewood housing issue is blatantly apparent. Language such as “graciously hosts” would even be beneath the dignity of the NY Times. Yes, they publicly smeared the owner of that house without first finding out the actual facts.
So as you print your own holier then thou self-advertisement, realize your own imperfections.
A mechilah from YWN is still waiting.
Wow! I thik this one of the best posts ever! I even printed it out!
A person cannot fathom such a tragedy unless it nebach befalls them. And to add to the pain, watching his name and petty details circulate like an old shoe! Yaasher koach to the Yaated for the beautiful article that was written with such temimus and tzidkus, which was then passed around so that all those that were menachem avel and may have heard of the rishus could be wronged in their own eyes!! Chaim K, you did the biggest chessed and I know that many are thanking you behind closed, tear stained faceades!
I make it a point not to look at the other news sites!! Baruch Hashem, I don’t even know what incident is being referred to.
In this time of tremendous tzaros, it is not enough for us to daven. We must each take upon ourselves some way to improve. This will surely bring about
yeshuos!!
And the yetzer harah strikes again… the letter really is very nice and should be publicized. BUT the fact that all those comments are alluding to a specific story and it seems that everyone knows the whos hows and whys is bordering on loshon harah and will definitely pique the curiosity of those who are not aware. Sadly the yetzer harah blinds us by making us think that that the aveiros that we are doing is really l’shem mitzvah!
Let’s just try to keep quite.
I am very grateful for this wonderful letter. It is well written. When I heard the story about your friend, Chaim K, on YWN I was really sadden. The next day someone actually told me the “real facts” and sent me the personal link to it. I went on and couldn’t believe my eyes that such a website would publish such a thing. At first I wondered why Yeshiva World did not post the correct story but then I realized that had they posted it, it would have been Loshon Horah. Thank you Yeshiva World for not posting it and I don’t even believe that website is telling the Emes because there was only one website that had that information on it.
Let’s show the difference between this thread and the other, ending comments right here.
Editors Note: Good point. Comments are now closed.