Dear All,
We learn this week that ויבא הביתה לעשות מלאכתו on which there is a discussion in Gemorroh Sota, Rav and Shmuel; one opines that he went to do his work and one counters that he went with the intention of giving in to his boss's wife's advances, however his father's image appeared in the window and this caused him to repeal his decision.
It is well known that the stories as they are told in the Torah are a lesson for us, based on what happened back then - מעשי אבות סימן לבנים - the deeds of the forefathers are signposts for the children or if we want to invoke the Chanuka spirit: בימים ההם בזמן הזה.
So, how do we reconcile the two opposing views: one says he went to work and at the same time we are expected to accept that he was about to fall into the trap laid out for him?!
To illustrate this dilemma in a contemporary setting, we will watch a Mr Josephs, executive director of the Potty Ferroug management company in Capital Central. As he enters his state of the art office to do his paperwork, he flicks on the lights and switches on his workstation, logs onto his favourite web page and. . . . lo and behold, a previously downloaded attachment has come to life in the form of a malicious virus, executing a devious, perverse web page showing all kind of illicit images, enticing him to click-click to the next page with blinking banners and flashing buttons. All of a sudden the Windows Screen Saver kicks in and up comes his father's picture, the face he so longs to behold after being separated by oceans and borders.
Indeed, it is possible nowadays to reconcile both interpretations: going to work entails sometimes the inevitable dangers of the ever growing menace called "vile web sites" - the contents of which any self-respecting country (Australia and China for example) has already forced ISPs to ban from their servers, routers and gateways.
It has come to a point where Rabbis are helplessly throwing up their arms in the air, when confronted with strife in a family whose harmonious life was destroyed by the dark side of the web.
If China can ban the behemoth Goofle, until they get their act together, so can we as a united Jewish community!
Should you want to - or if you know someone who is genuinely concerned - about the current situation; about so many lives, families and communities that are being devoured from the inside - please let me know. We can achieve a Kosher, modern, advanced and working Web experience, without all the trash out there. All it takes is a skimpy £2,000.000.00 seed money for the duration of the startup phase (2010 to 2012) and a dedicated team of volunteers and paid staff.
The amount stated can be absorbed over three years in the form of a variety of revenue streams, many of which are only now becoming popular and some that will have to be monetised.
Menasche Scharf
E. & O. E.
1 comment:
Some clarifying notes:
This article is as seen only, no claims are made to advance or negate other initiatives attempting to provide an answer to the problem of using an unregulated web in the Jewish community.
The proposal that I put forward does NOT involve 'spying' on subscriber's web usage.
The amounts tated is only a 'ballpark figure' and as such should not be taken at face value.
I welcome any criticism, positive, negative and addictive . . .
Post a Comment