Torah in a Connected World: A Halakhic Perspective on Communication Technology and Social Media
By Rabbi Jonathan Ziring
Maggid Books
Jerusalem, 2024
464 pages
Reviewed by Rabbi Steven Gotlib
Rabbi Dovid Winiarz, who sadly passed away in 2015, was known to many as “The Facebuker Rebbe” due to the countless hours he spent on social media actively attempting to educate, engage with and productively debate Jews from a variety of religious backgrounds. Since his untimely passing, social media has only become more ubiquitous as the world has become exponentially more connected. Rabbis have increasingly taken to social media as a sort of “second pulpit,” Orthodox synagogues have expanded to include weekday “global membership” options, and online marketing has arguably become a mode of kiruv in itself. These and other developments have led to no shortage of halachic discussions, which is made clear in Rabbi Jonathan Ziring’s Torah in a Connected Age: A Halakhic Perspective on Communication Technology and Social Media. The book is split into five sections, each of which deals with a different set of questions: changing definitions of relationships and communities, our responsibility for online content, issues of perception, gossip and shaming and media-mediated mitzvot.
As a rabbi who is also a marketing professional, I have thought back to Rabbi Ziring’s book almost every day for guidance or clarity as I strategize about what content I cultivate and how to best share it on behalf of one of North America’s premier Orthodox rabbinical schools. It is my hope that this review can inspire readers to think more deeply about how frum people ought to present ourselves and our religion in the age of social media.
One of the biggest worries that frum Jews face on social media is how easily prolonged engagement with the medium can impact how we come to view ourselves, others and even Hashem. Social media often encourages us to compare ourselves to others in deeply unproductive ways. Rabbi Ziring, therefore, urges his readers to “recognize that the lives we see are not as perfect as they seem” and that “even if they were, our lives do not have to be identical with theirs to be meaningful and positive” (221). Hashem created each and every one of us with unique strengths and weaknesses, but social media often only shows one side of a given person’s life. This invites us to question why we can’t be more like others (or at least more like their online presentation of themselves) rather than asking how we can maximize our own unique abilities.
Even realizing this, though, does not prevent the anxiety that comes with a different concern—perhaps my posts or online actions will be badly misunderstood or taken wildly out of context. This can happen as a result of “liking” seemingly innocuous posts that were made on Shabbat, depict eating non-kosher food, showcase a relationship that halachah frowns upon, and the like. Rabbi Ziring notes that “every ‘like’ can be [understood as] a tacit acceptance of the activity portrayed by a post” (174). Indeed, “one’s ‘liking,’ sharing, commenting, or retweeting may be interpreted as support of forbidden activity” (178-179), something about which any frum Jew ought to be careful. Lest one think this is only good advice, Rabbi Ziring notes that those who like and share such content wantonly potentially violate several serious prohibitions, including lifnei iver (placing a stumbling block before the blind), mesayeah (assisting or supporting sin) and chanufah (flattery). Rabbi Ziring notes, though, that where “it is clear that one may be happy about the core positive content of a post without signing on to every problematic aspect that it entails, reacting in a positive manner to such a post would be permitted” (179).
One example which Rabbi Ziring refers to in the book happened during his time as a segan (assistant) rosh kollel in a certain city. Several students of his were in New York City for a Shabbaton and ran into none other than Conan O’Brien. Conan took a selfie with them and posted it on social media, stating that the students did not have their phones on them due to their Shabbat observance. The picture was subject to much critique within the frum world, only for it to come out that it had in fact been taken after Shabbat but before the students were able to retrieve their phones. The damage, though, had already been done. Upon their return home, the rosh yeshivah took the opportunity to impress upon his students the following lesson:
Is there any way, then, for frum Jews to salvage social media? If the answer were no, this book would not need to have been written.
In the world of social media a small mistake, even a slight one, can instantly be publicized across the world and remain online forever. These can have effects on the jobs one gets, the schools one is admitted to, and the person one marries. Thus . . . exercise extreme caution to act in such ways as to maintain a positive image (194).
In addition to raising questions of lashon hara, this story serves as a cautionary tale for how the same events can serve as either a kiddush Hashem or a chillul Hashem depending on how they are presented and understood by onlookers.
The unfortunate reality is that everything one does is potentially subject to misunderstanding or misrepresentation. This is exacerbated by social media where, Rabbi Ziring points out, our posts and pictures “can often be taken out of context by people too lazy to read everything we have said or written, or by those who are intentionally trying to ‘catch us’ in indiscretion.” Likewise, since tone is hard to discern, “we must be careful about what we write, so that it will never be understood in an offensive manner, when that is not what was intended” (209–210). Of course, willfully misrepresenting what someone else says is deeply problematic. In Rabbi Ziring’s words, “cavalierly accusing all who say things contrary to one’s own interest [of] propagating fake news violates the sanctity of the truth and undermines the very seal of G-d” (395). Unfortunately, one need not travel far to find countless examples of this very problem.
Social media may be seen as a simulacrum for real life in which all is magnified. The added layer of distance allows for emotions to run rampant and judgements to be quickly made. Inhibitions are lowered while bad habits are enabled, and all of this is made worse by the proclivity to place oneself in echo chambers and block all whose opinions significantly differ from our own. Is there any way, then, for frum Jews to salvage social media? If the answer were no, this book would not need to have been written. Social media in various forms is a part of life, and an extremely useful one at that, which comes with great risk but also great potential for reward.
In his book The Anxious Generation, Dr. Jonathan Haidt wrote that “smartphones, social media, market forces, and social influence combine to pull us into a trap. Each of us, acting alone, perceives that it’s too difficult or costly to do the right thing. But if we can act together, the costs go way down.” For some, the right thing may involve quarantining oneself from social media while for others it may involve learning how to use it responsibly and positively. Rabbi Ziring correctly notes:
Posting Torah thoughts, questions, links to shiurim, anecdotes of impressive acts of chesed, and sometimes even constructive criticism concerning social issues can all have a powerful impact. ‘Liking’ and sharing the comments of others express our support for such posts. Social media enables us to reach many more people than we can in person, and we can create an online presence that helps others in a positive way (179).
The more positive our impact is on social media, the more positive it is for everyone who logs in. I can personally attest that my work in marketing has exposed me to many people who would never have considered Orthodox Judaism as a serious option for themselves or would never have given serious thought to learning in yeshivah were it not for stumbling upon well-timed and articulate Jewish media content.
One can still find the following post on Rabbi Dovid Winiarz’s Facebook wall: “Welcome to my virtual living room. Please check your politics at the door and come on in. :)” Just like our living rooms say a lot about us and can ignite the flames of inspiration in others, so too can our social media presence. Utilizing social media as a medium for spreading the light of Torah by maximizing positive Jewish content allows each and every one of us to engage in our age-old mission of serving as a light unto the nations and bringing together Jews from all corners of the world by inviting them into our virtual homes and warming their souls. If you are interested in exploring this in a way that is thorough, rigorous and informed by our mesorah, Torah in a Connected World is a must-read. I encourage all to read it, learn from it and utilize its lessons to create digital footprints which lead to a bright future.
Rabbi Steven Gotlib is the marketing manager at Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary and associate rabbi at Mekor Habracha/Center City Synagogue.