What draws people to Facebook, My Space........................

[pennyjangle]

I don't get it. Why would you want to put personal info on a site you don't know who owns it, isn't that what e mails are for?

[Americanhero1]

Facebook
Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO
Dustin Moskovitz, Co-founder
Sheryl Sandberg, COO
Matt Cohler, VP of Product Management
Chris Hughes, Co-founder

Myspace is owned by Fox Interactive Media

[Americanhero1]

I don't get it. Why would you want to put personal info on a site you don't know who owns it, isn't that what e mails are for?

You can make it so that only certain people see your pictures and info

[Mishmaat]

Well since AH just rendered your argument moot, I'll shift gears and talk about placing personal info on these networking sites.

I think that only a handful of people here know my government name via Facebook and they are people who I sincerely trust.

Plus, there are numerous privacy options available on Facebook. It's just a matter of taking precautions and using your common sense.

I'm not on MySpace, but I'm sure there are privacy options available on their website.

If you feel your privacy is being compromised, you can always opt out of using Facebook or MySpace.

[Americanhero1]

Well since AH just rendered your argument moot, I'll shift gears and talk about placing personal info on these networking sites.

I think that only a handful of people here know my government name via Facebook and they are people who I sincerely trust.

Plus, there are numerous privacy options available on Facebook. It's just a matter of taking precautions and using your common sense.

I'm not on MySpace, but I'm sure there are privacy options available on their website.

If you feel your privacy is being compromised, you can always opt out of using Facebook or MySpace.

Myspace you can make it so that no one can see your pics or info.
If you don't want people to see your info don't divulge to much on your account to begin with

[muman613]

Most people who use these services are starved for attention. They believe that if they put themselves out there, they will be cool and hip. I think that those people who use these services should seek some professional help because they will end up being vain. I listen to a Rabbi who is very much against Facebook and I also believe it leads to bad ends. Maybe some people feel that they are 'in control' and can control who can see their images, and know their life story, but most people don't do that. They are seeking some kind of affirmation that their deviant lifestyle is indeed quite normal...

[Americanhero1]

Most people who use these services are starved for attention. They believe that if they put themselves out there, they will be cool and hip. I think that those people who use these services should seek some professional help because they will end up being vain. I listen to a Rabbi who is very much against Facebook and I also believe it leads to bad ends. Maybe some people feel that they are 'in control' and can control who can see their images, and know their life story, but most people don't do that. They are seeking some kind of affirmation that their deviant lifestyle is indeed quite normal...

Where the hell do you get that from

[muman613]

Most people who use these services are starved for attention. They believe that if they put themselves out there, they will be cool and hip. I think that those people who use these services should seek some professional help because they will end up being vain. I listen to a Rabbi who is very much against Facebook and I also believe it leads to bad ends. Maybe some people feel that they are 'in control' and can control who can see their images, and know their life story, but most people don't do that. They are seeking some kind of affirmation that their deviant lifestyle is indeed quite normal...

Where the hell do you get that from

I get if from observing kids today... This is why they will take immodest pictures of themselves on their cellphones and send it to their friends, sometimes naked pictures, when they are only 14-16 years old... They also like to increased the 'network' of friends who they share their personal information and pictures. I would not allow kids today to be on these 'social networking' sites...

[muman613]

I should also add that there obviously are good applications for these services... As with most everything there is a little good in order to attract people, and then they will discover the bad... Read Tzvi Fishmans article on A7 from last week:

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/4#3870

Without doubt, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in our time is the Internet. The Internet is filled with knowledge. Much of it is good, and much of it is evil. Unfortunately, just as Adam and Eve succumbed to the wiles of evil, statistics show that a majority of Internet users fall to the evils of the Internet, including Jews.
"John, where are you?" "Just checking out tomorrow's weather."

Almost six-thousand-years later, the sin is the same, as the Torah states, “And when the woman saw… that it was a delight to the eyes” (Bereshit, 2:6).

Just as Eve strayed after her eyes, Internet users all over the world – you, your spouse, your children, are straying after their eyes too by looking at things that G-d does not want us to see.

Once again, evil is winning the game. Pornography is big business. It’s the biggest business on the net. But more than that, the evil spiritual forces that are behind porn on the net are the same evil spiritual forces that were at work in the days of Adam and Eve.  No matter what disguise the Snake adopts, his goal is the same - to distance mankind from G-d.

Just as the first sin severed Adam and Eve from their Creator, every time a person looks at forbidden material on the Internet, he or she severs himself or herself from G-d. One click leads to another, and another, and another, until the person is cut off from G-d completely. In effect, like Adam and Eve, the Peeping Tom of the Internet exiles himself from the Garden. The Shechinah flees from such a person, for holiness and impurity cannot exist together. His prayers don’t ascend and his Torah learning is cast into the garbage. Furthermore, one sin leads to another, as our Sages have warned: “The eyes see, the heart desires, and the body completes the transgression.”

With each peek at a forbidden image, not only does a person violate the Torah commandment, “You shall not stray after your heart and yours eyes,” he or she pollutes his or her soul. In the time and the effort that it takes to arrange for some forbidden intercourse, G-d forbid, a person can have hundreds and thousands of Internet fantasies – each and every one of them a replay of the first primordial sin – a sin that our Sages have compared to setting up an idol in the Holy of Holies of the Temple.

Our brain is our Holy of Holies, housing our soul. When we look at a forbidden image, the photograph is ingrained on the film of our brain – exactly like setting up in idol in the Holy of Holies. And since we are attached to the highest spiritual worlds, when we pollute our personal Holy of Holies, we pollute the Holy of Holies in the highest spiritual world – the Jerusalem Temple on High.

Each time we pollute ourselves by looking at a forbidden image, we pollute all of the Jewish Nation, since our souls are connected to all of the souls of the “Clal.” Like the little pebble that sends ripples out across all the pond, the filth that we bring upon our souls spreads to the all-encompassing soul of the Nation. Thus our seemingly little Internet no-no’s weaken the spiritual strength of the Nation, and because the spiritual world is integrally connected to the physical, our no-no’s weaken the Nation’s physical strength as well.

Do not be mistaken! It is no small thing that the Torah tells us the story of Adam and Eve. Their straying after their eyes brought destruction to the world. When we sit down at the computer and hook up to the Internet, each and every one of us can either help rectify their monumental sin by not straying after our eyes  – or add to the shame of mankind by repeated the very same transgression.

So if you don’t care about the consequences to yourself and your family, then think about the consequences to Am Yisrael. And if you don’t care about the consequences to Am Yisrael, then think about the consequences to the world.

The next time you are tempted, say no to the Snake! Crush him on his head!

And if you don’t have the strength for that, then download a filter. Give the code to somebody else. Stop destroying yourselves, your families, the Jewish People, and the world.

Save yourselves! Save your loved ones! Save the planet now!       

[Americanhero1]

Most people who use these services are starved for attention. They believe that if they put themselves out there, they will be cool and hip. I think that those people who use these services should seek some professional help because they will end up being vain. I listen to a Rabbi who is very much against Facebook and I also believe it leads to bad ends. Maybe some people feel that they are 'in control' and can control who can see their images, and know their life story, but most people don't do that. They are seeking some kind of affirmation that their deviant lifestyle is indeed quite normal...

Where the hell do you get that from

I get if from observing kids today... This is why they will take immodest pictures of themselves on their cellphones and send it to their friends, sometimes naked pictures, when they are only 14-16 years old... They also like to increased the 'network' of friends who they share their personal information and pictures. I would not allow kids today to be on these 'social networking' sites...

Why are you looking at kids to begin with

[HiWarp]

Most people who use these services are starved for attention. They believe that if they put themselves out there, they will be cool and hip. I think that those people who use these services should seek some professional help because they will end up being vain. I listen to a Rabbi who is very much against Facebook and I also believe it leads to bad ends. Maybe some people feel that they are 'in control' and can control who can see their images, and know their life story, but most people don't do that. They are seeking some kind of affirmation that their deviant lifestyle is indeed quite normal...

My quite limited use of Facebook is for reestablishing contact with old classmates and friends. I was pleasantly surprised to find quite a large number of people that I had lost touch with over the years. Having said that, I think some people become quite obsessed with these social networks but that can also happen with internet forums.

And anyone who thinks that anything they publish on a public internet site is within their control and secure is deluding themselves.

[pennyjangle]

Thank You! I needed that..... 

[muman613]

Most people who use these services are starved for attention. They believe that if they put themselves out there, they will be cool and hip. I think that those people who use these services should seek some professional help because they will end up being vain. I listen to a Rabbi who is very much against Facebook and I also believe it leads to bad ends. Maybe some people feel that they are 'in control' and can control who can see their images, and know their life story, but most people don't do that. They are seeking some kind of affirmation that their deviant lifestyle is indeed quite normal...

Where the hell do you get that from

I get if from observing kids today... This is why they will take immodest pictures of themselves on their cellphones and send it to their friends, sometimes naked pictures, when they are only 14-16 years old... They also like to increased the 'network' of friends who they share their personal information and pictures. I would not allow kids today to be on these 'social networking' sites...

Why are you looking at kids to begin with

Because Jewish children are very precious and need to be protected from these kinds of things. When I look at the wonderful young children of my Rabbi and see how good their character traits are I know that the Jewish people have a future. While it is very important for parents to do the proper parenting, it is also important for the community at large to be supportive of children. Last Simcha Torah I attended a service which was held for the Sunday school and I was impressed that the kids seemed to love to dance with the Torah scrolls.

[Spiraling Leopard]

I should also add that there obviously are good applications for these services... As with most everything there is a little good in order to attract people, and then they will discover the bad... Read Tzvi Fishmans article on A7 from last week:

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/4#3870

Without doubt, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in our time is the Internet. The Internet is filled with knowledge. Much of it is good, and much of it is evil. Unfortunately, just as Adam and Eve succumbed to the wiles of evil, statistics show that a majority of Internet users fall to the evils of the Internet, including Jews.
"John, where are you?" "Just checking out tomorrow's weather."

Almost six-thousand-years later, the sin is the same, as the Torah states, And when the woman saw that it was a delight to the eyes (Bereshit, 2:6).

Just as Eve strayed after her eyes, Internet users all over the world  you, your spouse, your children, are straying after their eyes too by looking at things that G-d does not want us to see.

Once again, evil is winning the game. Pornography is big business. Its the biggest business on the net. But more than that, the evil spiritual forces that are behind porn on the net are the same evil spiritual forces that were at work in the days of Adam and Eve.  No matter what disguise the Snake adopts, his goal is the same - to distance mankind from G-d.

Just as the first sin severed Adam and Eve from their Creator, every time a person looks at forbidden material on the Internet, he or she severs himself or herself from G-d. One click leads to another, and another, and another, until the person is cut off from G-d completely. In effect, like Adam and Eve, the Peeping Tom of the Internet exiles himself from the Garden. The Shechinah flees from such a person, for holiness and impurity cannot exist together. His prayers dont ascend and his Torah learning is cast into the garbage. Furthermore, one sin leads to another, as our Sages have warned: The eyes see, the heart desires, and the body completes the transgression.

With each peek at a forbidden image, not only does a person violate the Torah commandment, You shall not stray after your heart and yours eyes, he or she pollutes his or her soul. In the time and the effort that it takes to arrange for some forbidden intercourse, G-d forbid, a person can have hundreds and thousands of Internet fantasies  each and every one of them a replay of the first primordial sin  a sin that our Sages have compared to setting up an idol in the Holy of Holies of the Temple.

Our brain is our Holy of Holies, housing our soul. When we look at a forbidden image, the photograph is ingrained on the film of our brain  exactly like setting up in idol in the Holy of Holies. And since we are attached to the highest spiritual worlds, when we pollute our personal Holy of Holies, we pollute the Holy of Holies in the highest spiritual world  the Jerusalem Temple on High.

Each time we pollute ourselves by looking at a forbidden image, we pollute all of the Jewish Nation, since our souls are connected to all of the souls of the Clal. Like the little pebble that sends ripples out across all the pond, the filth that we bring upon our souls spreads to the all-encompassing soul of the Nation. Thus our seemingly little Internet no-nos weaken the spiritual strength of the Nation, and because the spiritual world is integrally connected to the physical, our no-nos weaken the Nations physical strength as well.

Do not be mistaken! It is no small thing that the Torah tells us the story of Adam and Eve. Their straying after their eyes brought destruction to the world. When we sit down at the computer and hook up to the Internet, each and every one of us can either help rectify their monumental sin by not straying after our eyes   or add to the shame of mankind by repeated the very same transgression.

So if you dont care about the consequences to yourself and your family, then think about the consequences to Am Yisrael. And if you dont care about the consequences to Am Yisrael, then think about the consequences to the world.

The next time you are tempted, say no to the Snake! Crush him on his head!

And if you dont have the strength for that, then download a filter. Give the code to somebody else. Stop destroying yourselves, your families, the Jewish People, and the world.

Save yourselves! Save your loved ones! Save the planet now!       

It's quite interesting that he knows exactly how it works.

[muman613]

RobertX9,

What he is saying is exactly what the Rabbis and Jewish sages have said all along... This is nothing new.

The sin of straying after your eyes is so important we recite in the third paragraph of the Shema prayer three times a day this:

And God said to Moses saying: Speak to the Children of Israel and say to them that they are to make themselves tzitzit on the corners of their garments, throughout their generations. And they are to place upon the tzitzit of each corner a thread of blue (techelet). And it shall constitute tzitzit for you, that you may see it and remember all the mitzvot of God and perform them; and not explore after your heart and after your eyes after which you stray. So that you may remember and perform all My mitzvot; and be holy to your God. I am God, your God, Who has removed you from the land of Egypt to be a God to you. I am God your God... it is true

And then there is this:
http://www.torahweb.org/torah/2008/parsha/rwil_shlach.html

Do Not Stray After Your Eyes

I

    "You shall not stray (V'lo sasuru) after your heart and after your eyes" (Bamidbar 15:39). The heart and the eyes are spies for the body. The eye sees, the heart desires, and the body commits the sin (Rashi).

The Torah places the heart before the eyes, but Rashi reverses the order, stating that first the eye sees, and then the heart desires. Perhaps the heart does two things- one prior to seeing and a second, after. First, the heart strays[1]. As a result, the eyes stray, as natural curiosity takes over. This is then consistent with the order in the pasuk, as "The eyes follow the heart" (Medrash Tehillim 14:1).

Much of the expanded range of vision presented by natural curiosity is benign. Nonetheless, inevitably one's lust is aroused by what the eye sees, and at that point, the heart desires. Occasionally, a person cannot control these desires, and the body sins, as Rashi explains[2].

II

"'You shall guard yourself (vnishmarta) against any evil thought' (Devarim 23:10). A man may not gaze upon a beautiful woman even if she is unmarried" (Avoda Zara 20a).

Why isn't the violation of "v'lo sasuru - you shall not stray" mentioned here? The Smak (30) answers that "v'lo sasuru" applies only when one stares for the purpose of an immoral act. If one enjoys the beauty of a woman, but has no intention to commit an immoral act, he violates "vnishmarta". This distinction is reached independently by the Igros Moshe (Even Hoezer 1:69)[3]. However, the Mishna Berura (75:7) states that staring at a woman to enjoy her beauty is a violation of "v'lo sasuru". Perhaps this is the Rambam's position as well (see Sefer Hamitzvos, Lo Saaseh 47), that one who is pulled after physical lusts and a preoccupation with them violates v'lo sasuru, even if no sinful act is contemplated.

III

    "If women are not properly dressed near a river, one who has an alternate route but chooses the river route is termed a rasha. If there is no alternative, he must force himself to avert his gaze"(Bava Basra 57a).

This passage has tremendous relevance nowadays, especially in the summer months. Men must avoid, if possible, walking in places where women are not dressed properly. When a man must walk in such a place to reach his destination, every effort must be made to avoid focusing on forbidden sights. Unfortunately, in most workplaces this vigilance must be maintained all day. (This vigilance includes avoiding prohibited internet sites.)

It is important to note that women are also included in the prohibition of v'lo sasuru if they gaze upon men with the intention to sin (Igros Moshe, ibid.). In addition, women may not wear clothing that reveals their upper arms or thighs (Mishna Berura 75:2), and certainly not any part of their torsos. The ubiquitousness of low-cut garments does not permit one to wear them. Tight-fitting clothing, which accentuates a woman's figure inappropriately, is strictly prohibited (see Az nidberu by Rav Binyomin Zilber). These laws reflect the requirement of tznius (modesty), as well as the interdiction of placing a michshol (stumbling block) in the path of men. In choosing their wardrobe, women must summon the strength to be discerning, and not to slavishly follow current fashion.

Other methods of arousing the male sexual desire are also forbidden, and can produce disastrous results. The Gemara (Yoma 9b) relates that women would entice young men by releasing perfume in their presence. This was a cause of the churban Beis Hamikdash. Even excess conversation, which can lead to levity, can be disastrous (see Avos 1:5).

In sum, both men and women must focus on resisting these behaviors, so typical of general society, and must govern their thoughts, sights, words/conversations, wardrobes, and deeds according to Torah law.

"If one sees a provocative sight (dvar erva) and does not allow his eyes to enjoy it, he merits to see the Shechina, as it is written, (Yeshaya 33:15 - 17) 'One who shuts his eyes from seeing evil shall dwell in heights and see the King in His splendor'" (Derech Eretz Rabba, 1). If we control ourselves, and do not stray after our hearts and eyes, we will be rewarded for keeping this difficult, yet critical, mitzva.

And more:

http://www.torah.org/learning/ravfrand/5768/shlach.html

[angryChineseKahanist]

So...don't join it. I'm not on either.
Or, if you must join, don't put anything you don't want people to know.

[Spiraling Leopard]

Muman613
I can only speak from my own experience/knowingness that what he says is right. In this case the message rings all bells. He's a good rabbi.

[Confederate Kahanist]

It's not like the computer is going to come out and grab you if you put some of your information up there.

[muman613]

It's not like the computer is going to come out and grab you if you put some of your information up there.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/2340/saturday-night-live-old-glory

[arksis]

The thing I did not like about Facebook, was that is would NOT let me delete my account, it would only "deactivate" the account. I had no pictures or personal info on there, but still, that's just not right!

[Americanhero1]

The thing I did not like about Facebook, was that is would NOT let me delete my account, it would only "deactivate" the account. I had no pictures or personal info on there, but still, that's just not right!

The profile would not show up in searches though.
You have to contact them to delete it

[~Hanna~]

It is wise to not put your real location, real name, etc. There are scammers and stalkers all over the place.

[~Hanna~]

No, but, you have to be very careful. THere are alot of scammers from Nigeria and other places. Also, I found out from someone that people in prison have cellphones (illegally, but they have drugs there too) and we all know people can go on the internet from cellphones now. So, no place is safe. I tried to warn some people last year about this and they mocked me and didn't believe me, but just the other day I saw an article about prisoners with cellphones everywhere now.

People can try and hack your accounts, too. All kinds of things.

It's not like the computer is going to come out and grab you if you put some of your information up there.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/2340/saturday-night-live-old-glory

[ProudAndZionist]

I like facebook, we can find there our old friends, or classmates. We can keep the contact there with each other, we can join groups, there are JTF and JDL groups too with more than 1000 members and etc...

[ProudAndZionist]

There are many Hungarian Jews, because nazis don't look the facebook and because it is unpopular in Hungary, and we can choose that who can see our pictures and etc. I met there many, and in August we met in the real life too, on an antifascist demonstration.