Q&A: The Benefit of Reading and Studying Literature
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
The Benefit of Reading and Studying Literature
Question
Hello Rabbi,
I wanted to hear your opinion regarding my question: what is the point of studying general literature? I mainly mean reading, in one’s free time, books in the prose and suspense genres.
Is there really value in that? Or is it better not to waste the time and instead read books of analysis and study, both scientific and Torah-oriented?
Answer
Good literature has human and emotional value. It enriches the soul. Leisure and entertainment literature is, as its name suggests, for leisure and entertainment. That too is completely legitimate, to the extent that you need it. Clearly, the more you devote yourself to studying things with intrinsic value, the better.