Q&A: Consuming Culture from a Negative Source
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Consuming Culture from a Negative Source
Question
Hello Rabbi, and happy holiday.
In your opinion, is there a problem with consuming culture from a negative source? (a singer, an author, and the like) — a halakhic problem or a moral one — even an effect on the soul, whether visible or not visible.
(Are there even clear tools for answering such a question? How does one formulate a position on an issue like this?)
Answer
I don’t see a problem with it. There are issues when the person becomes a figure for identification, but that is mainly relevant for children and teenagers. I have no tools for dealing with mysticism, and I’m not inclined to accept it.
Discussion on Answer
Correct
[Obviously, there are conscious and unconscious contents in every work (you can see this in children’s movies); that’s simple enough. And I don’t think the Rabbi is objecting to that. In short, each work should be examined on its own merits.]