Q&A: Likes
Likes
Question
Hello Rabbi,
When I listen to lectures on YouTube, I give a like to every lecture I’ve listened to, not necessarily because I liked it or agreed with what was said in it. The reason I do this is for convenience, so that I know what I’ve already listened to, or as a kind of tracking of how many lectures I’ve already heard (it makes me feel good…).
My question is: if a lecture contains heretical statements or principles that run contrary to the truth, is my giving it a like considered “assisting the hands of a transgressor” (“do not place a stumbling block”), or is there room to be lenient, and why?
Thank you very much in advance 🙏
Answer
I think there is no halakhic prohibition in this, but if you do not agree with the content of the lecture or do not enjoy it, it is not advisable to give it a like.
Discussion on Answer
The prohibition of assistance is when you help someone commit the transgression. Does a like help him formulate his views? Or help him persuade someone else? That is very remote; it is unreasonable to see this as halakhic assistance.
If I’m not mistaken, giving a like helps promote the video or increase its distribution.
What is the reasoning for saying that this is not considered assistance (and a halakhic prohibition)?