The Problem May Go Beyond the Magazine’s Cover

By Chananya Light

Crown Heights is abuzz after reports emerged that Crown Heights stores had united in a decision not to carry a certain frum magazine, following controversy over its front-cover feature.

To tell the truth, I received the news with a measure of relief. Even so many years after Gimmel Tammuz, it is heartening to see that chassidim and business owners from Anash remain passionate about upholding the Rebbe’s honor, and are keenly aware of what is appropriate to bring into our homes and community, and what simply has no place there.

However, if I may, I would like to turn your attention to another issue that, unfortunately, has not received nearly as much widespread attention, one that I have become familiar with through my own experiences.

I’m not here to critique any specific magazines or publications. Perhaps, though, this incident can serve as a reminder that, alongside looking at the cover, we should sometimes pause to take a look at the ‘book’ itself.

Many Lubavitch families bring these magazines into their homes without thinking twice. They are, after all, frum magazines. What they don’t realize is how much the content can veer from the Rebbe’s teachings and basic Lubavitch values.

I know this because I myself began reading these publications regularly over the last few years. But over time, I began noticing a change. It took me a while to put my finger on it, but I realized that the magazines were influencing me and my family in ways I hadn’t expected.

Take, for example, the way they speak about money and business. Chassidus teaches that “Birkas Hashem hi taashir,” the bracha comes from Hashem, and the work is simply a keili. More work won’t bring a person more parnassa.

But in these magazines, great significance is given to different tricks of the trade and ways to become wealthy. We dedicate time to learning Chassidus and building our bitachon, but then we compromise it by reading content that gives us a very different perspective on how parnassa works.

The same is true for politics. A chossid knows that whatever happens in politics is orchestrated by Hashem. It’s not Trump or Putin who call the shots; they are simply maneuvered by the One Above. But that’s not the feeling you get from reading these magazines.

News stories naturally focus on political calculations, military strategies, elections, and the people who supposedly control the world’s affairs. That’s how the news is written, even by frum, believing Yidden. But when you read it regularly, you begin to absorb that way of thinking.

In Chassidus, we learn that Elokus b’pshitus and olamos b’hischadshus. Hashem is the simple, obvious reality, and the world is a novelty created by Him. But reading so much about world affairs can slowly turn that around. The world becomes the obvious reality, and Hashem becomes something we have to consciously remind ourselves about.

It’s not that we stop believing in hashgacha pratis ch”v. But the feeling changes. Things that should be the most real and important to us, like Torah and mitzvos, our connection to Hashem, and Moshiach’s coming, can begin to feel less central.

Another facet is the idolization of food and music. I’m a regular person and I enjoy good food and kosher music, but I know that it’s a pleasure and not a purpose. The magazines, however, celebrate the “mouthwatering tastes” of food and admire “Jewish music stars.”

You may be thinking, “Okay, big deal, there are a lot worse things out there.” But the fact is that when you and your family read these magazines week in and week out, it leaves an impression and changes the culture in your home.

The problem is that the influence is so subtle. When a magazine has something clearly objectionable on its cover, everyone notices. But when it presents an entire outlook on money, politics, entertainment, or life in general that isn’t in line with Chassidus, it can pass completely unnoticed.

We can spend hours learning Chassidus and trying to internalize its teachings, only to then spend hours reading material that trains us to look at the world in a very different way.

The kids’ supplements are another issue. They are often empty and vain, and they encourage pustkeit and stupidity. Many feature action-packed comics that are only “Jewish” because the hero wears a yarmulka. They are certainly not in line with “chinuch al taharas hakodesh” (which extends far beyond learning “English”).

And yet, many yungeleit who are very particular about their children’s chinuch bring these magazines into their homes without a second thought. After all, they’re frum children’s magazines!

I’m not saying that these magazines are bad. For many Jews, they are a step up, and they inspire them to become better. The people producing them are not chassidim, and they never claimed to be. But for a chossid who strives to live by Chassidus, they can be a huge step down.

Chassidim are extra particular about what they eat, hear, and see, understanding that even things that aren’t outright forbidden can have an influence on us and our families. Why should we be any less particular about what we read?

I know many people will say that it’s the best that there is. Even if that’s true, it’s no excuse. We need to find something better. And if it doesn’t exist, we need to create one.

It’s about time that there should be a true Lubavitch magazine, for adults and children alike, that covers all the above areas while staying focused on the ikar. A magazine that doesn’t just avoid inappropriate content, but covers life through the lens of the Rebbe’s teachings and Chassidus.

Until then, I’m better off without these magazines in my home. I’m not telling anyone else what to do, but seeing the effect they had on my family, I don’t want to continue exposing myself to it.

The controversial cover in Crown Heights was easy to recognize, and Boruch Hashem, people took a stand. But perhaps it’s time we paid just as much attention to what is printed on all the other pages.