A letter prohibiting television?

Question

I don't have the book myself, but I believe it is called To Touch Kindle a Soul, on chinuch. It contains, in the endnotes a reference to a letter written by Rav Moshe Feinstein zt'l, Rav Shach zt'l, and I believe R. Yaakov Kaminetsky zt'l which prohibited television. The Hebrew text was said to be included in the "Laws of Yichud" (by the same author as the nice grey three volume "39 Melachos" work I believe) but this is no longer in print.

Is anybody familiar with the contents and or know how to obtain a copy?

Is it more of a teshuvah or more of a kol koreh (from the book it sounded like it might be a teshuvah with sources etc.)

Answer 1

I have the kuntres Davar Bito which discusses this topic. Some of the issues include:

1. Not to follow after your eyes.
2. Not to bring a Toeivah (disgusting thing) into your home.

Answer 2

The letter from those Gedolei Yisrael regarding television was received differently by different people. It could be it was meant as a teshuvah but the reality that it was written in is not the reality today so many statements within it need to be taken in context.

That they actually held that the television itself (the actual physical thing) was a toeivah is clear, but only because television's (not the physical television, but the pastime that comes with it) programming was not within the users' control. Their problem was the content shown on it (which is generally speaking even worse nowadays!). The VCR was not yet popular in 1975 ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_Cassette_Recorder ) and therefore it was not included in the discussion.

Today we have much more advanced technology and so many more problems and solutions that come with it.

Answer 3

Look in Shaarei Halacha U'Minhag (Kehos) for The Lubavitcher Rebbe's letters on why one cannot have a TV.

Answer 4

The Lubavitcher Rebber writes that Television is forbidden because:

1. It is so immodest, that even non-Jews started campaigning against it.
2. It incites people to violence. (Watching movies with people killing each other causes one to think about murder).
3. One will not be able to tell his children to watch only "kosher" material, as they will answer back "but you watch T.V. too".
4. Who says that the parents will not be affected. Today they will watch kosher shows, and tomorrow they will watch not-kosher shows.

5. Even if one (and his children) will watch only kosher shows, who says that others won't say that "since this big chossid has a T.V. I can also" (they won't know that he watches only kosher material on tv).

   The Lubavitcher Rebbe points out that in the past, people would avoid Churches, and children would be educated not to even look at a cross. Now, with TV, people bring the church into their house.

The Nitei Gavriel writes (in the name of the Shevet Haleivi) that one who has a TV, reads inappropriate newspapers or goes to movies is considered a Porutz with regards to Hilchos Yichud. The Nitei Gavriel says, however, that this categorization applies only to those who grew up knowing the severity of the laws of Tznius. If one grew up among irreligious Jews, he no longer has the law of being a "porutz"

Answer 5

When I was in his shiur from 2009-2011, HaRav Mordechai Machlis shlit"a said over a maaseh shehaya about when he was applying to enroll one of his daughters (not sure which one) in a certain haredi seminary. On the application, there was a question about ownership of television in the home of the student. Any girl who lived in a home containing a television set would not be permitted to enroll in the school. However, the Machlis family owned a TV. When the dean of the school questioned Rabbi Machlis about his answer on the application, he asked why a God-fearing Jew could possibly own a television, which brings in the spiritual impurities from the secular world into a Jewish home. Rabbi Machlis responded saying that when Mashiach comes, he wants to be able to experience the entire series of events on live television. Rabbi Machlis thought that is a very religious thing to want. Unfortunately, in the end, his daughter was rejected from the school. I wonder who did the right thing, Rabbi Machlis by admitting that he owned a TV, or the seminary, for rejection of the desire to see biat hamashiach in hi-def resolution (k'ilu bichvodo uv'atzmo)?

Answer 6

Rav Moshe held it was assur (forbidden) to go to movies and theaters.

Rav Nebontzol (Rav of the old city of Yerushalayim and Talmid (student) of Rav Shlomo Zalman) writes in his Mishna Brura (B'Yitzchak Yikrah) in chelek 6 in the back (hanhagos v'minhagim number 3) that Television is assur.