I was thinking about Shimon ending his blog (which he explains here), so I asked myself (1) why I started this blog, (2) what I intend to accomplish with it, and (3) whether yatza scharo b'hefseido (whether the benefits outweigh the pitfalls). According to my own cheshbonos, the answers to the questions are these:
1) I started this blog primarily because I often learn something, have an insight, or hear a ma'aseh that I really enjoy and feel excited about. That feeling creates in me a desire to share that Torah, thought or insight. In some circumstances and with some Torahs or thoughts that I have, I have someone to share it with. For instance, I started learning some Shabbosim with a local bacur the Torahs of the Meor Einayim. But since circumstances often don't allow me to share what I learn, hear of, or think, I started this blog as a place to share those things with anyone who cares to read it.
2) I merely hope that some others who read what I share here are uplifted by those Torahs or thoughts, or find them as fascinating as I do! I also hope to simply fulfill my own desire to share certain things that I learn with others.
3) Do the detriments outweigh the benefits? This is a bit harder. I'm not a big blogger, posting 3, 5, or even 10 posts a day. I post one or two things 2-3X per week on average. Mostly I do this during my lunch breaks at work or sometimes in the evening before I go to sleep. Neither one of those times takes away from any time when I would have been learning or spending time with my children or wife, had I not been blogging. So at this point, according to my cheshbon, this activity does not create significant problems, which might counterbalance the gains.
One other important thought.
I believe that I cannot trust myself to make this cheshbon alone. I believe that it requires Daas Torah and I intend, when things are a little calmer for him after Pesach, to ask my rebbe this question.
-Dixie Yid
Update: Please see the answer I got for my own situation in this post, Dixie Yid will remain.
6 comments:
Keep blogging and I will keep reading!
I agree that #3 is the most difficult. One important thing you mentioned that I did not is checking with your Rav. That's very important indeed! I wish you Hatzlocha with your decision - whether it is to blog or not - as I am sure you are going through a sincere process of evaluating the gains and losses.
I spoke to my rav about it this past erev shabbath.
I told him I've been trying to write 3 divrei Torah every day and put them out on the web. I shared my fears, mainly either that I might mislead people or that perhaps I shouldn't be posting because of how much more I have to learn.
He told me:
it's very important to share (or at least write down) your chidushim otherwise it is possible to have to come back in a gilgul to share them.
he didn't state any issue with it, I explained I felt much happier when I see that I have almost no traffic because then I don't need to worry about these things.
--
I do realise that I waste a lot of other internet time because of blogging. Which when I noticed this, I cut back on sites that I enjoyed but sometimes posted innappropriate things.
It does cut into my work sometimes, but I think it's important to make my Torah kevah and my work arai.. not to mention that how complicated things get at work (ie. how much work I have to do) is directly dependent on God and what he puts before me and when he hads simple answers from me--i've been a lot happier with this methodology. Though I do worry and am unsettled about issues of gezel.
I really appreciate all of your thoughts on this. I was hoping people would share their thoughts on how they weigh these issues. And it is great that Yitz has already spoken to his Rav about this.
I do hope you or anyone else readin this will share the issues they feel need to be addressed in this area. Certainly hearing all of this will help me concretize the the issues I will be specifically asking my rebbe about.
-Dixie Yid
Please do keep blogging! I, for one, learn a lot from you and from ASJ and Yitz (sorry not to have encountered Shimon's blog till now). You are all contributing to my understanding of Torah and Yiddishkeit! Your postings are meaningful and worthwhile. Thanks!
Shoshana,
Thank you for your kind words! And I've enjoyed your guest postings at ASJ too. I appreciate your sentiments. Be well!
-Dixie Yid
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