Israel is burning. Demonstrations against Netanyahu's proposed Judicial Reform legislation have been ongoing for almost three months. Hundreds of thousands of people have joined what has been described as the biggest protests in the country's history. Counter-protests have also begun, with tens of thousands attending the initial rallies. Everywhere around the world, Jews and non-Jews alike have had their say about it, including the Biden Administration's remarks that Israel "cannot continue down this road" and that Netanyahu would not be invited to the White House in the short term. Netanyahu and his allies struck back by pointing out that Washington was partly bankrolling the opposition groups, that Israel was a sovereign nation in control of its own destiny, and it was not acceptable for even a "best of friends" to apply these kinds of pressure when it comes to domestic issues.
While it seems Netanyahu showed signs of backing down and pushed any reform discussions until after Passover, the opposition has decided to keep protesting until it was entirely shelved. Or until Ben-Gvir's National Guard plan was nixed. Or until the coalition was dissolved and new elections were called. Apparently, once your protests pop, you just can't stop.
Passions are inflamed… but is it a reasonable reaction to the proposed legislation?
If Not That, What?
I am not going to opine on whether or not this is a good piece of legislation for a host of reasons. And I doubt you, or most people reading this, and even most people protesting, would be able to coherently explain to you what the reform genuinely means, why it is a threat to democracy according to some, and why it's a threat to democracy not to pass the reform according to others.
If you think I am exaggerating, let's see if you can answer the following five questions without relying on any outside help:
- Who is Aharon Barak? - How does the Israeli Supreme Court differ from the American Supreme Court? - Can you sum up the position of both camps accurately? - How does this generation of Israeli Jurists differ from the first generation? - ? אתה יכול להבין ולקרוא עברית
Those are such basic questions that anyone who can't accurately and immediately answer at least four out of five right away should not express any opinions on this issue at all. Multiple articles have been published about how it would increase tensions and even family separations over Passover. Yet, inside and outside of Israel, it hasn't stopped millions from debating, protesting, vandalizing, insulting, and attacking others for disagreeing with them.
How many people in the streets know about this issue, to the point of being able to comment appropriately about it on either side? What about those commenting publicly? On social media? What about you?
In a nutshell, the Judicial Reform and its protests are the perfect litmus test for social media's damage and our generation's lack of self-restraint.
Fake News
Isn't it enough for me to have read [favorite news source] for me to know what's going on? They explained the basics, and the people I agree with politically are on the same side; surely that's enough!?
This is the majority attitude. Sadly, the answer is a resounding no, and the reason can be summed up in four simple words: Gell-Mann Amnesia effect.
As explained by renowned physicist (and he apparently wrote some books, too) Michael Crichton:
"Briefly stated, the Gell-Mann Amnesia effect is as follows. You open the newspaper to an article on some subject you know well. In Murray's case, physics. In mine, show business. You read the article and see the journalist has absolutely no understanding of either the facts or the issues. Often, the article is so wrong it actually presents the story backward—reversing cause and effect. I call these the "wet streets cause rain" stories. Paper's full of them.
In any case, you read with exasperation or amusement the multiple errors in a story, and then turn the page to national or international affairs, and read as if the rest of the newspaper was somehow more accurate about Palestine than the baloney you just read. You turn the page, and forget what you know."
Indeed, many authorities such as the Chofetz Chaim have repeatedly exhorted Jews not to read newspapers due to the rampant lashon hara, and other mentions the fake information they propagate, how they further machloket, on top of the waste of time it ultimately is, etc.
The propriety of reading newspapers aside, it is clear that simply relying on pundits and journalists to chew our information and feed us their digest to digest is not the Jewish way to go. We are expected to do our research if we're going to discuss something. So, how do we go on about doing that?
The Modern Tree Of Death
The Talmud in Chagiga (14b) describes how 'four Sages entered the Orchard, and they are as follows: Ben Azzai, Ben Zoma, Acher ['The other,' his real name Elisha ben Avuya] and Rabbi Akiva." It continues by telling us that Ben Azzai glimpsed at what he shouldn't have, and died. Ben Zoma also glimpsed, and went insane. Acher saw something he couldn't understand, and became a heretic. Rabbi Akiva came in peace, and left in peace.'
All commentaries, and the Zohar in particular, explain that they did not enter a physical orchard but began Kabbalistic meditations to access knowledge outside their reach. The details of this story and its inner meaning are obviously far outside of the scope of this article. Still, the dangers of getting involved in ruminations and subjects outside of our sphere of knowledge are clearly illustrated by this story and relevant to us all.
When dealing with the world at large (and knowledge in general), there are four ways to approach them, and only one is the proper course. When it comes to social media, and the news, it can drive you crazy, it can kill you, can embitter your life and disconnect you from the world around you, or you can enter it in a peaceful state of mind and, more importantly, leave it in a peaceful state of mind as well.
Many studies have shown that exposure to social media, especially as a teenager, leads to higher risks of suicide in young adulthood, especially for women. In fact, the murder rate of teenagers has been growing at twice the rate of adults in the last five years, fueled by social media feuds and exposure to constant "positive" reinforcement that this is the way to go. Out of the over 15 million excess deaths during the beginning of the Covid pandemic, a non-negligible number were due to various types of misinformation, from quack cures to media-driven paranoia that led some to live in such self-isolation it led to their death.
Though there have been hundreds of so-called selfie deaths, it would be wrong to think that this is not something the traditional media drives as well. More and more studies show that media coverage drives mass shooters to commit crimes. It is a well-known fact that if it hadn't been for the presence of journalists, it is unlikely that the second Intifada would have gained ground. The constant presence of journalists and the worldwide push of propaganda incentivized the terror groups pushing on the rioters to take to the streets.
The negative impact of both social media and especially news media on our society is not only in the micro but the macro as well: The news media you consume affects your very own perception of reality.
In America, you can speak to two people who live in the same city, grew up in the same state, speak the same language and share the same culture, but also have two completely different views of the very same event and/or reality. That's because one watches Fox and OANN, the other CNN and MSNBC, one votes red and one votes blue, one prefers Shapiro and the other The Young Turks.
Ask one, and he'll tell you Covid was barely a cold; the other one that we still need to mask indoors and should return to more substantial restrictions to prevent a new spread. Ask the other, and he will tell you that January 6th was an insurrection and attempted coup; the other will tell you it was an overblown protest not anywhere near as bad as BLM and amounted to little more than a guided visit of the capitol. Safest elections, stolen elections. The list goes on and on.
Both sides believe that the other side is absolutely insane and that they are horrible monsters for believing what they believe. They fail to realize that neither of them is looking at the facts accurately; they are being fed a narrative that reinforces already pre-existent beliefs, and many of the "facts" they hold to be trustworthy are anything but.
And based on this, they are ready to hate, cut people out of their lives, and even be driven to crime.
Media Driven Division
This is what we are now witnessing in Israel. Two groups of people with fundamentally different views of reality. Such a wide gulf between both sides will only lead to disaster until cooler heads prevail.
Now, it's true that I have long supported some form of Judicial Reform. It is something that a majority of Israelis, both on the right and the left, agree on. Even Yair Lapid, leader of the opposition and self-styled leader of those protests, is on record supporting such a reform in the very recent past.
However, as I mentioned at the beginning of the article, I will not comment on the current protests and proposed reform for a simple reason: I do not know enough about them to do so. I have not read this specific law and don't plan to.
I indeed try to avoid politics in general. They cause needless division, tribalism, and awful behavior from a majority of those who engage in them. As the Lubavitcher Rebbe once declared, they are the "depths of evil."
It doesn't mean I don't have opinions. It doesn't mean I don't have beliefs. It doesn't mean I'm living cut off from the world. However, at the end of the day, I also don't treat these issues as partisan. I don't feel the need to pontificate, throw my hat in the fray, exchange words or insults with strangers, attend rallies or perform performative virtue-signaling with the right hashtags and emojis in my profile so people who share my views know I'm on their side.
If I don't have the time to read a bill or proposed law, how can I comment on it?
If I am not going to research an issue by reading about it from multiple angles, aggregating data, and trying to get to the truth, how can I comment on it?
And even if I do the work, if it's only going to lead to further divisions rather than bring people together, how can I comment on it?
"I type, therefore I am" is not the way to live our lives.
It brings us to our most crucial question: "If this is something that I will have no impact on, that has no impact on me, and will not in any way either benefit my life or the lives of those around me, why should I spend any time or energy on it? Especially when the result will most likely be a net negative by throwing fuel on the fire and creating more anger, division, and arguments?"
Even if we have something to say, often the wisest thing is not to say it unless we know that we are going to be a positive force in this world and bring it closer to the state of perfection described in the Torah, when all of humanity finally drops all conflicts, unites and lives as one under G-d's sovereignty.
Society today would be much healthier if we followed the simple rules of only discussing those thorny issues when we've 1) personally inquired into it 2) did thorough research from all angles 3) only became involved when our voice could have an impact and 4) it would help make the world a better place. And above all: remember that just because someone in front of a camera is telling us things that make us feel we hold the right opinions, it doesn't mean we should take it as the ultimate truth and owe it to ourselves to go through those four steps.
And if we can't answer all these questions positively, then we owe it to ourselves and the world at large to follow the word of our Sages:
Pirke Avot 1:17
Shimon [ben Rabban Gamliel] used to say: "All of my days, I grew up amongst the Sages, and I have found nothing better for a person than silence. Study is not the most important thing, but actions. Whoever indulges in too many words brings about sin."