TWITTER AND THE METZORA > Vices and Virtues of the information Revolution
Is our present-day information revolution virtue or vice? It certainly is an unprecedented blessing to be able to access any type of info, anytime, anywhere. Any moment in the day, in any place you may be (even in the shower or places you would prefer not be bothered), you can text and be texted. With the press of a button, even laying in bed half asleep, you can find out virtually anything. Yet, do you feel freer as a result? Doyou feel that this instant and total access of information has emancipated your mind, heart and soul? Do you have less psychological blocks, and have your personal relationships improved? Or -- as many argue -- as we write more and more about less and less, we have become more neurotic, less intimate. When was the last time you had an extended heart to heart conversation with another? How long can you stand alone (and for that matter, with others) and not fidget and check your mobile? When all true things in life require process, growth, time, patience -- what is instant access information doing to our brains and to our capacity to love?Are we losing our ability to appreciate silence? To get lost in thought and feeling? And how does the deluge of information affect our capacity for gossip?
Would you believe that this dilemma isaddressed in this week's Torah portion? In discussing themethod to heal the Metzora (a psycho/spiritual disease), theTorah tells us that one of the elements in the healing process is bringing an offering of two birds. Why birds?“Because lesions of tzara’ath come as a result of derogatory speech, which is caused by chattering.Therefore, for his cleansing, this person is required tobring birds, which twitter constantly with chirping sounds.” But why should twittering birds be liable for human indiscretions of incessant chattering?
Please join Rabbi Jacobson in a fascinating discussion on Twitter, the information age and our state of health. Discover how the Metzora can teach us healthy tools of communication, to enhance our lives, our intimacy and our relationships.
