Ancient values for a Brave New World

Is it harder or easier than it once was to be a teenager? That’s not an easy question to answer. The very things that expose our teens to greater options and opportunities, that help them stay connected to the families who care for them, are themselves a source of danger. In late November, some students at a Naples High School held a “Kick A Jew” day. Communication on Facebook facilitated the organization of this despicable ‘event’. Around the same time a young girl committed suicide after a sexually explicit picture that she sent “went viral” and was soon widely available at her school. And many of us know stories of teens interacting with seemingly harmless on-line “friends”, who turn out to be anything but harmless.

This is not to suggest that technology and social networking are solely to blame for these incidents. Long before Facebook or cell phones, teens were victimized by bullies, rampant gossip and immoral predators. But technological advances and the nearly universal involvement of our teens in utilizing these advances have created a whole new set of issues for them and for us. And let there be no mistake – these are Jewish issues. As a community, as grandparents and parents, as teachers and friends, we have an obligation to draw on the resources of our tradition to help guide our young people through the brave new world that is theirs to inherit.

Technology and social networking are neither inherently good nor inherently bad. This is, in fact, the way that Judaism views many things, including food, money and our physical relationships. It is up to us to sanctify them, to make them holy by the way in which we use them in our lives. Do we sanctify the act of eating by being cognizant of the origins of the food we consume? Do our intimate relationships reflect the highest moral values of our tradition? Is money not merely something to amass for our own pleasure, but a vehicle to help others, an opportunity to give tzedakah?

We all know the wonders that technology has created. The list is endless: we can reach out beyond our own institutions through programs like the Federation’s e-newsletter, “Let My People Know”. We can better meet the needs of our members and constituents. We can stay in touch with our youth when they spend time in Israel or go to college and we can even reconnect with long lost friends. But it doesn’t take recent news events to be reminded that there are drawbacks as well. And I’m not only referring to the dramatic stories that make the news. Does a group of teens standing around each other listening to his or her own iPod form a community? Does it matter if teens (and adults for that matter) stand in the synagogue lobby sending text messages, or leave a meeting to take a phone call? Do the unique rules and ease of communication via Facebook or text alter the way in which sacred and meaningful relationships develop? And how does the way in we as adults are connected to our blackberries or iPhones influence the behavior of our children?

I don’t pretend to know the answers to these questions. But I do think that we have to keep asking them. We need to be actively discussing them with our young people – not to discourage their use, but to strive to make the way in which they are used reflective of our tradition’s sacred values. Our tradition defines clear boundaries about many things, to help us sanctify our lives, to elevate our lives beyond mere existence to a life of meaning. While the Torah obviously does not speak directly about Facebook or Twitter, our tradition does contain values and teachings that can be applied to contemporary life as our ancestors have done for centuries. In our community, in our institutions, we need to openly discuss and wrestle with these 21st century issues. We owe our young people – and ourselves – nothing less.

The Rabbinically Speaking column is provided as a public service by the Jewish Press in cooperation with the Tampa Rabbinical Association. Columns are assigned, on a rotating basis by the board.