Tuesday, October 20, 2009

"If the tweet is written with tears, it has a better chance of being recieved"


Rabbi Steinsaltz was asked:

Are social media tools a blessing or a curse for people of faith? Should we use digital technology to commune with the divine? Does God tweet?

Rabbi Steinsaltz responded:

"Twitter is not important in itself.

Does God write little notes in response to the letters that He receives in great numbers?

God also rarely responds verbally to the many spoken prayers addressed to Him.

The importance is not in the media, but in the sender of the message.

When there is a prayer or a question that has very little meaning to the person who asks it, then the vehicle by which insignificant prayers move from place to place is also unimportant.

One has to remember that in the holiest of places, God is not closer to the people; sometimes, people become closer to God in such places.

Pilgrimage is important because crossing the distance and taking the trouble may somehow change the pilgrim.

Going to the house of worship next door usually doesn't have the same effect.

In the same way, if the tweet is written with tears, it has a better chance of being received."

--Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz

From the "On Faith" website