The selfie.
SelfieFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A selfie is a type of self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a hand-held digital camera or camera phone. Selfies are often associated with social networking. They are often casual, are typically taken either with a camera held at arm's length or in a mirror, and typically include either only the photographer or the photographer and as many people as can be in focus...
There are different theories of the psychology behind the selfie... generally some aspect of narcissism is thought to be involved.. haughtiness, being self-absorbed, attention-seeking, self-indulgence, etc. some question that and suggest it is a form of identity exploration..
It seems that this has also become a halachic issue..
According to a report on Mako, some rabbonim are disturbed by the popularity of the selfie and how the trend has caught on in the Haredi community (though what social media would they be posting to if they don't have Internet access?) and in yeshivas. They consider it some form of idol worship empowering man and causing people to forget about God. That is along with the problem of bittul torah.
idol worship? empowerment? seems a bit of a reach to me... I think they might just mean haughtiness, which can be compared to idol worship. I'll assume it is a Mako mistake.
One anonymous rav is quoted as saying that it cannot be that people are busy taking pictures of themselves and publicizing them and wasting so much time from torah learning, and it has an aspect of avoda zara.
Rav Eliyahu Abergil, av beis din in Jerusalem, said it is a trend that is pointless and should be stopped. He said it causes harm to avreichim and the torah world. I assume he means by being involved in such a waste of time and a distraction of one's focus..
so, the rabbonim are paskening against selfies...
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