I saw in a frum publication a beautiful article by a American grandfather describing how he attended the bar mitzva of his grandson who lives in the Old City of Jerusalem and that we have finally returned home etc. etc. The message was clear - Yerushalayim is the true home of the Jewish people.
On the facing that page, there were four large advertisements. One was to move to Providence, Rhode Island, the second to move to Cincinnati, Ohio [with a picture of a major Rosh Yeshiva who gives his haskama], the third to spend Pesach in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the fourth to visit graves in the Ukraine.
So which is it - Yerushalayim or Providence-Cincinnati-Lancaster-Lizhensk??
The answer - it depends. Whatever brings in money. Inspiring articles about family connections and holy sites are interesting and generate interest which sells magazines. Advertisements ALSO bring in money. Lots of it. So OF COURSE there are mixed messages but that is OK because a lot of people are making a living off this.
Don't get me wrong - it is CRITICAL that we have frum publications. Otherwise people would be reading trash ח"ו. There are also many positive messages in these publications [although mixed in with a shatnez of negative messages]. So keep 'em coming. But we have to remember that for PURE EMES magazines and newspapers aren't the place to go. PASHUT.
On that note: There is article after article after article after article [and sometimes the entire issue] featuring people who are making heavy money. I have to remind myself time and again that despite the glory and glitter - THAT IS NOT THE PURPOSE OF LIFE!! Even if one wears a yarmulke or shaytel [or both...] in addition to making big bucks - that is not enough. We are here to perform kindness and know Hashem. How does the Navi Michah put it?
הִגִּיד לְךָ אָדָם מַה טּוֹב וּמָה יְ-ה-וָ-ה דּוֹרֵשׁ מִמְּךָ כִּי אִם עֲשׂוֹת מִשְׁפָּט וְאַהֲבַת חֶסֶד וְהַצְנֵעַ לֶכֶת עִם אֱ-לֹהֶיךָ.
Or the Navi Yirmiyahu:
כֹּה אָמַר יְ-ה-וָ-ה אַל יִתְהַלֵּל חָכָם בְּחָכְמָתוֹ וְאַל יִתְהַלֵּל הַגִּבּוֹר בִּגְבוּרָתוֹ אַל יִתְהַלֵּל עָשִׁיר בְּעָשְׁרוֹ. כִּי אִם בְּזֹאת יִתְהַלֵּל הַמִּתְהַלֵּל הַשְׂכֵּל וְיָדֹעַ אוֹתִי כִּי אֲנִי יְ-ה-וָ-ה עֹשֶׂה חֶסֶד מִשְׁפָּט וּצְדָקָה בָּאָרֶץ כִּי בְאֵלֶּה חָפַצְתִּי נְאֻם יְ-ה-וָ-ה.
So it is about doing justice, kindness, being modest [is being featured in a magazine or newspaper modest? I guess it depends on what one's motivations are] and KNOWING HASHEM. NOT making 6-9 figures. [Although we bless all those making 6-9 figures with the bracha that זרעיכם וכספיכם ירבו כחול].
So why don't they have articles about "regular guys" who learn 12 plus hours a day with mesirus nefesh and whose wives juggle their large families with many other responsibilities? These people don't have smartphones, they don't travel on business, they don't rub elbows with famous politicians and entrepreneurs [why would people want to rub elbows with anybody? It's an odd way of connecting], but they do live lives devoted completely to spiritual pursuits and get little to no respect for it. The answer is that writing about an avreich from Kiryat Sefer with a wife and eleven kids living on a salary of 20 thousand dollars a year whose wife is a third grade teacher doesn't sell. It will only sell if something out of the ordinary happened, like he donated both of his kidneys and two thirds of his pancreas to save the lives of strangers or if his wife has an on-line business on the side selling tzniyusdike women's gym apparel on the side...
So of course we applaud and love all of those who "made it" and MUST have an ayin tovah and not chas vi-shalom one ounce of jealousy but have to keep in mind that "טוב לי תורת פיך מאלפי זהב וכסף" and frankly, I can't imagine that these people enjoy life more than I and people who live like me, do. They have more "luxuries" and physical comforts but the NESHAMA is satiated MUCH MORE by daf gemara and a shtikel Sfas Emes, a terutz to a shver Rambam and a Maamar of the Baal Hatanya in Likkutei Torah, than by all the skyscrapers or Fortune 500 companies in the world.
PS - I just found out from the video that Rav Dessler's [the "Michtav Me'eliyahu"] grandson is a billionaire. My wife was best friends with his daughter in childhood and I never heard from my wife anything about their money. It must be because a - they are modest about it and b - my wife isn't impressed by a lot of money [even though I tell her that she married me for my money...:-].
