Ask The Rabbi 10 June 1995 Issue #67 ========================================================================== This edition contains: 1. Thou Shalt Not Read Thy Neighbors' E-Mail? 2. Answer to Last Week's Liddle Riddle ========================================================================== Michael from Pittsburgh wrote: >Dear Rabbi, > >Does the "Cherem d'Rabbeinu Gershom" ["social excommunication"-ed.] >against reading someone's mail also apply to E-Mail? At work we all share >one E-Mail account, and sometimes I find it difficult to overcome my >curiosity. * * * * * * * * * * * Dear Michael, Rabbeinu Gershom (960-1040 C.E.), "The Light of the Exile," was one of the earliest and greatest scholars of Ashkenazic Jewry, and led the most prestigious center of Talmudic learning of the day. In his times, there arose a need to institute a number of new measures, called "takanot." These included the banning of polygamy and the requirement of mutual consent in divorce. Amongst his most well known enactments is the one you mentioned -- the prohibition against reading people's mail. In those times, Jewish traders in different countries communicated in writing. Often their letters contained sensitive business information which could be very harmful if read by an outsider. As a safeguard against this, Rabbeinu Gershom legislated against reading people's mail. What about E-Mail? Is reading E-Mail on a computer screen included in the "Cherem of Rabbeinu Gershom"? I posed this question to Rabbi Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg, shlita, and he made no distinction between regular mail and E- Mail. You wrote, however, that you share a joint account. Here, the question can be asked, "Is an E-Mail message in a joint account like a post card?" Concerning post cards there is a doubt whether or not Rabbeinu Gershom's decree applies, since the sender seems unconcerned if others read it. On the other hand, perhaps the sender trusts that no one will push the button and "open" the message -- just as when you send a letter you expect that no one will open and read it. I asked Rabbi Scheinberg about this as well. Here, too, he made no distinction between a joint account and a private account. People expect that no one read their messages, and it should not be done. I hope this knowledge helps you overcome your curiosity. If not, let me remind you of the positive commandment of "v'ahavta l'reacha ka'mocha" -- "Love your fellow person as yourself." Our Sages explain this as follows: One must not do to somebody else what he wouldn't want the other person to do to him. Would you like someone else to read your personal E-mail? Sources: o Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah 334:22. o Aruch HaShulchan 334:20. o Herald of Destiny, by Berel Wein, Shaar Press. o Leviticus 19:18, Shabbat 31a, Maharsha. ========================================================================== Answer to Last Week's Riddle: (Q&A courtesy of Joel Intract) Question: Aside from Chanukah and Chol HaMoed, when is the Torah read 5 days in a row? Answer: When the first day of Rosh Hashanah occurs on Thursday. The Torah is read the first and second day of Rosh Hashanah, and then on Shabbos. Sunday is "The Fast of Gedaliah," followed by the regular Torah reading on Monday! ========================================================================== SUBSCRIBE! to one of the many weekly "lists" published by Ohr Somayach Institutions: weekly - Summary of the weekly Torah portion. dafyomi - Rav Mendel Weinbach's insights into the Daf Yomi. ask - The Rabbi answers YOUR questions on Judaism. parasha-qa - Challenging questions on the weekly Torah portion. os-special - All the SPECIAL publications produced by Ohr Somayach. os-alum - "B'Yachad" - the Ohr Somayach Electronic Alumni Newsletter. There is NEVER a charge for any of the above lists (though your local information provider, such as AOL, Prodigy or CompuServe, might charge a nominal fee). To subscribe to any of these lists, send the message: subscribe {listname} {your full name} to: listproc@jer1.co.il =========================================================================== Dedication opportunities are available for Ask The Rabbi. Please contact us for details. =========================================================================== Jewish L EEEEEEEE Prepared by Ohr Somayach Institutions J L E 22 Shimon Hatzadik Street, POB 18103 J L Exchange Jerusalem 91180, Israel J J L E Tel: 972-2-810315 Fax: 972-2-812890 JJJJ Learning EEEEEEEE Internet: ohr@jer1.co.il =========================================================================== (C) 1995 Ohr Somayach International - All rights reserved. This publication may be distributed to another person intact without prior permission. We also encourage you to include this material in other publications, such as synagogue newsletters. However, we ask that you contact us beforehand for permission, and then send us a sample issue.