Jameel and I have been sharing books lately, so I might as well officially announce the formation of the Joe-Jameel Book Club.

Among the books we are reading are The Tipping Point, Blink, Off the Derech, Nosson Slifkin's books, and various Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society Books (Rabbi Jacob Joseph School)

Why do I bring this up? Mostly because of ‘Off the Derech’ opened my eyes to how cynical I and others have become to various rabbinical halachic ‘decrees’ as of late, and how it can affect one's religiousity.

I mean seriously, how can you take the concept of Avoda Zorah wigs seriously when the pronouncements come from the same circles that have actually forbidden pizza shops in Bnei Brak?

More so, A lot of women in the Chareidi world (not those that burned their wigs right away) found it curious that that this happened right when some of the same rabbis are trying to get rid of ‘Custom’ wigs which they keep rallying against, or worse, simply trying to make money by requiring a ‘kashrut certificate’ (which as they predicted, every Jewish wig store now prominently displays).

Or invisible bugs in the drinking water! After no one noticed bugs in the water for, well, forever, suddenly when NY Jewish society is driving itself even more rightward in an attempt to be externally yet even more makpid as it compensates for something internally lacking, this becomes an issue.

How is it that things that were 100% OK for years (such as no mechitza on buses) are suddenly no good any more? Coincidence?

Do you see why I may have become a little cynical?

As it happens I picked up the Spring 2005 issue of the Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society Books which discussed Copepods and Wigs (in separate articles).

I can honestly say that while the articles were inconclusive regarding the final psakei halacha, at least I now understand the issues, the origins, and the positions - pro and con. I understand why some people take the problems seriously and why some don’t (but after all the talk of eyeballs and antennae running from the tap – forget halacha, the heebie-jeebies alone have converted me to bottled water).

My point is that Jewish society is not what it was 100 years ago.

Many people no longer accept blanket halachic pronouncements. There’s so much abuse of Halacha and obvious attempts to use it to modify society into someone else’s ideal that we tend to view all pronouncements with the same skepticism and cynicism.

Out of necessity we’ve become the (Sym’s) Jewish Consumer. You want to sell us something, then educate us. Explain it fully. If not, we may ignore you (except those that need to be more rightwing for (or than) their neighbors).

And that has become the big problem.

We read in the newspapers half truths and incomplete accounts about what a certain rabbi said or paskened and you can guess what our immediate reaction becomes. More cynicism. Just look at how many yeshiva students will defend ‘daas torah’ to the end while chain smoking their cigarettes. Look how many people are attacking the Chief Rabbi with no knowledge of what he really said or wants to do.

I happened to pick up the JHCS books and got a better insight into the problems of copepods and wigs. Knowing all the facts I can now make up my mind if this makes sense, if I should follow it (well I don't wear a wig, but you know what I mean), or if there is some ulterior motive or other nonsense behind the rulings.

I am making myself into a better educated Jewish consumer (well I always have been, I think, but Shavuos gave me some time to catch up). But how many other Jews out there are not getting the information they need to make informed decisions? How many are becoming more cynical and ignoring things they shouldn’t be? How many may have even left Judaism because of this?

If the rabbis want us to start having a better appreciation and more respect for what they have to say, they are going to have to start working on their hasbara. Partial information from third party sources is not enough, and in the internet age where getting information out is not a problem, they had better get with it – and that includes those that say that the internet is treif.