Is it appropriate to read works of fantasy – say, Harry Potter, for example?
I have never been a big fan of science fiction, fantasy, or any related genres. I used to joke that if I needed fiction, I would read The New York Times – until that ceased being a joke.
I cannot therefore claim great familiarity with fantasy works, including Harry Potter, although I have heard that some authorities are uncomfortable with depictions of supernatural powers that border on idolatry. As long as the content is morally appropriate and the values underlying the narrative are positive, fanciful descriptions of otherworldly forces and powers do not concern me.
Generally speaking, Rav Avraham Yitzchak Hakohen Kook wrote favorably of literature and its virtues. Each person is limited in his or her capacity to see the world, understand different cultures, and even empathize with different life experiences. That was certainly true before the era of television, movies, and the Internet, but it is still true today in the sense that we can live narrow lives and constrict our vision of the lives of others by choosing only those outlets that reinforce our view of the world.
Rav Kook affirmed that literature gives us a window into the lives of other people whose experiences would otherwise be alien and unknown to us. Thus, those who abstain from reading literature forfeit the opportunity to broaden their vistas and gain from learning from others.
It would seem that works of fantasy also – even if to an exaggerated degree – expand the imagination of the reader in a way that, if the content is wholesome, is intellectually enriching.
Another benefit, especially for young people, is that if these books get them to read. That itself will serve them well when they graduate to more serious works and to Torah scholarship.
— Rabbi Steven Pruzansky is the Israel regional
vice president for the Coalition for Jewish Values
* * * * *
If the question is: “Should a person learn Torah or read fantasy?” there’s no question that he should learn Torah or do something highly productive.
However, if a person is going to take leisure time, I don’t see anything intrinsically wrong with reading a work of fantasy. As a matter of fact, one of the great powers of a good author is his or her ability to take you inside a world which you can’t access any other way – a world of someone else’s emotions, psyche, and their vantage point on the world.
So provided the work of fantasy is kosher in the sense that there’s no inappropriate material or approaches against the Torah, then, not only don’t I see a negative, I potentially see a very strong learning experience.
— Rabbi Ben Zion Shafier, founder of The Shmuz
* * * * *
I wrote two novels – Murderer in the Mikdash and The Making of the Messiah, 2048 – and a book of short stories in the hope and belief that thinking about the issues – what it means for Mashiach to come in the modern world, what it means to have a Jewish state based on halacha with a Davidic monarch, etc. – would engage readers more fully with core Torah ideas.
I believed, and believe, fiction can lead us to ways of thinking and feeling that most of us do not reach intellectually.
Harry Potter doesn’t bring us to specifically Torah ideas, but it does lay out important values of friendship, dedication to and sacrifice for a cause, the recognition of and battle against evil, and more.
Of course, many Torah giants achieved comparable insight without recourse to secular fiction. Mori ve’rabi R. Aharon Lichtenstein, zt”l – who valued his PhD in English literature because literature illuminates many elements of the human condition – spoke with reverent awe of R. Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, zt”l, who I am fairly confident did not read much literature.
Few of us, though, are R. Shlomo Zalman.
Reading fiction relaxes us and readies us for renewed effort to serve G-d (and, for children, provides entertainment at a time of life when they necessarily need play to learn about the world). I had a teacher who once told me his brain would occasionally stop working and he needed two to three days of reading junk novels to recharge. Harry Potter serves that purpose too. It untaxes our brains with easy-to-follow narratives.
Should a Jew read Harry Potter? I’m not sure I’d go that far. May a Jew read Harry Potter for the right and appropriate motives? It seems to me clearly yes.
— Rabbi Dr. Gidon Rothstein, author,
regular contributor to www.Torahmusings.com
* * * * *
Halachically speaking, there are generally two opinions on reading secular (non-Torah) books: 1) It’s prohibited since doing so entails bittul Torah and exposure to ideas foreign to Torah. 2) It’s permitted as long as the content of the books is modest and doesn’t include Torah-prohibited subjects.
The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 307:16 and Shulchan Aruch Harav 307:30) explicitly prohibits reading such books on Shabbos and “even during weekdays.” However, some (see Magen Avraham, ibid.) maintain that they are allowed during the week as long as they are read casually, not with total immersion.
The Shulchan Aruch goes on to say that books from which one can learn morality and grow in fear of G-d may be read even on Shabbos. (Yet, even then, one should not do so in abundance, says the Shulchan Aruch Harav).
Practically speaking, the decision you make on such matters should be determined in consultation with your rav or mashpia who can help you assess the question based on different factors, including your level of piety and spiritual status.
— Rabbi Simon Jacobson,
renowned Lubavitch author and lecturer