I happen to agree to WIY. Ferociously!
I don’t know about anyone here reading these posts, but to me IMHO these ads reek of insensitivity, and the type of gashmiyus Rabbonim scream against since we were kids.
What do you ‘frum’ posters mean ‘If he can afford it, and meets his tzedaka obligation, he’s entitled to spend his money as he wishes’???! What? On $40,000 watches?! ?”?! I don’t care how rich they are, if they are jewish & frum, they are sick (i.e. spiritually.), deeply sucked into Olam Hazeh and gashmiyus. I’m mesupik if there is an issur, I honestly don’t know, but I wonder if it goes into the violation of Kedoshim Tihiyu. But that’s all Bein Odom La’Mokom.
Then there is the insensitivity issue. To walk proudly with a luxurios $40,000 fashion accessory among your struggling jewish brothers and sisters who can’t afford basic tuition, food for their families, or to make a simple wedding. I don’t care if he gave $1 million dollars to tzaddaka! Where’s the sensitivity to the next person? Where is the tzniyus? and where’s the Middas Anavah? Out the window…
Parnassa? Sell it to the rich goyim, gezunterheit. Put such ads in their magazines for the wealthy. Beleive me, there’s plenty of them. But in our jewish frum papers, advertisements definitely should be strictly on something more low key, affordable and nice.
(*exhales*)