I have struggled for a definition myself for some time now. I grew up cloaked in all things yeshivish. But over the years I merged secular and modern lifestyle ideas with my yeshiva upbringing and the 2 didn’t seem mutually exclusive. But what was I? How could I define myself? Did going to college make me compromise on Kashrus? No. Does watching TV or seeing a movie lessen my observance of Shabbos? No. So what mahalech am I following? And what would you call the millions like me? Just what is MO? After a lot of discussion with friends and family I think I have come upon a definition. Now, you always have those that follow extremes, but I think this is a very reasonable and measured take on MO. I think that MO means, that when a problem or conflict (big or small)comes up between our Jewish Values and observance and modern concepts and values, we do not automatically and reflexively recoil and say NO. Its very easy to say no. But it comes at a price. An analogy would be….
Imagine that you have to cross a street. Could be a small one that is seldom traveled, it could be a large, dangerous thoroughfare. You have 2 choices. Carefully navigate across, or stay on your side, keep walking, maybe cross later, maybe never at all. But, should you continue to walk you may run into the neighbors dog. A vicious cur that will most likely chase you across the street and remove from you the luxury of being careful as you cross.
The internet.
A massive thoroughfare on par with the most dangerous boulevards in the world. Cars hurling left and right threatening to brain even the most careful and alert pedestrians. What do you do? Well what was done by most of the Chareidi world was to keep walking. We will cross somewhere else. First, ignore it. Its just tumah! Then, its assur!! If we find it in your home, your kids will be kicked out of our school!! But then years of walking down the road came to a halt… they met the neighbors dog!! The net was everywhere already. It was already in the hands of almost every Jew. With its vile filth and its productive contributions. Now you have to run into the street. Make an Asifa. Make filtering software. Hurry hurry, stop the bleeding from the dog bite and avoid the cars!! Its all a little too late. Yes, some will be saved. But many will not. The measured MO response was wait… lets analyze this and see if it has positive aspects. Hey we can post the entire daf yomi on here!! we can have shiurim from far and wide on here. Jews who are unaffiliated can now connect with frumkeit across continents!! Uh oh, there’s bad stuff here too. Lets see if we can outweigh the vulgar with holiness. Lets educate those that use this and stress the good that can be done. And to be careful.
This is what I think MO comes down to. Carefully navigating across a street instead of just the usual “we’ll just keep walking along.” Because while “assuring” something and walking by might work for a while with some things, it has a tendency to fail. And when it does, it is a spectacular failure.