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What do you think?
Books like “The (fill in the Rabbi) Speaks Volume 4” “Tales of the Soul 2” “Wisdom Each Day 7” “Simcha- It’s not Just Happiness” “Success!” “Dear Rabbi, Dear Doctor, Dear Lawyer, Dear Business Executive” etc. etc. etc. etc etc. etc……………..
nope
The answer to your question is yes, but it’s not because of those books. There is no limit to the number of inspirational books you can write.
This question was addressed a couple hundred years ago:
“There are many holy books in existence today, and many more are destined to be printed in the future. The world needs all of them, and it is wrong to cast aspersions on any of them. They are all firmly based upon the Written and Oral Law. It is philosophical works based on speculation and false ideology that you should keep away from, no matter who they might be written by. But all books which are in accordance with the Holy Torah that we received on Mt. Sinai are very precious, and they are all necessary for the world. One who scoffs at them will be subject to the judgement of boiling excrement, and he will never succeed in gaining any practical guidance from the Torah he studies. He will never be sure about anything. He will constantly be afflicted with doubts in whatever he does until he repents and revises his view of these holy books. And when he does, the harsh judgements in the world will be sweetened by means of the Holy Torah. The very perfection of the Torah depends upon the abundance of books concerned with the oral Law (Ibid. 5).” (Likutei Eitzos, Torah Study 45)
Inspirational material has been demonstrated to not help with happiness, self-esteem, or self-improvement over any significant amount of time. In fact it often has the opposite effect because of the letdown factor. The motivational industry has been pushing the stuff for decades, so we have decades worth of failures to prove the negative effects.
There is not nearly enough Demotivator material though. Demotivation helps you set your sights lower, so you avoid missing your goals and feeling bad about yourself. Plus, its funny instead of sad. I’d trade a hundred inspiration books for one t shirt.
There should be seforim that give people lomdus in a simplified manner.
If there were, then the publishers that publish them, the bookstores that sell them, and the author that write them WOULD GO OUT OF BUSINESS. This isn’t happening, and in fact the relatively high prices suggest that demand is quite great since an oversupply, relative to demand, results in falling prices. The fact that few few publishers have switched to giving away stuff electronically suggests demand is still quite strong for sefarim, and the supply does not meet the demand.
in days of yonder, it cost a lot of money to reproduce a book. thus, only those many believed would be profitable because of its rich content were bothered to be reproduced. hence, a natural evolutionary/survival of the fittest science ensured us that the seforim contained legitimate content. today, it costs almost nothing to print a book and any idiot with a computer can put one together. hence, if you come across something from the contemporary period, you needn’t always give it much credence. in other words, not all “late achronim” have anything valuable to offer am yisoel and yiddishkeit.
Why does it bother you? Baruch Hashem there are many today searching for appropriate reading material. In any case, it’s a business discussion, it’s not like donations are being used for most projects.
There’s an Issur to write down Torah Sheba’al Peh. Only those Seforim that are necessary for the continuation of the Mesorah of Klal Yisrael are allowed to be published. Most contemporary Seforim, R”L, do not meet this criteria.
Why do some here have a complex against seforim? At minimum it doesn’t harm anyone.
Just bear in mind:- Every Sepher that has ever or will ever be published:- Moshe Rabbeinu studied during his 1st 40 days on Har Sinai.
So reading this topic, just helps magnify the multitude/vastness of this Nes of Moshe Rabbeinu’s accomplishments.
147: First of all, the Rambam explicitly says that that’s not what “Kol Mah Shetalmid Vasid Asid L’chadesh…”. Second of all, if you go with your P’shat. Moshe would have learned it whether or not it gets published.
squeak- i got the t shirt. Where do i meet you?
I heard a great line beshem Rav Avraham Yeshohua he allegedly said in contrast to the maiseh with the Netziv: after some mechabrei Seforim reach Olam Haemes, The Ribono shel olam will look at their seforim and say “But where are all the shoes you could have made?”
Most seforim are Self-Published meaning the author pays all expense related to publishing the book . if the publisher had paid for the expenses alot less would be published.
Many other times like Feldheim will publish the book for free, but the author gets no money. I dont know about CIS or Art Scroll. I had a relative who had a book published by Feldheim and I was shocked they were not paid.
There are too many out there as the market is somewhat limited for them There are only so many people buying these books and there is only so many book these people want (How many inspirational books do most people have in their libraries)
Haha good one
says me- i had to read that twice. so you are asking me for a hundred inspirational books in exchange? im disappointed.
squeak- well, i’m sorry to be a disappointment to you. But i’m used to that n it won’t stop me! Plus i don’t believe that your ‘study’ has been demonstrated. Though perhaps world self esteem has gone way down within the last 50 years, i doubt motivational books are to blame. I’m pretty confident in my internal filter and i do feel like i usually come out with a few good points from every inspirational book i get around to reading. So disappointment or not, i’d take 100 books for $10, even if i only gained 2 pages from each.
heard the same story from someone who is close to Rav Avraham Yeshohua and he said that it was the Rogatchover who said the line makes sense as he is famous for a lot of similar lines in regards to mechabrei seforim.
also not sure if the op’s question is in regards to seforim or inspirational books – in my opinion there have been a lot of very good seforim that have been published within the last 20 years although many of the good ones are aggregations of previously published material.
Well then, on behalf of the motivational materials producers alliance (mmpa), I thank you for your unwavering and unquestioning support. Its not us, but people like you who are increasing happiness- ours, that is, as much as money can buy. Money for drivel, who would have thought we could keep it up for this long?
The motivational industry has been pushing the stuff for decades, so we have decades worth of failures to prove the negative effects.
There have been an ever increasing number of computer virus infections, along with an ever increasing number of virus prevention programs.
I guess I’ve proven that Norton and the like cause computer viruses.
I doubt Moshe Rabbenu knew the ins and outs of Gateway to Happiness or Rabbi Ploni’s Insights on Pirkei Avot.
There is a yesod that Torah MiSinai consists of Torah she ba’al peh and Torah she bikatav, i.e. Tanakh, Mishna, Sifrei, Sifra, Midrashei Aggadah, Gemara, etc.
Much, much too many.
And as I’ve noted elsewhere there’s these few more to add
The Golem Speaks Vol I
The Golem Speaks Vol II
The Golem Speaks Vol III
Echoes of the Golem
In the Footsteps of the Golem
Reflections of the Golem
Will keep you posted…
Reb Golem: Ho much? I gotta save up for them for the next time I’m sick…
Personally, I think, like zahavasdad, that it’s a supply and demand issue. If they don’t sell because there’s a glut, then there are too many. Not that there are too many books of Torah and wisdom or whatever, but that there’s too much agmas nefesh when you pour your heart into your book and it gets remaindered or tossed.
Oh no. Not one of my books will get tossed. Take a look what happened to just the preface to Vol. 1, it had the whole place here (hear, hair, hare) on wheels (“Can a Golem Speak”).
No, no – it’s going to be a bestseller. My (worthless) word.
“I guess I’ve proven that Norton and the like cause computer viruses.”
You haven’t proven a thing but you did stumble on the truth. Who do you think is continually making the thousands of new viruses each week? No one stands to gain from making viruses except the Nortons of this world.
No one stands to gain from making viruses except the Nortons of this world.
I never thought of it that way… but my point still stands.
squeak- and there are more ppl sick because there are more doctors, and more cavities because there are more dentists? (oh wait, thats true, because before that people just died or pulled out their teeth…). And more Jewish schools causes more people to go OTD, and more food= more starvation. Oh and more seforim and translated works means less people are learning! I get it now! Not.
We need more sefarim on the proper way to tie personal plastic bags for kohanim on planes and also what brand sells the best plastic and all the shiurim involved…
I’m with squeak, because inspirational books are basically a waste of time. At least the ones in English.
I think there should be more humor books like Mordechai Schmutter.
Just because it is sold in a “seforim store”, doesnt make it a sefer.
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