Another Situation I Don't Really Know How to Handle
My oldest daughter was invited into an online chavrusah, using skype or something like that. The chavrusah leader has chosen The Garden of Emuna to study, so we went out and bought the book. It's a pretty well known sefer, I've read lots of posters on womens' websites who swear by it.
At the outset, I can say that the book does try to present a positive image of Judaism and teaches positive values- respect, honesty, limiting anxiety, increasing joy, etc. The problem is that it is a typical Breslover text, with a heavy emphasis on simplistic logic, fuzzy parables and archaic models of relationships.
Examples:
*The causes of suffering are of course, sins and lack of faith. The book is full of miracle stories, such as when someone had a toothache and then did some soul searching and remembered a time that he did something wrong and atoned, and within minutes, voila, the toothache has gone away!
*Ambition in financial matters is presented as a lack of faith. Since Hashem decides how much money we will make each year, we don't need to pursue anything more than the basics needed for existence. Seeking to increase one's wealth is a form of arrogance and is a sin and will lead to stress and decreased happiness.
*Giving in or accepting the other person as is are the two primary manners in which to handle relationship conflicts. The author cites a Talmudic story about a man with an ugly wife who got tired of her and went to have her magicked into a beauty through a blessing from a rabbi. She became beautiful but also arrogant and demanding and then he asked for her to be switched back to her former ugliness. Of course, they lived happily ever after, he and his ugly wife. I can't even begin to explain how many things bother me about this story.
*There's a paragraph or two on how we must avoid the internet, television, newspapers or anything else that might weaken emunah. There's a section on how shmirat habrit is the cornerstone of emunah and Hashem won't listen to your prayers if you masturbate.
Yeah. So should I say anything to her? What should I say? On one hand, it would be wrong of me to discourage her from her chavrusah and it's not my place to suggest what the chavrusah leader should have chosen instead. Maybe I shouldn't project my issues with Judaism onto my kid. At the same time, if she reads this as the authoritative text on emunah, how likely is it that she will conclude that Judaism is a simplistic and inane religion? Should I just be confident that my bright teen will figure out how to be discerning and critical in a way that I never was at her age? Do I just not have enough emunah here, lol ?