ולא תביא תועבה אל ביתך והיית חרם כמהו שקץ תשקצנו ותעב תתעבנו כי חרם הוא וגו' (ז-כו)
MASHAL: Yosef, the father of a fine Jewish family, had a nice, friendly, well-groomed and well-mannered non-Jewish business associate by the name of Kevin. One day, Kevin lost his lease on his apartment, and Yosef agreed that Kevin could temporarily board in his basement.
At first, Kevin acted very respectfully. He was a personable fellow with a nice sense of humor, and enjoyed telling jokes which amused the whole family.
However, after a while, his conduct changed. He would come up to the living room, sit down on an easy chair, take off his shoes, and after drinking a six-pack of beer, would become quite talkative. Yosef’s children would gather around Kevin who would tell them stories about what he did and where he’d been that were not in the spirit of family.
It wasn’t long until Kevin started to bring in certain books and magazines which he - although he was explicitly asked not to - would show the kids anyway. The pictures soon turned inappropriate, and things began to get worse. The story doesn’t have a pretty ending.
NIMSHAL: When the Torah implores us: “Do not bring an abomination into your home,’ it means that we must do what we can to protect ourselves and our children from any harmful influences that can cause permanent damage to our neshamos. Before exposing our homes to emails, websites, “kosher” electronic games, devices, DVD’s or literature, we must think ahead and ask if this will bring a new “boarder” into our homes, that can possibly lead us astray. As the saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” (R’ Chaim Morgenstern)
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