What exactly is the halacha regarding reading or looking at advertisements on Shabbos and Yom Tov? It seems that everyone is not very careful about this. Is there any room to be maykel?
Answer:
Mishnah Berurah(307:63) writes that there are those who are lenient concerning reading newspapers on Shabbos, but many acharonim are stringent because of the problem of reading advertisements. It is interesting that Mishnah Berurah did not forbid the practice outright, but only quoted opinions that are stringent. Certainly, intentional reading of advertisements is prohibited, and family members should be warned not to do so; concerning the actual reading of newspapers/magazines, one should avoid the practice, but there is no need to prevent others from doing so.
