Jewish Law (Halacha) on Loud Music at Simchas and Any Other Time

ISSUR (PROHIBITION) OF LOUD MUSIC AT SIMCHAS AND IN GENERAL

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IN SIMCHAS - JOYOUS OCCASIONS (SIMCHAS BEIS HASHOEIVAH’S, ETC.) CELEBRATED IN MODERN TIMES, THERE IS UNFORTUNATELY, EXTREMELY LOUD MUSIC. MANY OF THE BA’ALEI SIMCHA - THE HOSTS - BELIEVE THAT LOUD MUSIC MAKES THE SIMCHA MORE LEIBEDEK (JOYOUS), THEREBY INCREASING THE SIMCHA OF THOSE PRESENT. THE REALITY IS THAT THERE IS A CLEAR CONSENSUS AMONG ENT DOCTORS THAT EXPOSURE (ESPECIALLY PROLONGED EXPOSURE SUCH AS IS THE NORM AT SIMCHAS) CAUSES PERMANENT AND IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE TO ONE’S HEARING. LOUD MUSIC PLAYED AT SIMCHAS IS APPROXIMATELY 120 dB (decibel), WHILE TYPICAL SPEECH IS 60 dB (TO GIVE ONE THE PROPER PERSPECTIVE, AN INCREASE IN 10 dB IS A TEN-FOLD INCREASE IN VOLUME). LOUD MUSIC AT SIMCHAS IS ABOUT 1,000,000 TIMES THE INTENSITY OF NORMAL TALKING! IF ONE HAS TO SHOUT IN ORDER TO BE HEARD, THE MUSIC IS TOO LOUD, THEREFORE MUSIC SHOULD BE AT A LEVEL THAT ALLOWS FOR CONVERSATIONS OF NORMAL INTENSITY. ADDITIONALLY, IF A PERSON CANNOT HEAR AS WELL AFTER THE SIMCHA AND/OR EXPERIENCES TINNITIS, THAT IS A CLEAR INDICATION OF DAMAGE TO HEARING. IN THE U.S., 5-MILLION YOUTH SUFFER HEARING LOSS AND OVER 30 MILLION OVERALL SUFFER PERMANENT DAMAGE INCLUDING EXCRUCIATING TINNITIS (10 MILLION OF WHOM SUFFER FROM EXPOSURE TO LOUD NOISE).

ISSUR (PROHIBITION): IN LIGHT OF THE CONSENSUS BY ENT’S (EAR, NOSE, AND THROAT DOCTORS) THAT LOUD MUSIC CAUSES PERMANENT AND IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE TO THE HEARING MANY GEDOLEI HADOR HAVE COME OUT AGAINST LOUD MUSIC. RAV DOVID FEINSTEIN, SHLITA, SAID THAT STRONG EFFORT MUST BE MADE TO PREVAIL ON BAALEI SIMCHA AND MUSICIANS TO STOP LEVELS OF LOUDNESS THAT ARE CAPABLE OF CAUSING DAMAGE. MANY GEDOLIM (INCLUDING Rabbi Yaakov Perlow, the Novominsker Rebbe; four Roshai Yeshiva from Lakewood: Rabbis Malkiel Kotler, Yisroel Tzvi Neuman, Dovid Tzvi Schustal and Yeruchem Olshin as well as the Mashgiach Rabbi Mattisyahu Salamon; Rabbi Shmuel Birnbaum, Mirer Rosh Yeshiva, The Roshai Yeshiva of Philadelphia Rabbis Elya Svei and Shmuel Kaminetsky; Rabbi Aron Moshe Shechter, Rosh Yeshiva Chaim Berlin) SIGNED A LETTER THAT STATES, “THE HOSTS SHOULD INSIST THAT THE MUSIC AMPLIFICATION SHOULD RESPECT THE FACTORS OF GOOD HEALTH AND TASTE, AND NOT DETRACT FROM THE ESSENCE OF A YIDDISHE [SIMCHA].” SIMCHAS ARE MEANT TO CELEBRATE MITZVOS. IT WOULD BE HIGHLY INCONSISTENT TO CELEBRATE MITZVOS BY ALLOWING LOUD MUSIC THAT CAUSES PERMANENT DAMAGE TO THOSE PRESENT. THE SIMCHAS BEIS HA’SHOEIVAH IN THE BEIS HA’MIKDASH DID NOT HAVE LOUD AMPLIFIERS AND PROVOKED SIGNIFICANTLY MORE SIMCHA THAN THE GREAT SIMCHAS WE ARE ZOCHEH TO HAVE TODAY. THOSE WHO DEMONSTRATE - LOVE OF A FELLOW JEW - אהבת ישרא-ל BY RESPECTING THE HEALTH AND HAPPINESS OF THOSE PRESENT WILL UNDOUBTEDLY INCREASE THEIR LEVEL OF SIMCHA.