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

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

For more information on the dangers of loud music, please click here to one of my previous articles.

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.

Rabbi Avraham Shapira and Torah Correctness

Rabbi Avraham Shapira, ZT"L, passed away this past Thursday, the first day of Succos. Though he is recognized as having been one of the g'dolei hador (Torah leaders of the generation), for many reasons. However, it was his drive to support the truth and The Torah, which was one of the great attributes that led to his distinction as a great Torah leader.

To say that Rabbi Shapira was most known for any given matter, such as his halachic ruling that it was forbidden to expel Jews from their homes in Gaza, is incorrect, and to say such demonstrates that one is not aware of Rabbi Shapira's decades of leadership.

However, what Rabbi Shapira's ruling against the "Disengagement" demonstrates is that he did not allow "political correctness" to trump truth and halachic correctness. The ruling further demonstrates that Rabbi Shapira recognized that, in addition to Torah and Am Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael is of central importance of Judaism and it should never be treated lightly or negatively.

Rabbi Shapira, in his 90's at that time, fought the war of Torah and of HaShem, as is demonstrated from his halachic ruling, which clarifies the truth and the Torah stance on Jews giving away parts of Eretz Yisrael. Rabbi Shapira noted the Torah prohibition which forbids Jews from giving away any part of Eretz Yisrael, and of the severity of the sin of leaders who make halachic proclamations which address difficult halachic questions, when they possess insufficient Torah knowledge, thereby misleading the masses, chas v'shalom, and potentially causing much damage, to the extent that they can be described as "the destroyers of the world".

Though Rabbi Shapira was sharply criticized (even by some after his death) for his halachic ruling, he did not allow those people who would show contempt of true Torah leadership, dissuade him from issuing a ruling reflecting the truth, which he did so well.

It is insufficient to praise Rabbi Shapira for fighting the battle to uphold the truth. Rather, especially in our times, when Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael are under attack, and is in danger of being given to true enemies of The B'nei Yisrael, those who wish to have an Israel free of Jews, chas v'shalom, we must take Rabbi Shapira's ruling to heart. We must also ensure that the attribute to attain truth supersede that which may seem "easy" - "political correctness" - to trump The Torah - the essence of life. We must strengthen our emunah (belief in HaShem) and do what we can reasonably do to support truth in the face of the enemy who hides falsehood behind the thinly veiled concept of "political correctness".

One of the ways to know how to defend the truth, one has to be aware of the threat posed against Torah and truth, against Am Yisrael, and against Eretz Yisrael.