music during sefira

yersp

Thu, Apr 12 2007, 7:39 pm

I remember last year during sefira complaining to my husband that it's not fair I can't listen to music during sefira. I go crazy if I can't have something playing in the background. Anyway, he asked around at work and was told that a mother of young children who needs music to keep calm or anything like that is allowed to hear it during sefira.
Just thought the mothers here would like to know this!!
(please don't start preaching, just don't reply)

su7kids

Thu, Apr 12 2007, 8:02 pm

If you have speakers on your computer you can hook up to www.olamradio.com and choose acapella and listen to that.

That's what I'm doing right now.

amother

Thu, Apr 12 2007, 8:42 pm

Unless he works in a kollel/yeshiva, I don't think "work" was the right place to ask a shaila.

On second thought, maybe he works with talmidai chachomim who know.

amother

Thu, Apr 12 2007, 8:50 pm

I hope you dont mind, I wont preach but I will comment on this, I was in the country a couple of years ago where there was this chasidish lady wearing a shipitzel (dont know how many of you here know what it is) anyway she was talking about videos,movies etc... I was schocked that she knows all about it, she says " I have weak nerves so I got a heter to watch" so basically can I get a heter to go to places or do things I'm not allowed to do, because I dont have such strong nerves....?

greenfire

Thu, Apr 12 2007, 8:56 pm

Hey - I'm a little crazy too - cause I listen to music ... go figure ... anyway ... I got a heter too - I made if for myself ... and amother somewhere else helped make that happen ...

Chani

Fri, Apr 13 2007, 6:31 am

Not that we hold by it (before people start blasting me), and it should go without saying to ask LOR, but for the sake of intellectual discussion I know that there are rabbanim who hold that you can listen to recorded music during sefirah, just not live music. Not sure about their source, but I've heard it more than once (and no, I'm not talking about Conservative rabbis - this was Young Israel/RIETS type). Does anybody know a source for this?

amother

Fri, Apr 13 2007, 7:03 am

Chani wrote:

I dont know a source, but I know that my husband also asked about this in one of the yeshivot that he has gone to and they said that as long as it is not live music you can listen.

as well as that, my husband was told that where he grew up, south africa, that you could watch movies as well, in the movie theater because it was very unlikely that you would get a minyan of men at the movie house.

amother

Fri, Apr 13 2007, 7:33 am

brooklyn wrote:

I don't think that there is a problem getting a minyan by my movie theater. We can have several.

right, I m sure, and we live in israel now so it wouldnt work either. the point was, the rav said that if you live somewhere where it is VERY unlikely to get a minyan then it is ok.....

amother

Fri, Apr 13 2007, 11:28 am

greenfire wrote:

it's probably okay then ... cause anyone at a movie theater is probably busy doing something other than davening ...

it more so has to do with the idea of marat eiyin.......than making a minyan....of course nobody is davening at a movie house...it has to do with a bunch of ppl seeing you doing something.....

shalhevet

Sat, Apr 14 2007, 4:10 pm

E59Y wrote:

Is that how you solve medical problems as well? Ask around at work and choose the solution which sounds easiest to do?

amother

Sat, Apr 14 2007, 4:25 pm

I am also from South Africa, but have never heard that psak of going to a movie because will be less than a minyan. Even when I did go to movies when I was growing up I never went during sefira.

amother

Sat, Apr 14 2007, 4:41 pm

amother wrote:

I am also from South Africa, but have never heard that psak of going to a movie because will be less than a minyan. Even when I did go to movies when I was growing up I never went during sefira.

well, what can I tell you? here is a perfect example of different rabbanim say different things......

greenfire

Sun, Apr 15 2007, 2:45 am

guess what ... lots of people say different things and they are all going to do what they want anyway ... even if that means they are listening to a rav ... or just doing their thing ... I myself have heard that if a person has emotional issues and not listening to music would make them worse off ... that it is ok ...

amother

Sun, Apr 15 2007, 3:31 am

gosh.......some of you people just try to get out of EVERYTHING!
not listening to music is a way for us to try and internalize what happened many years ago during sefiras haomer........bar cochvah........before the giving of the torah.......it's not a punishment, it's a way for us to try and latch onto our history and make it a part of our lives. will it really be detrimental to your health if you don't listen to music during sefira? people do it and survive! people can get a heter for anything, but why not try to rise above your normal limitations and make sefirat haomer more meaningful! keeping torah mitzvos does not mean trying to weasel your way out of doing this and that.

Motek

Sun, Apr 15 2007, 6:05 pm

greenfire wrote:

they are all going to do what they want anyway ... even if that means they are listening to a rav

a rav doesn't always tell you what you want to hear!

thanks su7kids for the link