Rethinking Music During Sefra
For as long as I can remember, music has been a big part of my life, and a big part of my day. And judging by the questions that I get asked during Sefira, I think it’s safe to assume that we are all listening to far more music than ever before.
At any given moment, many of us will have music playing in the background; while working, or learning. Not to mention the multiple playlists we’ve set up for working out, for carpools, roadtrips and parties.
Is all of this music forbidden? Is acappella allowed?
Broadly speaking, there are two schools of thought as to why we don’t listen to music during these times of the year:
Rav Moshe Feinstein: The Rambam holds that all music was categorically forbidden at all times since the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash. Practically, many of the other Rishonim limit this restriction to hearing musical instruments outside of a Seudas Mitzvah, and/or acappella singing at parties. However, during the times of the year when we focus on national mourning, it is appropriate to refrain from all music. (Based on this, Rav Moshe allowed listening to recordings of acappella music on the radio during Sefira.)
Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach: The Magen Avraham prohibits festive dancing (ריקודים ומחולות) during Sefira, in order to limit our expressions of joy during these sad times. Thus any music that is designed to bring one to dance, should be prohibited. (Rav Shlomo Zalman contends, however, that quiet slow music was never prohibited, since there was never a problem with music per se, only the dancing that it encouraged. He does not differentiate between recordings and live music, or instruments vs acappella.)
Ironically however, the vast majority of Sefira music questions are not about listening to music at all.
As a result of the near ubiquitousness of music, we seldom actually listen to music. (When was the last time that you sat down listen to a song with no other activity happening simultaneously?) Culturally speaking, the act of listening to music is no longer an activity we do, and thus it no longer engenders the same emotions and experience as it once did.
In recent years, a number of Poskim have taken this gradual shift into account when discussing the Halachos of Sefira. While everyone agrees that live concerts are still prohibited, listening to certain types of music while driving, exercising and working might well be permissible.
Rav Melamed (פניני הלכה) explains: “nowadays, everyone listens to music on electronic devices regularly, and since it has become so routine, the festiveness and joy associated with listening to music has disappeared.”
Rav Eliyahu Shlesinger (שו”ת שואלין ודורשין) adds: “Even though there we do not display happiness during these times of year, there is still a mitzvah to serve Hashem with joy, and for many people, listening to music is important to maintaining mental health.”
To be clear, there are many Poskim who disagree with this analysis, and these leniencies are not all widely accepted. Nevertheless, for the past few years, I have personally erred on the side of entertaining leniences for the sake of mental health and physical well-being.
The year, however, I’ve been rethinking my Sefira-music orientation, and perhaps some of these thoughts might resonate with you as well.
1. The reason for our mourning during Sefiras HaOmer is the death of the students of Rebbe Akiva, who “did not treat each other with respect.”
Historically, we have marked this mourning by decreasing our expressions of joy. Within this rubric, a public concert is inappropriate, and privately listening to music is benign. But our music listening habits, whilst not violating any public ban on joyousness, might well be perpetuating the same apathy and disdain that we are trying to mourn.
The moment we pop in our AirPods, the world around us goes silent, and we are (often consciously) signaling that we are not to be bothered.
This makes every conversation starter a little more strained.
Perhaps our noise-cancelling musical retreat does afford us the ability to be present with our work. But it comes at the cost of making us far less present with each other.
2. “When the students of Rebbe Akiva died, the world went silent.”
Chazal (יבמות סב ב) describe the aftermath of this plague with the terrifying phrase – וְהָיָה הָעוֹלָם שָׁמֵם – the world was desolate.
We are still mourning during the Omer because that desolation has not yet been repaired. Yet somehow, we have filled it with a lot of noise. So much so, that today, many people find any silence deeply unsettling.
We have noise machines to help us sleep and music in elevators to avoid the awkwardness.
Part of the Avoda of Sefiras HaOmer is to experience the discomfort of a world that feels a little too empty, so that we can choose to refill it with sounds of meaning.
3. The World of Music has Turned Against Us
Music has a unique power to unite people, and that power has been used and abused to incite Jew-hatred.
Just this week, 125,000 concert goers at Coachella were lead into chanting curses at the State of Israel. They roared, cheered and celebrated their unanimous animosity of the singular Jewish state.
I do not know if everyone at that concert arrived with antisemitism burning in their hearts, perhaps they were seduced by the simplistic moral high-ground on offer. But one thing is clear: Everyone left with a little less love for the Jewish people.
Rebbe Nachman (ליקוטי מוהר”ן ג) writes: הנה מי ששומע נגינה ממנגן רשע, קשה לו לעבודת הבורא – When someone listens to the music of a musician who is wicked, it is detrimental to his serving the Creator.
Songs have a powerful effect on us. Their emotions penetrate our hearts, even when as our minds work to protect our thoughts and opinions. Perhaps Sefira gives us a chance to audit the music we listen to?
None of this is Psak Halacha, but on a personal level, I’m trying to be a little more conscious about the types of music I’m listening to – during Sefira and beyond. I’m also trying to make sure that my music, audio books, shiurim and podcasts don’t come at the expense of my personal relationships.
With the hope that if we feel the discomfort that comes with silence, perhaps we can all work together to fill the world with the right kind of music.