[Avodah] fashion models and opera singers

[Daniel Israel]

On Wed, 02 May 2007 15:50:17 +0000 "Rabbi Y. H. Henkin" 
<henkin at 012.net.il> wrote:
>The difference is that Lifnei Iver is violated in that the viewer 
>of a woman in a bikini likely would have sexual thoughts—hirhurim. 
>The listener to a female singer in an opera likely would not, 
>nowadays. Hence, no Lifnei Iver.

Due to the manner in which opera is sung, and the degree of 
exposure someone who actually is attending an opera probably has 
already had, this would be my impression as well (that there would 
be no hirhurim).  However, I would wonder if this would be the case 
in another venue, for example a jazz recital or Broadway style 
musical theater.  And I would think even opera might create 
hirhurim in a man who is from a community in which he virtually 
never hears women singing (which would relate to his listening, not 
to the original question of the permissibility of the singing, 
since presumably such a person wouldn't go to the opera).

--
Daniel M. Israel
dmi1 at cornell.edu