[Avodah] fashion models and opera singers

[mkopinsky at gmail.com]

On 5/14/07, T613K at aol.com <T613K at aol.com> wrote:
>
> >>Not being a opera buff, I don't know too much about  this.
> But MUST an opera always have a female singer?
>
>
> SBA
>
>
> Re your other question -- must an opera have female singers? -- they used
> to
>  have castrati, male sopranos.  I'm sure it's assur for bnai Noach  to do
> such a thing but once it's done, would it be mutar for a Jew to benefit  (by
> going to hear one of those poor mutilated men sing)?  I actually once  heard
> a
> recording of the last of the castrati (sorry I can't remember what the
> singular
> is) -- a recording made in around 1910 of a man who had been operated  on as
> a
> child probably fifty or sixty years before that.  Was I even  allowed to
> listen to that recording on the radio?
>
> --Toby  Katz
> =============

The Gemara in BM 90a-b discusses a case where a goy "stole"  a Jew's ox
and neutered it (ie it was a clear case of amira l'akum).  Avuha d'Shmuel
paskens that they should be punished by being forced to sell the ox.
(The Gemara says that this is not a proof that Amira L'akum is a problem
even by cases other than shabbos, since according to some shittos (R.
Chidka) neutering (animals, I assume it's the same for people) is assur
for goyim, and the Jews violated lifnei iver by giving their animals to be
neutered.

Based on this, I see no tzad issur to listen to castrati.  It's clear from
the Gemara that even if sirrus is assur l'bnei noach, and the case
involves amira l'akum or lifnei iver, the ox is not assur except for a
knas mid'rabbanan, and even then, they only have to sell it, and according
to Abbaye, they can even sell it for plowing, thus getting direct benefit
from the fact that their ox is neutered and thus a better plower.

KT,
Michael