[Avodah] Is having a good time ossur

[kennethgmiller at juno.com]

R' Richard Wolpoe wrote:
> I have heard besheim RYBS that only music that caused one
> to get up and dance [lich'ora even if one did not actually
> dance!] was the kind of music that is assur.  This dovetails
> well with what I'm saying. I would suspect that our esteemed
> moderator might also concur with this chiluk

Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach would also concur with it.

>From Halichos Shlomo on Bein Hametzarim 14:3 - "Hashira shenohagin bah issur biymei bein hametzarim, eina ela misug hashirim ham'orarim l'rikud. = The song which we avoid during the three weeks is only of the type which inspires one to dance."

Footnote #8 mentions that he held the same way during sefirah. More relevant to our thread, he goes on to specifically allow certain kinds of music to combat certain negative situations:

"[RSZA] paskened regarding summer camps for girls, that all songs called 'shirei regesh' and the like are muttar for them to sing. Likewise, he paskened leniently many times about listening to recordings [klatot] if the matarah [subject? purpose?] is only to relieve [l'hafig] loneliness [b'didut] or fear [pachadim], such as a widow who lives alone at home, and similar cases. And he paskened the same way for a widow in the 12 months of mourning for a parent."

How would one define "dance" in this context? The rule of thumb which I have used (I have no idea whether I might have heard this from someone, or whether I invented it myself) is that I allow myself to listen to music on the radio when I am driving and in similar boring situation, but if I find myself singing along -- and certainly if I start tapping my fingers in time with the music! -- then I feel I've crossed the line, and I turn the radio off for a while.

Akiva Miller
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