Q&A: Listening to Music and Playing Instruments During the Three Weeks
Listening to Music and Playing Instruments During the Three Weeks
Question
Hello and blessings, Rabbi. I’ve never fully understood the prohibition on listening to music during the Three Weeks. I saw in Peninei Halakha and in an article by Rabbi Shmuel David in Techumin 13 that they distinguish between joyful songs and regular sad songs: the former are forbidden from the Seventeenth of Tammuz, and the latter are forbidden from the beginning of Av. I would be glad to hear your opinion regarding: a. listening to music from a phone with headphones (and whether it is necessary to distinguish between types of songs), and b. playing a musical instrument alone. Thank you.
Answer
This is a vague and undefined custom. As a rule, one should not increase joy. Music that is not joyful is not included in the prohibition. Especially since today, when people listen to music, it is not like going to hear musicians and instruments, which is a joyful event, but rather listening on the radio or on the phone, which is an ordinary daily activity unrelated to joy. In my opinion, there is room to be lenient about this. Certainly when the songs are not joyful songs (not necessarily sad ones). The same applies to musical instruments. A joyful performance—no; joyful playing as well—it is proper to be stringent. Playing for practice or playing non-joyful music—one may be lenient.
The same applies to the Nine Days as well?
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