TRADITION Questions: The Volume of Jewish Life

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What is it?
These days, brides and grooms routinely leave a bowl of earplugs for their guests as they enter wedding receptions, opposite the seating cards. This innovation arose in the early 2010s in general society and quickly became common at Jewish weddings, as well. The supply of earplugs met the demand of wedding guests who were becoming increasingly uncomfortable due to loud wedding music.

Music has progressively been getting louder in many social settings. Speaker technology has allowed bands to routinely use 5000 watts of power. This creates sound in excess of 100 decibels, which is loud enough to cause hearing problems after just 15 minutes.

Why does it matter?
Explanations for the increase in music volume have often been presented as generational, with younger guests enjoying the music and older guests not. The mitzva to rejoice with the bride and groom has meant that older guests’ needs are met with the offering of ear plugs – rather than by lowering the volume. Yet, the dynamics by which younger guest have chosen loud music is unclear. Are they aware of studies regarding hearing loss? How did social pressure crank up the volume?

Studies show that loud music is also linked to increased alcohol consumption (a topic worthy of exploration on its own). In what other ways has pumping up the volume affected wedding celebrations and other aspects of traditional simcha?

@shita_hakdoshawhen the music is too loud at a Orthodox Jewish Wedding 😂😂😂😂😂♬ original sound – Shita Hakdosha

What questions remain?
Life involves risk taking. Those risks are often taken individually – and the consequences are experienced individually, Yet, some decisions are made collectively in social environments where peer pressure regularizes risky behavior. The effects of such decisions can often take years to be observed. This is true for Jewish life, but also more broadly for society, as a whole. How might we see the effects of hearing loss in Jewish and general society years down the road? What efforts might be made to correct this? What does the style (and volume) of Jewish weddings, influenced as it may be by general society, say about how we choose to celebrate?

Attention in religious contexts is often focused upon ritual matters. Yet, halakha addresses the importance of factoring in safety and health concerns in our decision making. The Talmud establishes the principle sakanta hamura me-issura, danger is more severe than prohibition (Hullin 10a). Yet, in practice, are innovations that explicitly connect to ritual more cautiously handled than those that relate to public health? How might religious principles like heshbon ha-nefesh and safek de-orayta le-humra be applied to questions of public health, as well?

Chaim Strauchler, rabbi of Rinat Yisrael in Teaneck, is an Associate Ed