Community Magazine December 2012

to a wedding for the simha and one of the biggest parts is the music. It’s a central part of the wedding or bar mitzvah, and people who want to dance want to hear the music loud. The young crowd wants to hear and feel the music. The presence of music definitely adds to the whole atmosphere and enjoyment of the party.” Business considerations also play an important role, he explained, particularly at weddings. It is generally the younger guests who – due to their higher energy levels and greater tolerance for noise – seem to enjoy high volume music. Unmarried guests – who, Gd willing, will be soon planning their own weddings – are the orchestra’s target clientele, and it is therefore in its best commercial interest to meet their preferences rather than those of the grandmas and grandpas with low noise tolerance. In other words, high volume is an effective marketing strategy, as it appeals to the band’s potential customers. Another important factor is our society’s general affinity for noisy, raucous environments. It is not just semahot that are getting noisier – so are ball games, parades and concerts. This trend is reflected in modern sound systems. The former DJ we spoke to noted that in the past, speakers would max out at 110-125 decibels, whereas today regular systems reach 132 – a level at which even brief exposure can damage the ear. From this standpoint, the bands playing at our semahot are simply a function of a society that craves noise. The quality of the sound system also affects volume. The lower the system’s quality, the higher the volume must be to produce a quality sound. Bands who invest in the higher grade systems can thus play great-sounding music at reasonable decibel levels, while those who settle on average quality systems feel they have no choice but to crank it up in order to compensate for the poor sound quality. In all fairness, musicians and DJ’s aren’t the only culprits of “Jewish noisemaking.” Dr. Gordon-Salant noted the potentially harmful effects of the congregational Megillah reading on Purim, where children are encouraged to make as much noise as they can (which, as we all know, is a lot). “Those sound groggers at Purim are incredibly loud,” she says, “especially when everyone is using them at once during the reading of the Megillah. I have recorded these levels at about 96 dBA and higher.” Dr. Gordon-Salant recommends appointing somebody in the synagogue to signal to the children to start and stop, to limit the congregants’ exposure to harmful noise levels. The idea, after all, is to wipe out the wicked nation of Amalek, not our eardrums. At weddings, we recite a blessing asking for the fulfillment of the prophecy, “Again shall be heard in the cities of Judea and the streets of Jerusalem the sound of jubilation, the sound of joy, the sound of grooms, the sound of brides, the sound of the marching of grooms from their canopy and of youths from their musical feast.” We indeed hope and pray that we can participate in many joyous celebrations that will still enable us to hear the festive, exuberant sounds of happiness, well into old age. With a bit of caution and, hopefully, a gradual change in our simha music culture, we will be able to enjoy the sounds of celebration today while ensuring our ability to do so for many years to come. For further reading on the subject of hearing safety, visit: go.community.com/hearing There are many Sephardic bnai-Torah who, while primarily interested in spending the great bulk of their time learning Torah, would also like to earn a college degree. Located in Suffern, N.Y., and geared specifically for the Sephardic ben Torah, Yeshivat Tiferet Torah enables a young man to pursue his growth in Torah and yiraat shamayim while at the same time obtaining his B.A. The yeshiva offers a warm atmosphere with small shiurim. The dedicated Rabbanim, forge close relationships with the talmidim and ensure that each talmid is able to reach his potential in all areas. The comfortable dormitory located on our beautiful tree lined campus enables a ben torah to study Torah ,gsv cuahc , away from the distractions of the city. We offer both an Iyun track and a halacha track so that each talmid can learn “ .pj uchka vn .” Additional shiurim including bekiut, Nabi, Taryag Misvot… ensures that a talmid is prepared for life as an adult ben torah, a leader of his community and rosh mishpaha. In addition, as part of our arrangement with a well respected private university, we are able to offer 72 college credits for the time spent learning Torah, with the balance completed through classes presented in an environment appropriate for a ben-torah. Thus, in only 18 months (instead of the traditional four year program), a young man, upon successful participation in all of his classes in both kodesh and hol, can graduate from university armed with a B.A. For more information or for an application, please contact the Yeshiva office at 8 4 5 - 5 3 8 - 4 1 2 5 996 ROUTE 202 • SUFFERN • NEW YORK • 10901 EMA I L : INFO@T I F ERET. US • WWW. T I F ERET. US There are many Sephardic bnai-Torah who, while primarily interested in spending the great bulk of their time learning Torah, would also like to earn a college degree. Lo ated in Suffern, N.Y., and geared specifically for the Sephardic ben Torah, Yeshivat Tiferet Torah enables a young man to pursue his growth in Torah and yiraat shamayim while at the same time obtaining his B.A. The yeshiva offers a warm atmosphere with small shiurim. The dedicated Rabbanim, forge cl se relationships with t e talmidim and ensure that each talmid is able to reach his potential in all areas. The comfortable dormitory located on our beautiful tree lined campus enables a ben torah to study Torah ,gsv cuahc , away from the distractions of the city. We offer both an Iyun rack and a halacha track so that each talmid can learn “ .pj uchka v .” Additional shiurim including bekiut, Nabi, Taryag Misvot… ensures that a talmid is prepared for life as an adult ben torah, a leader of his community and rosh mishpaha. In addition, as part of our arrangement with a well respected private university, we are able to offer 72 college credits for the time spent learning Torah, with the balance completed through classes presented in an environment appropriate for a ben-torah. Thus, in only 18 months (instead of the traditional four year program), a young man, upon successful participation in all of his classes in both kodesh and hol, can graduate from university armed with a B.A. For more information or for an application, please contact the Yeshiva office at 8 4 5 - 5 3 8 - 4 1 2 5 996 ROUTE 202 • SUFFERN • NEW YORK • 10901 EMA I L : INFO@T I F ERET. US • WWW. T I F ERET. US A Sephardic Dormitory yeshiva gedolah that offers college credits KISLEV 5773 DECEMBER 2012 35