Hearing Havdala Over A Phone
This series with Rabbi Dovid Fink explores the halachic issues fulfilling mitzvot that involve hearing, such as Havdala and Megillat Esther, when participating remotely via telephone or VOIP. In what instances is listening over a digital connection valid? What practical guidelines are necessary?
Hearing Havdala Over A Phone: Hearing Havdala Over A Phone
The leading poskim are divided on hearing havdala by telephone, hearing Megillat Esther by telephone, and other mitsvot that depend on hearing.
The disagreement among the posekim revolves around divergent understandings of the nature of hearing. This means that the concept of “hearing” must be clarified before addressing the halachic status of hearing something by telephone or VOIP.
A source sheet in both WORD format and pdf is available through the links. In class we will translate and explain the sources.
In addition to being one of Rabbi Brovender's first students, Rabbi Dovid Fink is an outstanding expertﾠand teacher of Halacha. Rabbi Fink received his Rabbinic ordination from ITRI and the Mir and was awarded his Ph.D in Semitic Languages and Linguistics from Yale University. Rav Fink has taught thousands of students from all over the world for over 35 years.