Do you listen to non-jewish music?

amother

Thu, May 25 2006, 11:39 pm

I used to listen to non jewish music when I was single and then once I got married I slowly stopped on my own. Once I got pregnant I said thats it im not listening anymore. Now I dont even have a tayva to listen anymore. I cant cuz my baby will hear and I dont want her exposed to it! It was hard but I managed. Now I just listen to jewish music and im perfectly fine!

tzivi

Fri, May 26 2006, 12:08 am

amother wrote:

Kol Ha'kovod to you!

amother

Wed, Aug 30 2006, 2:35 pm

I immensely enjoy secular music. It relaxes me and even puts me in a good mood.
My concience is not too clean, though, especially with R"H coming up.
What are your opinions? Is it really so horrible?
And is there really a difference between the modern jewish and secular music??

Ruchel

Wed, Aug 30 2006, 2:52 pm

Personally, I have no problem as long as the lyrics are clean.

amother

Wed, Aug 30 2006, 3:01 pm

I like to listen to secular music, especially in the shower! Smile

I try not to listen to it when the kids are around, though.

rise above

Wed, Aug 30 2006, 4:49 pm

this is a hard nisayon. I can tell you what helped me, and maybe it will help you.

when a person listens to music-- even without lyrics-- he connects with it. It affects his mood, it can affect his body movements....

how does this work?
the music has a beat, and our heart beats. when we hear music our heart beat "connects" to the beat of the music and we are automatically affected by it Physically, all the more so emotionally.
music has a way of transporting a person to a different state of mind... like you said, it can relax a person, put them in a different mood.

If music is so powerful, we have to be careful what the source of this music is.
In a question-answer panel in my high school, we asked a rav if there is anything wrong with listening to Soundtracks of secular music. He said that if "music was made to make people sin (which does include most of todays secular music, even if that is not the reason you are listening to it, and you don't even take note of that factor) then it is Assur to listen to it.

This may sound harsh, but based on what we said before, because music can have such a great affect on a person, an affect which is clearly evident, it is not an area to take lightly.

Think about the composers of the secular music--- are these people you want to connect with, even on a sub-conscious level?

What is there to say about modern jewish music. obviously, it is not "jewish" music in its taam-taste, however, because this music was made with pure intentions-- not made to make people sin, the music is in it of itself holier as it is coming from a holier place.

---------------
that being said, what about secular music do you " immensely enjoy " over any Jewish music? if it is the music style, I'm sure there is Jewish music in that style....
if it is the lyrics, then you can prob. be the first to admit what the problem is.
Maybe try finding some Jewish music that fits your taste that can get you in that mood.
How about trying Just for Elul and see how it goes. Don't think of it as "playing tricks with God", try it- see how it goes, but don't just stop listening to secular music, you have to fill that void with jewish music, because otherwise you're basically doomed to failure.
if you have a need for music, try replacing it- be it for a week, a month.. and see how it goes.

BiHatzlacha

(sorry for the mouthful !)

MommyEsty

Wed, Aug 30 2006, 4:57 pm

when I was pregnant I didnt lissen to not jewish music and now when the baby is around I try not to as well.
I know its not really good but I love my music too much (its not a averia or anything)
I like old music anyway which is much cleaner, I hate songs with offensive words and I hate regular pop music which is all rubbish anyway
scince I got married iv got more into jewish music tho so I think soon enough it will only be jewish (besids the odd 60s song im sure!)

melalyse

Wed, Aug 30 2006, 10:45 pm

Not to many songs out there with clean lyrics. Disney soundtracks - I like those.

shabbatiscoming

Thu, Aug 31 2006, 3:17 am

I love jewish music and I love not jewish music.

I see nothing wrong with letting yourself enjoy not jewish music, as long as the lyrics are not disgusting. I love clean music, nothing have to do with gangs, relations, other things that dont need to be in music.

that being said, I think that not jewish music that may be love songs are beautiful. there is nothing wrong with listening to that. it may be the tune or the words that you connect to, but whats so wrong about that? if you enjoy it?

I know my husband has told me many times that he very much dislikes the jewish chior music b/c he thinks about all of those little boys getting "used" in the chior, so......everyone has their own......

rise above

Thu, Aug 31 2006, 5:18 am

Quote:

I know my husband has told me many times that he very much dislikes the jewish chior music b/c he thinks about all of those little boys getting "used" in the chior,

what is that supposed to mean?

ssbarnes

Thu, Aug 31 2006, 6:20 am

At home we usually have Jewish music from www.jewishbroadcast on the computer downstairs. In the car we do listen to secular music part of the time. We only have so many Jewish music CDs and there are only about 6 of them that the entire family enjoys. We have found a station that doesn't play offensive music and when a song comes on that we don't approve of the message, we turn it off.

However, on road trips, we like to listen to audiobooks on CD.

Dena

shabbatiscoming

Fri, Sep 01 2006, 2:52 am

netoomuch wrote:

Quote:

I know my husband has told me many times that he very much dislikes the jewish chior music b/c he thinks about all of those little boys getting "used" in the chior,

what is that supposed to mean?

I am sure that some of the little boys that are in these choirs do not ask their parents if they can be in the choir, but rather their parents tell them that they will be in it and they dont get paid and if they do, very very little and they obviously have a talent so they should get paid.

rise above

Fri, Sep 01 2006, 5:07 am

my brother joined a popular choir 2 years ago. originally, I thought it was absurd that he had to pay to be in it, while really they were using his talents. But as the years passed I totally changed my perspective. He is a 12 year old kid. the payment he needs is not the money, it is the positive burst of self esteem the choir has given him, the sense of responsibility he gained from being committed to something, the discipline they instilled in him through practices and touring...
so, yes, they don't pay them monetarily, but these boys do gain a tremendous amount from being in these choirs.
obviously, this is not the case if the parents are forcing the kid to be in it, but that's an issue to take up with the parents, not the choir.

sorry for the off-topic post, I just wanted to address that comment.

ny21

Thu, Jan 18 2007, 3:10 pm

yes I listen to non jewish music.

ny21

Fri, Jan 19 2007, 12:03 pm

I loke justin timberlake and his latest songs

ny21

Fri, Jan 19 2007, 12:12 pm

here can you pay and download jewish music for your ipod.?

frummom

Fri, Jan 19 2007, 12:29 pm

I used to. my kids don't, but they have a quasi-"heter" from me to listen to simon & garfunkel, some billy joel - I don't love it, but it's certainly better than today's stuff. my problem is that even though I don't listen to it anymore, when I hear it in a store I always sing along (quietly!) - and then my kids give me a hard time, because it seems like I still care about it - which I don't, but I do still remember! there are songs that I completely connect with certain events or periods in my life, but that's true of jewish songs too - and it always seems to be the times that were really hard.

amother

Fri, Jan 19 2007, 1:04 pm

listening to music and then "slowly" weaning them foff will not work. besides the yeitzer harah for it gets stronger and stronger. it has to be stopped immediately, like smoking.