- Halacha
- Gedolim and Rabbis
- Shabbat and Holidays
- Electricity on Shabbat
Question
What did Rabbi Soloveitchik hold about diving in a shul where they talk on a mic on Shabbos? And what about eating by such a person that speaks on a mic could you trust his kashrus?
Answer
I asked Rav Aharon Rakeffet who was very close with Rav Soloveichik and even wrote the authoritative 2 volume biography on his rebbe, and he said that he never heard of his opinion on the issue. He added that the Rav’s famous psak on not hearing even shofar in a shul where there’s no mechitsa, was a huge chiddush, and it’s hard to believe he would hold the same regarding microphones, without publicizing it. In addition, Rav Rakeffet added that the orthodox shuls in Baltimore in that era were using microphones on Shabbat, not to mention that R. Simcha Levy of the RCA and others permitted certain mikes, so he feels that Rav Soloveitchik would have trusted their kashrut.