- Q. Kvod Harav Shlit”a. As it is a bit common in our large shul that a few of us forget to say Veten Tal Umatar, that begins tomorrow night (Thursday Nov 4, 2025). Since the Halacha dictates that if one has already ended the amida, it has to be repeated, and is possible that someone like me may forget it even again. Can I live in front of me my phone connected to my ear playing a constant reminder, repeating Veten Tal Umatar a few times, while I’m saying the Amida?
A. A well known Teshuva of Mori VeRabbi Horav Moshe Feinstein Zt”l (Igrois Moishe O.H 4: 85) provides four reasons why microphones should not be used on Shabbat. Horav Moshe Zt”l immediately dismisses the above as irrelevant to hearing aids, since he did not believe that the original rabbinic gezeira could ever have intended to include them. The reason being because they are used only by a small minority of people and the reason was the Rabbinic prohibition of having noisy machinery working on Shabbat. Besides the hearing aid is a most significant need for the wearer, bordering even on pikuach nefesh and Chazal would not have included such cases in their Rabbinic decree.
Horav Aharon Miller Shlit’a maintains that in principle, if it does not look strange to the other people present to see him wear a hearing aid, as it is common in our days in many different groups, it would be permitted.
However, Moreinu Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit’a is of the opinion that it should not be used in our particular case of being just a reminder for saying added parts of the Tefila
See next question.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by, Horav Yaakov Hirschman, Horav Dovid Pam, Horav Aharon Miller, Horav Chanoch Ehrentreu and Horav Kalman Ochs Shlit’a.
Important Numbers
