Question:
Hi Rabbi
I hope you and your family are healthy well.
My shailah is: if I want to sell one of my original songs that I composed to a frum male singer, is it kol isha to send him a recording of me singing it so he can hear it?
If I was able to teach it to a boy in my family, and he would sing it instead of me, I would totally do that instead of sending a recording of me singing it. But the problem is that I don’t have any brothers and both my father and grandfather can’t really sing so I’m kind of stuck…
I hope I presented the shailah clearly and properly.
Thank you!
All the best,
Answer:
Hi
I hope you and you family had a nice summer.
What you are asking happens often when women compose songs and want to give it to singer. There are Poskim who say that if the woman isn’t seen and the singing isn’t live that it isn’t considered kol isha, however this is not the majority opinion and one should not be lenient with this.
There are however other ways to get your music to the singer. For example, you can sing the song for a friend of yours who has a brother that can record it, or to a married friend and she can sign it to her husband.
H-shem should help that your songs should be accepted and should be an inspiration for Klal Yisroel
Sources:
Those who permit, Bais Shearim-33, Yabia Omer O:CH 1-6 (11), Ohr L’tzion 2-6, R’ D. Feinstein shlit”a, See Vzos Habracha pg. 149 that even those who permit it, it is still not a preferred thing to do. Those who prohibit, Chelkas Yackov 1-163, Tzitz Eliezer 5-2, Shevet Halevi 3-181, 5-197(4), Oz NIdberu 9-59(1), Be’er Moshe 7 Kunt. Electric 109, Shearim Metzuyanim B’halacha 5-14 pg. 22, Halichos Bas Yisroel 6-5, Chut Shani Shabbos 3-pg. 171, Avnei Yoshpe 2-5(2), Contemporary Halachic Problems 2 pg. 1501-52, R’ Yisroel Belski zt”l Imreio Dovid 85, Ohel MOshe 1-32(2) Pri Hasadeh 3-32.
