APPLAUSE IN THE SABBATH SERVICE

QUESTION:

The congregation for many years has established the custom during the Sabbath service of calling out the names of couples who have been married for fifty years. The congregation then applauds the couple. This is done at almost the close of the service, just before the Mon Olam.

Now for the first time, objections have been raised to this friendly custom, not because it interrupts the service; after all the service is virtually over when the applause takes place. The objection is against the idea of the applause itself, since according to the objectors, the clapping of the hands is forbidden on the Sabbath. It is true that the congregation is not strictly Orthodox. It has organ music on the Sabbath. Nevertheless, the question of the hand-clapping has been raised and agitated, so the question is simply: Is hand-clapping forbidden on the Sabbath? (Asked by Rabbi Jack Segal, Houston, Texas.)

ANSWER:

Of course all the forbidden types of work on the Sabbath are derived from the building of the Tabernacle. The various types of work in building the Tabernacle became the main classifications of work. One of these main groups is: hitting with the hammer (makkei b’patish). Such banging noises are generally forbidden on the Sabbath. So the Shulhan Arukh in Orah Hayyim 338 has the heading, “Things that are forbidden on the Sabbath because of the making of noise.” And the law develops that you may not use any instrument on the Sabbath, musical or otherwise, to make sound. Therefore, the first statement in the Shulhan Arukh is that you may not knock on the door on the Sabbath with the knocker, but you may knock with your hand. In other words, it is the use of an instrument that is really forbidden. However, the Mishnah Berurah there seems to forbid even hand-clapping, i.e., even without an instrument. He says: “The prohibition is not necessarily confined to the use of musical instruments, but even striking hand to hand is forbidden,” etc. So a quick reading of the Mishnah Berurah would seem to indicate that even the noise made by hand-clapping is forbidden on the Sabbath. But this would be an incorrect understanding of the law. To understand what the prohibition really amounts to, it is important to go back to the very beginning of the law involved in hand- clapping, etc. The origin of whatever discussion there is on the matter goes back to the Talmud, Eruvin 104a (it is a brief discussion and could be easily overlooked in the hasty scanning of a page; it is right in the middle where the column broadens out). It is a dispute between Ulla and Rava. It was the Sabbath. Ulla was in the house. Somebody knocked at the door and Ulla denounced the person, saying that he had thus violated the Sabbath (and Rashi explains his opinion that Ulla would prohibit any noise making, not only the sound of music). But Rava disagrees with Ulla and says, “All that is forbidden on the Sabbath (as to creating sounds) is kol shel shir, i.e., musical sounds. The law follows the opinion of Rava, and only musical sounds are forbidden on the Sabbath, or perhaps, also, the use of an instrument to make noise, even if it is not a musical instrument (i.e., a door knocker).

Now the statement of the Mishnah Berurah becomes clear. It is not the clapping of hands, as such, that is forbidden, but the clapping of hands that is used in a musical way; in other words, as a rhythmic accompaniment to a type of music. Indeed, the Mishnah Berurah is simply following the distinction made clear on the matter by Maimonides (Yad Hil. Shabbat 23:4) who says that the type of hand-clapping that is forbidden is to use it “as the musicians do,” i.e., as a rhythmic musical effect. So it is clear that just clapping the hands without intending to make music thereby is not forbidden. But suppose the group clapping does become rhythmical, but this rhythmical effect is not intended, it is not forbidden. It is mentioned in the law that if a man whistles on the Sabbath to call to somebody and the whistling turns into a melody, this is not forbidden because it was not intended as such (see Isserles to 335:1).

There is another permissive element involved here, at least in a general way. It is of course forbidden to order a Gentile to do work for us on the Sabbath, but it is permitted to tell a Gentile to play music or to repair instruments in honor of bride and groom (ibid.). While of course I do not know of any fiftieth wedding anniversaries in antiquity, still one might easily say to honor a couple married happily for fifty years is in the spirit of the older law which was liberal with music on the Sabbath for bride and groom.

To sum up: Noise making is forbidden on the Sabbath, but only noise made by instruments (or tools). If not by instruments, the law forbids conscious musical rhythmic clapping of the hands, as Maimonides puts it, “the way certain singers do.”