Halachic Hearing Part III

C. Analysis of Sources and its Implications

The sources discussed above reveal three worldviews with how to analyze CI. The first, espoused by Dr. Brama and Rabbi Rabinowitz, consider halachic hearing in terms of biological principles. As long as sound waves are converted to electrical impulses that stimulate the cochlear nerve, the medium through which they undergo that conversion are irrelevant. This line of reasoning should easily apply to AMEI as well as CI. BAHA is slightly more complicated. As far as physical matter is concerned the process of transmitting sound from the external environment to the ear is the same. The BAHA transforms the sound into vibrations that travel through bone instead of the middle ear where it is converted to electrical impulses by the inner ear. In theory, there should be no reason these authorities would not consider a BAHA hearing.

            However, it is unclear how these authorities would consider a DDHD. While no other sound is produced, the pathways through which the sound is transmitted to the ear introduce a state of new matter. The intermediate radio waves that are utilized to transform the material from the microphone to the inner ear are not parallel to any biological process[1]. Nevertheless, it could be argued that the medium through which the sound (or the information containing the sound) travels does not need to be physical. Therefore, similar to the vibration traveling through bone, sound information traveling through radio waves would also be considered halachic hearing according to these authorities.

            Rabbis Sternbach and Navon consider halachic hearing in terms of the normal fashion through which a person hears, albeit arriving at opposite conclusions. Rabbi Sternabach who considers any way the person hears to be the natural way for that person should argue that all the described devices would constitute halachic hearing. Rabbi Navon, concerned with the pathway through which the sound reached the inner ear, would disqualify the CI, BAHA and DDHD. However, he may consider the AMEI as halachic hearing. AMEI does not utilize a microphone and is used only to increase the vibrations caused by the natural sound waves. As all the significant component of hearing still occur in the ear, Rabbi Navon might agree that AMEI is considered halachic hearing.

            The third worldview, presented by Rabbis Weiss and Bleich, viewed the processing of sound as the imperative factor to consider it halachic hearing. Rabbi Weiss made the overarching claim that any processed sound would not constitute halachic sound. As such all of the above devices would disqualify someone from participating in mitzvot that require hearing. Rabbi Bleich proposed a difference between processed sound that produces electrical impulses verse vibrations or waves. As such, Rabbi Bleich would disqualify AMEI and BAHA that produce vibrations as halachic hearing. However, Rabbi Bleich might concede that DDHD would qualify as the intermediate it produces is radio waves. Radio waves, like electric impulse, are not physical phenomena that can be perceived by people directly. As such, DDHD would be considered halachic hearing.

[1] Newer cochlear implants also utilize radio frequencies. The older models were prone to infection as they were implanted into the skin. Newer models do not penetrate the skin and instead the internal component interacts with the external microphone by radio waves.