Q. An elderly patient who wants to daven but because of his age finds it difficult to read, can you play a tape and he be yotze by listening to it?

A. Although Poiskim disagree on the use of a microphone or a live radio transmission for compliance on mitzvos, such as the reading of the Megilah or the Torah on weekdays (Igrois Moishe O.C. 2:108 and 4:91, Minchas Shloimo 1:9:6, Tzittz Eliezer 8:11 et. al), they all agree that you cannot be yoitze tefilos or brochois from a recorded tape or disk and you are not required to answer omein on them. Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit’a suggested that the elderly patient should repeat word by word the brochos and tefilos he hears.

Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit”a