[Avodah] Rav Shmuel Vosner: Stopping After Eight Children?

[Prof. Levine]

 From http://revach.net/article.php?id=3415

Rav Shmuel Vosner was asked (Shevet HaLevi 4:161) if a 44 year old 
person [it is not clear to me if the wife is 44 or the husband or 
both. YL] with eight children must still have children or he may 
stop. One of his concerns was that the local school had mixed classes 
until the age of 14.  The man's wife on the other hand claimed that 
she would undertake the burden of the chinuch and they can raise frum 
children even in that environment.

The questioner's justification was based on, among other things, a 
Tshuvas Pnei Aharon that says that if proper Chinuch is hard to come 
by where you live, then it is sufficient to be Mikayem the Mitzva of 
Pru U'Rivu with a son and daughter and you need not fulfill the 
mitzva of "BaBoker Tanach..." (the mitzva to have as many children as 
possible).  He learns this from Chizkiya (Brachos10a) who became 
deathly sick because he refused to marry and have children since he 
knew B'Ruach HaKodesh that his children would be Reshaim 
(Menashe).  The gemara specifically says that he wasn't Mikayem the 
mitzva of Pru U'Rivu and doesn't say anything about "BaBoker Tanach..."

Additionally the questioner brings the Chofetz Chaim who was quoted 
as saying, "who said it is a bracha to have children if you don't 
know how they will turn out?"

Rav Vosner says that he wouldn't typically answer this question but 
there is a mitzva to help those who are mistaken.  He didn't see the 
Tshuvas Pnei Aharon but the proof from Chizkiya is not valid for a 
number of reasons.  Moreover even if it were, says Rav Vosner, 
Chizkiya knew with 100% certainty that his children would be 
Reshaim.  Nowadays, there is no situation where we cannot say for 
sure how are children will turn out.

As for the quote from the Chofetz Chaim, says Rav Vosner, these are 
not things that we can rely on to pasken Shailos when we don't know 
the background to this comment.
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