[Avodah] Leading Charedi Posek Says metzitza' Should Not Be Done Orally

[Micha Berger]

On Wed, Mar 28, 2012 at 01:51:59PM -0700, Harry Maryles wrote:
: On Wed, 3/28/12, Micha Berger <micha at aishdas.org> wrote:
:> Realize that the health risk doesn't rise up to halachically significant
:> levels. There are a few cases of permanent harm among hundreds of
:> thousands of berisim....

: This isn't about statistics. And yes one life gone for no reason is
: one life too many. Ask the parents that lost a child because of it.

Recall, the people you're trying to convince pasqen that metzitzah is
part of milah, and therefore you're asking them to change how beris
milah was done since Moshe Rabbeinu.

So, in order to matir, you need to invoke safeiq piquach nefesh. Which
means it doesn't need to be a rov, but it does have to be a milsa
shekhichah. One in a hundred thousand doesn't qualify.

If you believe otherwise, can you think of another case where we matired
something because of piquach nefesh with that kind of statistics against
the saqanah? AFAIK, it really is actuarial. (Thanks RJR, for the word.)


: So what if there is no statistical difference. Why do Chasidim have
: to be frummer than the Chasam Sofer, R' Chaim... or any of the current
: Litvishe Poskim like RSK? ...

What kind of argument is this? We should always hold lequlah if the
poseiq who states it is noted enough? (Eat swordfish... Who are you to
be frummer than the Noda biYhudah, the Pischei Teshuvah or the Arukh
haShulchan?!) I thought you're supposed to follow your OWN poseiq,
your own mesorah. (The Rambam's haqdamah says as much too...)

On Wed, Mar 28, 2012 at 04:57:53PM -0400, Rich, Joel wrote:
: Sounds very actuarial, and I would agree except that imho the chillul
: hashem issue is of concern...
:     - certainly if having a bris were demonstrated to have a negligible
: yet measureable additional risk, we'd have to do it anyway....
: Where MBP fits seems to be a question.

Not to the people who insist on MBP. AIUI, they hold metzitzah is
me'aqeiv, and metzitzah bepeh is the only form of metzitzah we have a
mesorah of doing. Therefore, they see themselves in the same situation
as your "certainly".

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

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