[Avodah] Leading Charedi Posek Says metzitza' Should Not

[hankman]

I think the clarification issued by R. Shmuel Kamenetsky is in full consonance with what the position I espoused. Part of the statement read:

To my knowledge, it has not been proven that the practice leads to contraction of illness. The halacha is extremely sensitive to health concerns and it is wrong to insinuate that Jews who are very particular in the care of their children would be engaging in a practice for thousands of years which is inherently dangerous.

We have a sacred responsibility to protect our children from danger and that responsibility is paramount. However, in the absence of an inherent danger from our performing mitzvos or following our traditions, we must follow them. In my view, there has been no demonstration of an inherent danger associated with Metzitzah B’Peh.

He wrote, “in the absence of inherent danger,” but we can clearly infer from these words that if that danger can be shown to his satisfaction, he too would insist on a procedure that avoided the inherent danger. So I again submit that if the evidence of the risk of metsitsa bepeh by a carrier of the herpes virus can be shown, ie. if the evidence in the death of an infant can positively be relateded to the virus infection of the mohel, even if the risk is small,  then RSK would agree that this be strictly avoided (perhaps by testing the prospective mohel to see if he is a carrier of the virus.).

Kol Tuv

Chaim Manaster
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