[Avodah] Beris Milah with Metzitza 6 days of the week

[Micha Berger]

On Thu, Sep 20, 2012 at 07:49:55AM +1000, Meir Rabi wrote:
: It's NOT a given that halakhah only requires Metzitza as a matter of life
: and death. This is the very topic under machloqes!
: 
: MR; I am unaware of even one argument that can explain the Gemara in any
: other manner. It is beyond any doubt that the Mishna and Gemara impose
: Metzitza for health reasons.

Please reread http://www.aishdas.org/avodah/vol30/v30n124.shtml#11
and the subseqient post for my list of sources who disagree with
your assumption of "minhag". My reply was intended as being in
addition to what was already said.

You also don't actually answer the questions:

(1) Why does metzitzah qualify as minhag if people were doing it solely
because of Aristotilian medical theory?

(1b) And why didn't bloodletting in other contexts qualify as minhag?

It seems to me that the fact that Jews did it is irrelevent in
establishing minhag if we were doing it for medical reasons. Just as if
ties were to go out of style, there wouldn't be a minhag requiring us
(in communities where ties are now worn) to continue doing so on Shabbos.

(2) Why would RSRH, RYESpektor, etc... require metzitzah bepeh (even if
through a tzinor), if Aristotle didn't give reasons for such a preference?

So, aside from the existance of sources that say metzizah was for more
than medical reasons, I don't see the logic that would connect the
assertion that medicine was the only reason to the conclusion that it's
therefore minhag, rather than therefor obsolete.


The gemara is clear that someone who didn't have metzitzah done to him
is not an areil, and that a mohel who didn't do metzitzah should be
fired for risking medical problems. That's not the same as saying the
only reason for metzitzah are those medical reasons, and there is no
qiyum asei involved.

In http://www.aishdas.org/avodah/vol30/v30n123.shtml#09 I cite the Avnei
Neizer who explains the gemara as being redable either way. The Meishiv
Nefesh does similarly with the Rambam. With the sifrei nigleh being
readable either way, it would seem that reading the gemara such that
metzitzah bepeh (not only metzitzah in general) is part of the original
deOraisa would be more compelling for posqim who consider the Tiqunei
Zohar a primary source. And a valid possibility that can't be dismissed
out of hand, for those who don't.

GCT!
-Micha

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Micha Berger             It isn't what you have, or who you are, or where
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