[Avodah] Metz is required via Divine Revelation

[Akiva Miller]

R' Meir G. Rabi asked:

> Regarding the suggestion that, Chazal's belief in the need for
> metzitzah came not via any sort of scientific or empirical
> research or observation, but via revelation or ruach hakodesh.
>
> I dont understand what is to be gained by this assertion and I
> dont see how it can be justified.
>
> Please provide some more information to support this remarkable
> contention.

What I actually wrote (and appeared in Avodah Digest 30:130, in the thread titled "Re: [Avodah] Beris Milah with Metzitza 6 days of the week") was:

> For all I know ... Chazal's belief in the need for metzitzah
> came not via any sort of scientific or empirical research or
> observation, but via revelation or ruach hakodesh.

Apparently, the idiom "for all I know" is not as widely understood as I had thought. It really means "I have no idea whether..."

In other words, I am aware of the requirement of metzitzah, and I am also aware that the reason for metzitza is health-related. But I am totally unaware how Chazal came to the belief that a milah without metzitzah is dangerous. They may have gotten this belief through their own medical research and observation, or simply by relying on the medical research of others.

But I am unaware of anyone who ever explicitly wrote that Chazal learned about this danger in a scientific manner. Therefore I cannot rule out the *possibility* that at some point in our history, this information was acquired by some navi via nevua, or by some gadol via ruach hakodesh, in a manner similar to how we know about the ruach raah which is on our hands in the morning.

> I dont understand what is to be gained by this assertion ...

There is a very big nafka mina involved, as I see it.

If we know about the danger because of a revelation of some sort, then we must be EXTREMELY careful regarding any developments on how we deal with it. But if the only knowledge of the danger comes from ancient medical research, and it is at odds with current medical research, then there is much more room for flexibility.

I am not nearly knowledgeable enough to pasken on how strict we'd need to be in the former case, or on what leniencies we could allow in the latter case. But I do think that I'm knowledgeable enough to see that there could be real differences between the two.

Akiva Miller

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