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From
<a href="http://revach.net/article.php?id=3415" eudora="autourl">
http://revach.net/article.php?id=3415</a><br><br>
<font size=3>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.<br><br>
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..."<br><br>
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?"<br><br>
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. <br><br>
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. </font></body>
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