Also, I forgot to mention that in the future, I think you should mention when the teshuva you’re quoting is by a Modern Orthodox rav, as I’m sure some of us would not give such an opinion as much weight.
While his constituency is largely “Modern Orthodox” I’m not sure he would identify himself as such.
Patur (and anyone else interested), how would you explain this line of the Radak (from your first quote)?
???? ??? ????? ????? ?????? ??? ???? ????? ????? ???
My question is, how is ????? ??? connected to their wives being beautiful? (It also needs to make sense for ???????? ???? ?????,
unless you want to explain that differently.)… Do you have any more possible explanations, or perhaps a better understanding of one of mine?
Here are two possibilities:
1) ??? is referring to the wives. I know it’s dochek. But see Gittin 58a which says:
??? ???? ????? ?? ??? ??????? ?????? ????? ?????? ??? ???? ?????? ???????? ?????? ??????? ???? ????? ????? ??? ????? ????? ????? ???????? ??????
Rashi explains:
?????? ????????. ????? ???? ????????? ??? ???????? ?????
The Maharal is even more explicit:
?????? ??’. ????? ???? ????? ????? ???? ????? ??? ????? ?????? ???? ????? ?????? ??????? ????? ???? ?? ??? ?????? ??? ????? ????? ???? ?????? ???? ????? ???? ???? ??? ????? ??????? ???? ???? ?????? ???? ?? ???? ????? ???? ??????? ????? ??? ?? ????? ????? ???? ????? ???? ????? ???? ?????? ????? ???? ???? ??? ????? ???? ?? ???? ?????? ????? ?????? ????? ????
I deliberately wrote “Answer 2: They wanted their children to be beautiful and to look like them” with “them” being somewhat ambiguous, to leave open this possibility.
2) ????? ??? doesn’t mean that they will look like them; it means that they will be beautiful just like their fathers were beautiful.
Health:
I don’t see anything in what you wrote that addresses any of my points.