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having recently given birth B”H to our second son, and being told that he was yellow (and so no bris last week)by our mohel, I was struck by his reason for being late to come to see us. He said that he was trying to explain to a mother why he would not do her baby’s bris on the eighth day (as he was yellow) and she was trying to argue with him hat he should do it anyway! ( the mohel is a great grandfather, extremely experienced and a real yarei shamayim) Am I alone in thinking that the health of the baby is more important than having a bris on time?
It is more than that, In cases of the baby being yellow, it is OSSUR to do the bris. I have heard modern medicine does not rule a baby being yellow as unfit for bris, it is the gemarra and shulchan aruch which states that one does not do a bris when the baby is yellow.
This is why it is futile to ask the doctors what is sufficient “non-yellow” for which to do a bris.
Firstly, Mazal Tov on the birth of your baby boy. May you both see much nachas from him as he grows up.
I’m not up on the latest medical literature, so I don’t know if the current medical consensus is that a bris is (medically) safe if the baby is yellow or not. That aside, however, I would imagine that this scenario is very much that of terifos — in the times of Chazal, an animal was a teraifah if it had a defect that would cause it to die in less than 12 months. Nowadays, however, we see that animals with these defects DO manage to live longer. Nonetheless, the definition of a teraifah does not change — so even though an animal will live longer than 12 months, such animals are still ruled non-kosher.
Same thing here. Even though the child might be medically fit for a bris if he’s yellow, halachically, we rule that he isn’t medically fit.
All this aside, I would be shocked if any mohel did a bris on a baby that he considered to be unready for it despite the protestations of the mother or father.
The Wolf
Am I alone in thinking that the health of the baby is more important than having a bris on time?
It’s not a matter of what we think. It’s a matter of Halachah and what the Poskim rule. The Mohel is usual qualified to poskin in these matters
“the importance of a bris NOT being on time!”
This is the heading. I assure you every Bris is on time! – The right time being when the baby is strong and healthy.
Don’t dream of pushing it. There was a yellow baby who was rushed to hospital bec. the Mohel could not stop the bleeding. A shame he had listened to the father who wanted the bris on the 8th day.
WolfishMusings
it doesn’t say the mohel gave in, and did the bris
“Nowadays, however, we see that animals with these defects DO manage to live longer. “
No they dont. If Chazal says they die in 12 months then they die in 12 months.
A bris should always be ontime unless its a danger to the baby.
When my son was 12 hours old he was rushed for emergency surgery for a urology problem. The doctor reassured us that he will be able to have his bris on time, but the mohel who is very well known said that it has to be pushed off because he still had a few stitches. According to the doctor it was medically okay but not according to the mohel so he had his bris a few weeks late. Halacha overrides a medical decision.
it doesn’t say the mohel gave in, and did the bris
I understood that. I was speaking in general that I’d be very shocked if a mohel gave in to parental pressure.
IANAM, but if I were and a parent insisted on a bris over my better judgment, I would tell them to get a different mohel.
The Wolf
There is yellow and there is YELLOW. My son was a little jaundiced after birth, but I brought him to the pediatrician who was also a talmid chochom, and he called the mohel personally to discuss the bris with him. Both of them agreed and the bris was done on the 8th day, my son was wonderful, B”H and all is well. My friend’s son had a baby whose bris was delayed for weeks because he was premature. Clearly seichel has to be used by the parents to understand the ultimately the health of the baby has to come first. It is frustrating to not be able to call the baby by name for weeks, sometimes, but the bottom line is pikuach nefesh is first.
ISn’t there a halacha that if a certain number of male children bleed out (such as hemophiliacs)as a result of the bris, that no other male children are given a bris in that family? Now that seems harsh, but it is soemtimes necessary.
“I would tell them to get a different mohel.”
And now you know better than a moihel how to know if a baby is ready for a bris?
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