Deputy Minister of Health (Yahadut HaTorah) Yaakov Litzman used his position to prevent the ministry from adhering to a request from an organization representing Israeli pediatricians seeking guidelines by the ministry forbidding metzitzah b’peh.
Israel’s organization representing the nation’s pediatricians is seeking to have the ministry release bris milah guidelines that prohibit metzitzah b’peh, but Litzman has intervened to prevent such a move.
Litzman explained the ministry has guidelines and he has no intensions of making any changes in line with this request. The pediatricians however are not willing to give up their cause, announcing they will be distributing an explanation sheet with their position to all women following birth. Such an information sheet will explain the dangers of infection or worse by permitting a mohel to conduct metzitzah without a glass tube, but with his mouth.
It should be pointed out that in Israel, the Chief Rabbinate permits using a glass tube if a mohel and the parents so decide.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
I am a practicing Mohel for over 40 years, a talmid of the famous Rav Yosef Weisberg (Yossele) of Yerushalayim.
He gave over to me a Psak of the Brisker Rav zt”l that a shfoferes (tube) is permitted in all cases where there is a chashash (suspicion) of comunicable disease fro the baby. Also, I have in my posession a letter from Rav Wosner shlita stating that the Chazon Ish Zt”l considered the shfoferes as MBP because the suction is caused by the Mohel’s mouth, unlike the bulb-syrine which uses negative pressure to draw the blood. Indeed, the Chazon Ish says this is the Halachah lMaaseh but among the Chasidim it would be considered a new inovation: chadashim mikarov bau, vchadash asur min haTorah.
I believe that theffort by the gedolei Harabonim today is to not let goverment interfere with even Minhag Yisroel (Jewish Custo) at any level.
rotzehbilumshmo: The Brisker Rav ONLY allowed it if there was a known chashash of that specific mohel possibly trasmitting a disease. The Brisker did NOT allow it across the board.