Once again we are confronted with an unjustified attack against Modern Orthodoxy. This time it comes in the form of an attack by Rabbi Shimshon Sherer, son of Rabbi Moshe Sherer, one of the founders and long term executive director (until his death) of Agudath Israel. In another blog I read of a speech he gave at a Shabbos afternoon Shalasheudes. In addressing why we say "Ve-Al HaMilchamos" (on the wars) in the Al HaNissim of Channukah, he said it is because the "Milchama" (war) is not yet over. We continue to fight the Misyavnim (apostate Greek warriors).
Quote from that blog: “And don't think, said R. Sherer, that the Misyavnim of today are the Reform or Conservative. No, they're the Modern Orthodox rabbis (verbatim quote) who want to chepper with bris milah ...”
Apparently this stems from a controversy that occurred a while back where a Mohel had supposedly given herpes to a baby he circumcised via this procedure. Many Mohalim have abandoned this kind of direct contact precisely because of such dangers. The Herpes virus can easily be passed on this way. Why do it needlessly if it can be one in a modified way?
Many Poskim, Rabbi Moshe Tendler amongst them have long ago promoted abandoning this procedure as not a necessary component of Bris Milah. The Gemarah itself states that the sole purpose of drawing blood is to prevent damaging the babies health by leaving contaminated blood in the wound. But it does not consider drawing blood an actual part of the Bris itself. It is a matter of Sakana... danger. As such of course we require that part of the procedure because of the Gemarah’s warning “Sakanta Chamira MeIsura” ... endangering one’s health is of grater gravity that violating an forbidden act. So, it was incorporated into the Bris Milah procedure and has always been part of it.
No one advocates removal of this mandated portion of the procedure. What has been advocated and approved by qualified Poskim is that the procedure of drawing blood by modified to avoid direct physical contact between the mouth of the Mohel and the wound on the baby. There are some Poskim who permit using gauze to draw out the blood. Others say it should be sucked out via a pipette because that qualifies it as Metzitza B’Peh. But there are some Poskim who argue that tampering in any way with the time honored procedure of direct contact in drawing out the blood is forbidden. And for this reason many still prefer that the Mohel do it this way. Any danger that may result, they contend, is rare and mitigated by the fact that all Brisin over the millennia have been performed that way without any recorded incidents.
To now say that those who advocate against the Metziza B’Peh direct contact, because of health considerations are equivalent to the apostates of ancient Greece who tried to convert us to their heathen ways is beyond insulting. It is an affront to Torah Judaism. How can anyone no matter say that a difference like this qualifies for apostasy? This is pure Sinas Chinam. There is no other term for it.
It is beyond outrageous to perpetuate such hatred of one’s fellow Jew. One can disagree and say that they don’t like the Psak. But to call those sincere and God fearing Poskim names like this gentleman did is to create bitterness and divide Jewry.
So much for Achdus.
