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throughout the hospital anyway, the benefit will be about the same 7 will give birth easily and safely.” The woman left the beis midrash # 20818
even if the name of the midwife is not known. thrilled, and ran to the hospital to tell the physicians not to operate.
Medical school instructors say that there can be much benefit in After she left, related Rav Shlomo Zalman, my father reconsidered
talking about the error even without citing the specific occurrence or the matter and realized it was dangerous not to do surgery. He began
the name of the person involved. This makes it easier for the person looking for the woman in order to tell her that perhaps it is correct
who erred to internalize the knowledge and to improve in the future. to go ahead with the surgery. But, to his great anguish, he was not
Directly rebuking the nurse can in fact cause opposite results: she can successful in finding her.
easily focus on the shame and become defensive and resentful of the Heartbroken, he came home and told all the members of our fam-
supervisor who rebuked her. ily to say Tehillim throughout the night. I never saw my father cry as
much as I saw during that night. The next morning, the woman came
and told him with much joy: “Thank you very much, kevod Harav.
1 SuMMaRy and Conclusions My daughter gave birth easily in the merit of your advice and your

blessing.”
When necessary, it is permissible to criticize a midwife in public, even
though she will be ashamed because of it. However, it is preferable 
not to mention her name and not to insult her, because one must With my own eyes, I have seen midwives and nurses caring for bed-
remember the good things she did in saving lives. The supervising ridden patients praying to the Creator of the World for their patients.
midwife would do good to also mention the midwife’s good qualities We must recall their devotion and not only their failures.
and dedication to the birthing mothers and their babies.



One should remember the positive traits of the
dedicated midwives

Rav S. Z. Auerbach zt”l related that during the rabbinate of his
father, Rav Chaim Leib Auerbach, zt”l, a woman showed up in the
beis midrash very late at night crying hysterically. “Rebbi, help me,” she
said. “My daughter is in the midst of a difficult labor. Her life is in
danger and the physicians want to operate. I want the Rav to tell me
whether or not to operate, and to pray for her.”
When Rav Chaim Leib heard this, his intrinsic mercy was aroused.
Seeing her great pain, he found himself saying, “Tell your daughter
not to undergo surgery. She should have faith in Hashem that she

202 1 Medical-HalacHic Responsa of Rav ZilbeRstein Criticism of a medical omission 2 203