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blood vessels, the heart, the liver, and the hearing. As a result, the and in our case, only the woman’s brother was affected with # 20818
patient’s body looks deformed. There are two types of this syndrome: Hunter syndrome.
Patients suffering from the more severe, Type A, can live until 15 years 2. It seems that the advising physician is guilty of violating the
of age. The child in our case suffers from the less severe - Type B, mitzvah d’Oraisa of “Do not put a stumbling block in front of a
where the patient does not suffer from intellectual deficiencies and blind man.”
can live to be 50 years of age.
The child cannot walk freely and is confined to a wheelchair. He 3. The physician can compensate the father of the sick child for
his anguish and for the medical expenses, and this will serve as
has difficulty breathing due to problems with the connective tissues atonement for the physician’s violation of “Do not put a stum-
in his mouth and jaw, but not because of a problem with his lungs. bling block before a blind man.”
This can be treated, as explained in medical literature.
4. All the above is only if the mistake was due to negligence, but if
 the doctor studied the matter well, he is exempt from payment
and responsibility.
5. If the parents consulted a physician whose specialty is not ge-
Why are blemished children born? netics, and he erred in his advice, even if his mistake stemmed
from a lack of knowledge, he is possibly exempt from payment.
And this requires further study.
At times one comes across a woman who is crying as she leaves the
hospital carrying a handicapped child. The mother wonders, Why
did this happen to me?
The answer to her question can be found in the words of the Chafetz
Chayim on the Torah (Parshas Haazinu) on the verse (Tehillim 19:10):
“The ordinances of the Lord are true, they are righteous altogether.”

Sins between man and his fellow are not forgiven on Yom
Kippur until one appeases his fellow. And if someone blas-
phemed and cursed his fellow or hit him with his hand and
did not ask for forgiveness, he has no rectification until he
comes back to this world by reincarnation and appeases
the person against whom he sinned. When a man hears in
the Upper World that it was decreed upon him to descend
to the world of emptiness again, he cries bitterly for this
great sin, and has claims against Hashem for creating him
in his first incarnation as a rich man, since (Mishlei 18:23):
“The rich man answers impudently,” and had he been born
poor, he would not have been so impudent… and he begs

36 1 Medical-HalacHic Responsa of Rav ZilbeRstein Erroneous genetic advice 2 49