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Regarding the infertile woman, some poskim rule that her marriage should give the person who attempted suicide a chance to prove to
is not considered a mistaken transaction. A man who does not have himself that he will not repeat that attempt, despite the fact that sci-
male potency, however, is viewed as a mistaken transaction, according entifically, no one can promise it will not happen again.
to all opinions of the poskim. As explained in the Ein Yitzchak (Even I wish to add that attempted suicide is the result of a person feeling
Ha’ezer 24, #6:42), if he cannot have marital relations with her, his various pressures and a sense of hopelessness and helplessness. The
marriage is nullified by itself, and she does not need a bill of divorce. person sees no light at the end of the tunnel, no escape from his situ-
His condition is worse than an infertile woman, with whom it is ation. The more the person becomes isolated from society, the more
possible to live a married life. He is doubly stricken. He cannot sire endangered he becomes. Sometimes a person goes through difficult
children and he cannot live a normal married life with a woman. times, and if they pass, his thoughts of suicide will probably dissipate.
There is almost no practical application for this question. Since We must help him through those difficulties.
he is paralyzed, any woman who considered marrying him will in- If this young lady strengthens her faith, learns problem-solving
vestigate his condition to determine whether he is capable of bearing skills, and receives social support, she will probably not consider
children. There is no need to tell her about his condition because it suicide again.
is open and revealed to everyone. He is not considered a stumbling Prof. Matityahu Wiesenberg, Clinical Psychologist
block to the public, because whoever sees him knows that there may
be a problem.
1 AnsweR
What we do need to consider is that perhaps the physicians told
him that there is a possibility that he can sire children and now, after It says in Tractate Baba Metzia (60a), and the Rambam (Hilchos
his surgery, his condition has changed. Therefore, we would need to Mechirah 18:1-2) also rules that it is prohibited for a person to cheat in
gently hint to him that the surgery may have caused some changes sales or to deceive a Jew or gentile. If the seller knows there is a defect
and it would be wise for him to marry a woman who is appropriate in the item he is selling, he should tell the buyer. (The Kiryas Sefer
for him. says that this in an actual Torah prohibition.) Moreover, the Mishnah
continues, one should not buff-up a person, animal, or old utensil to
The Torah says “Do not wrong your fellowman” (Vayikra 25:17).
The Ibn Ezra says that the reason this injunction is stated in the plu- make it look new.
ral form (lo sonu) is in order to include the witnesses. It’s possible that In Responsa Divrei Malkiel (Vol. 3 #54) a question is raised: What
the agent of the wrongdoing, and all those who assisted him, also does the Mishnah add by telling us not to buff-up an old item to look
violate the prohibition “Do not wrong your fellowman.” as if it were new? Can there be any greater deception than this? He
answers that even if the buyer knows that the item is not new, it is still
Therefore, one should hint to the young man that it is possible that forbidden to adorn it to look like new. From this we can learn that in
something happened to his reproductive organs during the surgery. our case, the girl is prohibited from hiding her past. If even after the
This will prevent some future young lady from making the mistake of seller told the buyer that the item is used, he is still forbidden to make
marrying him under the assumption that he is able to sire children. it look more beautiful than it really is, then all the more so should it
One should carefully prepare him to find a wife who already has chil- be forbidden to conceal something as serious as an attempt at suicide.
dren. However, one can still argue that the young lady is not obligated to
The physician must remember that our Torah is exceedingly cau- reveal her past, if we accept the physician’s assurance that the chances

40 1 Medical-HalacHic Responsa of Rav ZilbeRstein Revealing a bride's earlier attempt at suicide 2 29