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resides, whereas here the physician acts as a go-between. It therefore
seems ironic to permit someone with many daughters to employ ar-
tificial insemination in order to open his home to a child who may or
may not be considered his son, who may or may not be a kohen, who
may or may not be his heir etc. but who at least is definitely a male!

It is known that many of our nation’s foremost leaders, our master
the Kehillas Yaakov among them, were repulsed by the very idea of
employing technological innovations such as artificial insemination
and in vitro fertilization, because these trample the element of purity
that ordinarily suffuses the formation of a new life. In Siddur Beis
Yaakov, in the section entitled Cheder Hamitos, the author explains
that the caliber of a couple’s children is in direct proportion to the
degree of modesty, of love and of holiness between them during
marital relations. Obviously, none of this happens with artificial in-
semination.

When a couple come seeking Torah guidance as to whether or
not they are under obligation to attempt to bring children into the
world in this way, the response will be: “This is not what the Torah
demands!” Hakadosh baruch Hu presumably knows full well that
their ultimate benefit will be best served by them directing their
abilities and their life’s work to one of the many fields of opportunity
for fulfilling the Creator’s mitzvos besides this one. The lives of our
nation’s many great spiritual leaders who left blessing after them in
every possible realm of Torah fulfillment besides leaving offspring,
attest to this.

However, if their main intention is to assuage their natural desire
to merit seeing offspring of their own, it is difficult to withhold this
from them3.

It is similarly impossible to close the door of hope in the face of

3. Indeed, one should first speak to them gently and encourage them to fulfill the
mitzvah of procreation in the normal way despite the difficulty and despite their
concern about giving birth to disabled children, as we have explained at length
earlier, in siman 230 in regard to preventing pregnancy when there is concern
over giving birth to children suffering from Tay-Sachs.

84 1 Medical-Halachic Responsa of Rav Zilberstein