עברית
Women
Redemption After Miscarriage
Question
BS"D, Hello esteemed Rabbi. I need advice. I am a ba'alat teshuva (female who has returned to religious observance), and sadly one of the terrible things I went through before my return was a miscarriage. No one in my family or my husband's family knows about my past. I would like to know how I can cope with this shame when everyone expects me to perform the redemption of my son who will be born, please G-d, when I cannot do so because I went through a miscarriage. What can be done in this matter, how can I evade? Are there other reasons why redemption cannot be performed (besides surgical birth) that I can tell my relatives to evade the questions why there is no redemption? It is important for me to note that my husband's family is religious and it will be difficult for them to accept this issue. The miscarriage sadly occurred in the third month of my pregnancy. My husband does know about this and is very supportive and confident that everything will work out in the end, but I am still very anxious and ashamed of this issue. I am waiting for a response. Shiran.
Answer
Hello and greetings.
The halachic authorities disagree regarding the obligation of redemption for a child born after a miscarriage [up to the end of the third month], and it seems that the ruling leans more towards the opinion that mandates redemption, but this is contingent on the knowledge that at the time of the miscarriage, no complete limbs were seen, [which is usually the case with miscarriages in the first three months], and one can rely on what they told you at the time of the miscarriage regarding the condition of the fetus that was miscarried [I assume it is possible to check this information in the medical records from where the miscarriage occurred], and thus is the ruling of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, of blessed memory [Yabi'a Omer, Volume 6, Yoreh De'ah, Section 26].
If you have no knowledge of the condition of the fetus at the time of the miscarriage, and it is impossible for you to ascertain this now, whether the fetus was already formed or not, the law is that you should redeem the child born afterward without a blessing [or with a blessing without mentioning the name, - in a case of discomfort and regard for others, one can discreetly conceal the sacred names in the blessing so the public will not notice, such as instead of saying: 'Adon-y Elokeinu', one can say 'Adon Aleinu']. In short, you do not need to evade at all; you are obligated to perform the redemption as per the law, and according to my assumption, even with the blessings as usual, but this should be verified as noted above. May Hashem help you to merit to give birth at a good time and with good fortune, and may you and your husband enjoy much joy from him.
Good luck - Menashe Israel
