Frum Jews and Genetic Screening

Let me start off saying that it is very possible that I can be completely wrong on this. However, I have some anecdotal evidence that could show the opposite.

My wife and I know a frum, chassidic family where the wife is very much opposed to the use of modern medicine, and uses it only in extreme measures. Let me give you an example: as far as I know, this family does not vaccinate their children, the wife, when she was ill with a serious illness, used only natural remedies and let the illness progress significally before getting treatment.

This brings me to the following news article:

(IsraelNN.com) Dov Ber Holtzberg, the four-year-old son of murdered Chabad emissaries to Mumbai, India, Rabbi Gavriel Noach and Rivki Holtzberg died at a Jerusalem hospital during the predawn hours of Tuesday from Tay-Sachs disease. The Holtzbergs lost their first son to the disease at the age of three.

Yes, I know that it's bad to speak about the deceased, and yes, the story is heart-wrenching. However, given how much information there is on "Jewish" genetic diseases, the Dor Yesharim service (among others), and the fact that they already had one child with Tay-Sachs, why do people have so much bitachon and so little hishtadlut?

I am not saying that this wonderful couple, may G-d avenge their death, should not have never gotten married, chas v'halila. However, given the fact that they knew that both of them were carriers for Tay-Sachs after the birth of their first child, why not exercise caution, and not rely on providence? And yes, I know that "caution" is a very light word for that; however, does it warrant the misery they and their relatives had to endure? Note that there's a one in four chance to have a Tay-Sachs baby if both parents are carriers - not one in a million.

Why not take a chance to prevent more misery? Isn't there already too much misery in the world?

I'm just puzzled by this.

And again, I would like to say to Moshe - the only survivor of this family: 

"Hamakom Yenachem Otcha B'Toch Avelei Tzion veYerushalaim." 

Yaakov Avinu's work ethic or Having money before having kids

See this post. Makes me wonder how many people know of this

Parsha Thought

Today I've got a weekly email from my shul. In it, the Rav of the shul expounded on virtues of "Being Honest and Learning Good Even from Wicked." As an example, he brought the honesty of Yaakov in his dealings with Lavan, and, as a parallel, brought down a story about Chafetz Chayim. The story is as follows:

In a bathhouse, the Chofetz Chaim (a distinguished Torah Scholar Rabbi Meir haCohen) once saw a person using an article that belonged to someone else. The Chofetz Chaim went over to him and whispered, " A person who washes himself with something that does not belong to him ends up dirtier than when he started."

I'm just wondering: how long will it be until someone quotes this story and based on it, will claim that Chafetz Chayim was an expert on infectious diseases.