Generally Jewish Religion opposes Birth Control; Questions of Exceptional Cases should be Posed to a Rov; Blessing of Children comes from G-d
By the Grace of G-d
Rosh Chodesh Adar, 5732
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Blessing and Greeting:
With regard to the question of birth control which you mention in your letter, I trust that you know that generally the Jewish religion opposes it. As a matter of fact, childbearing is the first mitzvah in the Torah, Toras Emes and Toras Chayim, the first Divine commandment being, “Be fruitful and multiply.”
It is only in exceptional cases that Jewish Law permits certain forms of birth control. If you have any question in this regard, you should put it to a practicing experienced Rov and get his ruling, for it is not within the sphere of my duties to pasken shaalos.
Finally, let me also observe that the blessing of children is not something which a person may choose at will, but it is a blessing from G-d. Therefore one should very carefully consider — even if there were no other motives — whether one should interfere in this area.
I trust that the above lines, though by far inadequate in relation to the subject matter, will suffice to help you put matters in their right perspective.
With blessing,
Source: The Letter and the Spirit, vol. 6, p. 58.
Note: Letters printed in "The Letter and the Spirit" are from the Archives of Rabbi Nissan Mindel A"H, the Rebbe's personal secretary entrusted with writing up the Rebbe's orally dictated responses. The “Nissan Mindel Archives” are comprised of secretarial copies, including first drafts, and may have subsequently been published with editorial changes. Therefore the letters as they appear in the book may not be the final signed version.
9. Bereishis 1:28.
