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Is there an issue with ladies going to the zoo when they are pregnant? If yes then why is it a problem?

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It would be helpful if you briefly explained why you think it might be or why you think it might not be. – Seth J Jul 24 '12 at 21:39

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There is no issue with them going to a zoo, the problem is they should not be staring at the animals. I asked this question to HaRav Betzalel Rudinsky years ago and he showed me from Rishonim issues to this effect. I do not remember the sources, other than that the Raavad was among them.

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The Kav Hayashar brings it down and minhag Chabad is not even to have not kosher animals visable – SimchasTorah Dec 24 '10 at 5:10
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What did Chabad do 100+ years ago when horses were a daily necessity? – Desert Star Dec 24 '10 at 5:47
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In those days pregnancy was known as a period of "confinement". Women who were with child stayed home for months and gave birth at home as well. – Yahu Dec 24 '10 at 6:02
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Besides which, אין דנין אפשר משאי אפשר - you can't prove cases where alternatives are possible from ones where there aren't any. If a pregnant woman had to travel back then, then she had to, and that's that. (Also, I'm not sure how old this Chabad custom is anyway. I know that the Rebbe zt"l stressed, back in the mid-5740s, the importance of children not playing with toys or the like that feature non-kosher animals, but I don't know whether this was a restatement of an older custom that had fallen into disuse, or whether it was a new issue.) – Alex Dec 26 '10 at 4:48
Rav Rudinsky is not typically known for restrictions that are "kabbalistic" in nature, and not mandated by halacha and/or minhag. He may have shown you which Rishonim warn against it, but did he issue a psak halacha that a specific pregnant should not go to a zoo? What about going to a neighbor's house, who might have a dog? What about going in her own backyard in Monsey, where hedgehogs are known to run around? – user1095 Feb 5 '12 at 19:41
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up vote 3 down vote

The mekor is based off the Sefer Habris which explains it is not good for a pregnant woman to see strange things and then get scared which is bad for the baby. See here for answer #399 .

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url needs fixing – josh waxman Jul 25 '12 at 3:06
@joshwaxman thanks, fixed. – Monica Cellio♦ Jul 25 '12 at 14:26

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