An investigation concerning whether Jewish children were sent to the
homes of Christian wet nurses requires an excursus into the legal literature of
the period. The Tosafist commentary on Tractate Avodah Zara discusses the
same passage that Rashi discussed, regarding nursing infants on Jewish prem-
ises. Unlike Rashi, who explains that the fear that the gentile nurse will kill the
child determines the location in which the wet nurse cares for her charge, the
Tosafist says:
If so, one must be careful not to let a Jewess who is going out of town leave her
son alone at home in the hands of a non-Jewish wet nurse, if there are no other
Jewesses in the city who come in and go out at all times. And even in such cases,
from the time the baby is put to sleep, he should not be left alone. As for a young
boy or girl left alone at the home of an idol worshiper to be cured, R. Isaac said
this is not allowed for a number of reasons since they [the idol worshipers] are sus-
pected of spilling blood. And even if they [the children] are grown, they may be
lured to minut [Christianity].^110This source describes a situation in which the mother of the infant goes out of
town and leaves her child alone with the Christian wet nurse, who is clearly
responsible for the child’s care. The discussion, as presented, does not clearly
indicate where the wet nurse is physically taking care of the child—in her own
home or in the child’s home. Permission is given only if a Jewish friend of the
mother checks on the wet nurse frequently; there seems to be a special con-
cern for the baby’s welfare during the night.^111 The second part of the Tosafist’s
comment discusses a different issue raised in the Talmud, concerning leaving
sick children in the homes of non-Jewish healers to be nursed back to health.
In this case, it is clear that the children are in the non-Jewish home. R. Isaac
(R”i haZaken of Dampierre, d. end of twelfth century) forbids this practice,
but it clearly does take place in spite of his objections.
The mention of the practice of sending sick children to Christian healers’
homes, makes it likely that the Jewish infants referred to in the previous lines
of the same text were those who stayed in Christian wet nurses’ homes. The
Tosafist’s comments are further explained in an additional source. Comment-
ing on the same passage in tractate Avodah Zara, R. Elh·anan, the son of R.
Isaac of Dampierre (who objected to the practice) explains:
“Not if she is on her own.” Therefore one should be careful not to place a Jewish
infant in the home of a non-Jew to be nursed. And even in a Jewish home, one
cannot leave them [the infants] if they do not come and go, which is like having
others standing by her.... And this applies to nursing and also to children who
need to be cured. It seems from this that they should not be left alone in the house
of the non-Jew without any Jews present for a month or two months. And even
though we are not afraid that she will apply poison to her breast [one of the fears
in the case of nursing], they [the non-Jews] are suspect of spilling blood.^112