Israel’s Chief Rabbinate suspects that a mohel from the north performed hundreds of Brisim in recent years that did not comply with Halacha. Some of the children circumcised by the rabbi have already undergone surgery to correct the bris, thus rendering it kosher. There is significant concern that others will be forced to undergo a similar procedure.

Ynet reports that the mohel oversight committee instructed the rabbi not to conduct additional circumcisions until the Rabbinate’s hearing on his case, expected to be held this week, is completed.

According to the item published on ladaat.net, suspicions were aroused after a number of senior Rabbonim from the Haifa area were present at a bris milah performed by L. – a rabbi affiliated with the local Chabad – were surprised to find out that he did not remove the foreskin, as is required by halacha. The guest rabbis notified the Chief Rabbinate, and word spread throughout the community.

Following these revelations, dozens of concerned parents contacted expert mohels to examine their children’s circumcision. A number of circumcised children even had to undergo a surgical procedure under full anesthesia to correct the botched circumcision. Each such surgical procedure costs thousands of shekels.

The said mohel is well-known and performs hundreds of circumcisions a year. Estimates are that the scandal will likely have implications for thousands of children. For instance, the Chief Rabbinate may decide to summon the circumcised children for an examination whether the circumcisions meet kosher standards.

However, it is important to note that there is no concern of medical complications. The issue is a purely halachic and aesthetic one.

Rabbi Moshe Weisberg, a member of the inter-ministerial committee of the Health Ministry and Religious Affairs ministry for oversight and training of mohels, told Ynet that he does not remember any such instance. “It can happen to anyone because no one is an angel, even if he is a mohel or a doctor,” he explained. “But on such a scale? This is already in the realm of the abnormal.”

Head of the Chief Rabbinate’s bris milah department Rabbi Moshe Morsiano told Ynet, “There is no medical damage, but it is a halachic matter. Circumcision is a commandment and must be done in its entirety. There is concern here that this was not the case. This is a serious, well-known, and highly regarded man who apparently made a mistake.”

(Source: Ynet)