The Chief Rabbinate of Israel has received requests [but not a formal complaint] inquiring as to why it is not canceling the semicha of former Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger in light of the him pleading guilty to charges of accepting bribes.
In fact, a precedent was set during Rabbi Metzger’s tenure as Chief Rabbi as the Chief Rabbinate for a first time ever, canceled the semicha of a rav who was found to be involved in stealing Sifrei Torah, a rav who was serving as Rabbi of Moshe Brosh. There have been other cases as well so asking to do so against Rabbi Metzger would not be a precedent-setting act.
The Chief Rabbinate of Israel Rabbinical Council is being called upon to cancel Rabbi Metzger’s rabbinical ordination. At present, the Chief Rabbinate Ethics Committee is probing the matter.
If a formal complaint is filed, which the Chief Rabbinate states has not yet occurred, the Ethics Committee will submit its recommendations to the Chief Rabbinate Rabbinical Council for a decision.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
5 Responses
This is not a bar exam, you cannot revoke a Smicha.
#1 is right but the Chief Rabbinate can issue a statement saying that if it were halachically possible to do so it would revoke his semicha but that he will not be accepted by any Rabbinate in Israel to give chupa v’ kiddushin.
בכבוד הרב הראשי לאו, ראשון לציון. הרב מצגר הוכיח חוסר כבוד כלפי תורה והסמכה לרבנות שלו צריכה להיות מבוטלת. אנא שקול זה בקשה רשמית לקיים דיון בעניין זה. בכבוד,אזרח שמכבד התורה
Why can’t somebody’s סמיכה be annulled? סמיכה isn’t just based on knowledge. It’s also a testimony that one is ראו לסמוך עליו, which is now in serious question.
Does anyone know whether the status of any gerim who converted under his authority are still valid, or any halakhic decisions that he made, or the decisions of any Batei-Din on which he might have sat are also still valid?