How to Choose a Mohel?
How to Choose a Mohel
When choosing a mohel to perform a bris milah, it is vital to ascertain that he is a trained professional, experienced and expert, as well as an observant, G-d-fearing Jew who does not change one iota of our mesorah, tradition, as it has been practiced throughout the generations. The mohel should not numb the area with a local anesthetic and should not use gloves, as that can be considered a bizui mitzvah, a disgrace for the mitzvah (See Halacha #842). Moreover, the gloves get in the way of performing priah with the nail, as described below. It is essential that the mohel perform all three aspects of milah (milah, priah, and metzitzah) in the halachically correct manner, and in the following order: first, milah, cutting the outer foreskin with a knife and not with a clamp; second, priah, tearing and peeling back the inner layer of the foreskin (membrane) with his nail, and not with a Hemostat; and third, metzizah, sucking the blood directly with his mouth. In certain cases, a rav may permit the use of other methods of metzitzah, such as oral extraction of the blood through a glass tube, but the traditional way is directly by mouth. Some mohalim intentionally perform milah and priah simultaneously which is incorrect. The mohel must take all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of the baby and not hesitate to postpone the bris if necessary, for example, if the baby has a low birth weight or has an elevated bilirubin count (jaundice, a yellowish appearance of the skin or the whites of the eyes). If a baby’s bris is scheduled for Shabbos and he was not conceived naturally, but through infertility treatments, the mohel should be informed and a discussion should take place with a competent rav to determine whether the bris may be performed on Shabbos.
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