R’ Emanuel Yechiya Meshulam, z”l, a beloved mohel and tzaddik known throughout Israel for his decades of mesirus nefesh in performing brissim purely l’shem Shamayim was tragically niftar as he prepared to perform another one. He was 88.
The niftar collapsed suddenly in the middle of a bris milah on Wednesday afternoon at a simcha held in Bilu Junction, central Israel. Shocked onlookers watched as the joyous moment turned tragic in an instant. Emergency medical personnel were immediately called to the scene. The call was received by his very own grandson, Kfir Meshulam — a volunteer with Magen David Adom.
Kfir rushed over, only to discover that the patient was his beloved grandfather. Despite his frantic efforts and rushing R’ Emanuel to Kaplan Medical Center, doctors were tragically forced to declare his petirah shortly after arrival.
Footage of the mohel’s collapse and petirah has been shared across social media. As a matter of basic respect and sensitivity, YWN will not be doing so.
For over four decades, R’ Emanuel Meshulam performed tens of thousands of brissim throughout Eretz Yisrael and beyond, never once accepting payment. “I do it all l’shem shamayim,” he would often say. Any funds offered to him were redirected to support a beis knesses he built l’ilui nishmas his father.
His life’s mission was not only in milah but in avodas hakodesh and community service. A Lieutenant Colonel (Res.) in the IDF’s Military Police, he once served alongside Ariel Sharon. After his military service, he managed a branch of Bank Leumi in the Sh’arayim neighborhood of Rechovot, all while continuing his avodas hakodesh as a mohel.
Just this morning — in what now shows itself as open hashgachah pratis — R’ Emanuel officially certified a talmid who had trained under him for four years. After his petirah mid-bris, that very talmid stepped forward and completed the milah — his first, in place of his rebbi.
Yehi Zichro Baruch.
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6 Responses
Thank you for this sad but interesting article. The sentence you wrote “For over four decades, R’ Emanuel Meshulam performed tens of thousands of brissim throughout Eretz Yisrael and beyond, never once accepting payment” is inaccurate. I remind my brothers at YWN that there is no word in any language and in any nusach as “BRISIM”. The word is “BRISOS”.
He had the זכות to be עוסק in such a special mitzvah down to the last moment. It’s unlikely the talmid would perform his very first Bris unsupervised. It may have been his first done independently.
BTW, the typical Yemenite pronunciation of the Mohel’s middle name sounds more like ‘Yichya’.
Actually Yichyeh
Ilovetora, the article is not tora and therefore does not need to be written in the proper nusach. Get a life
Where is the common sense.
To save a few dollars we are going to ask a man his eighties to do the Bris.
A lot of men above 75, their fingers start to shake a little. The baby might need surgery if the Mohel starts shaking a little.
If you can not afford a young Mohel, maybe you should wait before you have another child.
The Rambam says that a person should first get a Parnassa then build a house with
An affordable mortgage and only now is he truly ready for marriage.