[Avodah] [Areivim] Mohelet

[Zev Sero]

<http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-moheletsep28,0,4355366.story>

>From the article:
> There is no Jewish law that prohibits women from becoming mohels.
> However, Orthodox rabbis believe that because it is not possible for
> women to have a circumcision, they cannot assist anyone in performing
> the ritual.

This is the "yesh omrim" brought by the Ramo, which is the SMaK and
the Hagohos Mordechai.  Can any of our Sefardi Areivim tell us whether
Sefardim follow this Ramo?  Do they have a halachic objection to women
performing milah, or is it merely "not done" for social reasons?  IOW,
if a woman wanted to become a mohelet, and trained appropriately, would
Sefardi Rabbanim forbid people from using her services, since the Mechaber
doesn't seem to have any objection.

PS: The Mechaber (YD 264:1) does say that the mitzvah should preferably
be given to a "yisrael gadol", and the Shach understands that to exclude
women, which is why he then has a question on the Ramo. It seems to
me that the Shach's question goes away if we understand the Mechaber's
"yisrael gadol" as including adult women.

-- 
Zev Sero               Something has gone seriously awry with this Court's
zev at sero.name          interpretation of the Constitution.
                       	                          - Clarence Thomas