Q&A: Respect for Rabbis
Respect for Rabbis
Question
Hello Rabbi, regarding honoring Torah scholars (standing up in their honor, using the title “Rabbi,” and so on) — who does this refer to? Is it subjective (meaning I am obligated only toward my own rabbis), and if so, to what extent? Who counts as a rabbi for me? Or is it objective (someone whom the public has accepted as a rabbi)? And again the question returns: what is the criterion? Maybe it is both objective and subjective.
Answer
You can look in the laws of honoring one’s rabbi and a Torah scholar. Still, you will not find a clear-cut answer there. Using the title “Rabbi” is nowadays customary with respect to any Torah scholar (and also to many others who are not such). It seems to me that it is appropriate to use it for someone who serves as a community rabbi or something similar, and for someone who teaches in a significant Torah institution. But also for clearly distinguished Torah scholars who do not hold any formal position. So it is right to use both an objective criterion (the position) and a subjective one (simply being a Torah scholar).
In any case, rabbinic ordination is certainly not a criterion either way (there are some who, despite having received ordination there, are Torah scholars, and therefore ordination has no power to detract from that. Although, if he has ordination from the Chief Rabbinate, one should definitely think carefully before using the title “Rabbi” for him 🙂 ).