Monday, February 24, 2014

who remembers when a Doktor Rabbiner was treyf poosil?














So what do organizations like Aish and OS do to get around it? To get around that old-time stigma that many still worry about? They created a new בריה, The "Rav Dr." [ It does exist on a small scale in the MO world, but it's probably limited to RJBS and his son-in-law, Reb Aron Lichtenstein, as far as I can tell. But they really never had an issue with secular education.] I saw this newly-created title in one of the Heimishe publications this week, and ס'האט מיך געקאסט א לאך, like they say in Williamsburg. Over the past decade or so, maybe due to the protests of the Rabbonim and Roshei Yeshiva who felt like they were being lumped together with every two-bit askan, we've been witness to the birth of the "Rav" title in place of the "Rabbi." So, let's say, Rabbi Moshe Tuvia Lieff became Rav. So did the Satmar and Rachmistrivker Rebbes and Reb Moshe Chevroni to name but a few. You now have to write the "Lakewood Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Malkiel Kotler." Rabbi Paysach Krohn was not so lucky. Maybe next year. Anyway, what to do about Charedi Rabbis that also have PhDs? Doesn't that fly in the face of everything we've been taught, that once you've been to university, and ver redt noch if you went to graduate school and wrote a paper and got a PhD, that you've lost your daas torah and cannot be on par with those who've made Torah their only calling? I guess we have come a long way. Because we have witnessed the birth of the "Rav Doctor" in our times. I guess what that says is that is IS ok to get your PhD and you can still retain your daas torah.

Thanks.


11 comments:

dovy in j said...

"the Jews were a healthy nation until the rabbis became doctors." - Reb Milton Himmelfarb ob"m

Scrooge said...

I heard a mayseh once that a flipped-out YU Rov shreid from the pulpit: לך רד כי שחת עמך, and "raid" stands for RABBI DOCTOR

Anonymous said...

Once heard a rabbi doctor is rofe cholim umatir isurim!

Yehupitz said...

Whether this post is stam leitzonus or not, I don't know. But there is a difference between the Rabbi Drs of yestercentury and today's crop. It's like the difference between Rabbi Dr. Lamm and Rabbi Dr. JI Schochet A"H. The old style gets the Doctorate as part of the etzem mahus of his chashivus and wisdom. The new crop, the man is a rov and has a mesora, but he feels that the extra training and studies improve his ability to accomplish certain inyonim. There is no stira.

Anonymous said...

very interesant:
http://onthemainline.blogspot.com/2011/02/when-rabbis-became-doctors.html

שווארצא said...

they say a mayseh where a woman brings a chicken to the rabbi. Rabbi introduces as r.dr. She replies "the chicen is already dead. I don't need you"

Information said...

R. Yitzchok Tuvia Weiss of Edah Haredis and R. Moshe Wolfson of Emunas Yisroel at the last dollar giving of the Rebbe - http://crownheights.info/videos/426264/weekly-living-torah-video-the-last-dollars/

See comments for more details.

Shimon S said...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the fine gentleman in the picture is Rav Dr. Yitzchak Breitowitz, who doesn't have a PhD but a DTL (Doctor of Talmudic Law), a higher version of BTL. No university or even academic studies required. He also has an JD but I don't think he claims to be a Dr. because of that.

Not a Harry said...

A halba moetzes is college grads..

Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer said...

https://rygb.blogspot.com/2018/12/rabbiner-doktor.html

Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer said...

:-)