Reply To: Calling people with questionable smicha Rabbi

oomis: “I understand the point you are making”

Thank you, it would have been a privilege to meet your father. He seems like a great man.

yaff80: I think the emphasis goes on what the person does for the tzibur and how he should be addressed by others in his position. Perhaps the students should call their teacher Rebbe instead of Rabbi but I don’t see what the problem is if they call him Rabbi as this would certainly enhance the kavod of Torah.

Kavod haTorah is increased when people call others Rabbi who put their title into practice through teaching, chinuch or by being the Rabbi of a shule. Calling people Rabbi only because they took some questionable smicha program 20 years ago and do not benefit the tzibur through their past learning is not kavod haTorah. On the other hand, I suppose if they got smicha from the Mir or a similar yeshiva this would be another story all together.