Reply To: Calling people with questionable smicha Rabbi

Torah613613Torah: “Is there an actual issur, that you are NOT ALLOWED to call someone without smicha, Rabbi? I have always erred on the side of respect and call everyone, Rabbi, Dr, etc. Let them correct me. But is there a halachic issue in calling someone Rabbi, for darchei shalom?”

I think you can easily tell where someone is holding after learning with them for even a few min. There was once someone in my shule for instance who had smicha he received from the 1970’s. I noticed some people called him Rabbi in my shule so I asked him a question on a gemera I was learning hoping he could help. He said he was not able to make a laining on ANY gemera apart from one daf in kiddushin that he had learned over and over again and then went on to recite it from memory. In short, he wasn’t really able to read Aramaic well. He said he doesn’t know why people call him Rabbi but he doesn’t stop them either.

On the other hand, there is a guy from Lakewood who comes to visit during the chagim who does not have smicha but he is the unofficial Rov of the shule whenever he comes. Everyone goes to him to ask questions- even the official Rabbi.