Will there be an end to the disparagement of the title of rabbi? In an official appeal to the Chief Rabbis of Israel and the Minister of Religious Services, Attorney Nechama Tzivin claims that "while professional titles such as doctor, lawyer, and optometrist require licensing and certification by law, the title "rabbi" is open to anyone who wants it - a situation that creates disparagement and harms the status of the rabbinate.""
Attorney Nechama Tzivin sent a letter this week titled "Request to Establish a Committee to Legally Regulate the Use of the Title of Rabbi" to the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, the Chief Rabbinate Council, and Minister of Religious Services Yariv Levin, demanding the establishment of a committee to legally regulate the specialty of "rabbi.".
In the letter, defined as a 'draft of exhausting procedures' in preparation for a petition to the High Court of Justice, Attorney Tzibin presents a long list of legal and public reasons regarding the current lack of regulation.
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In the appeal, Tzibin notes that Israeli law strictly regulates the use of various professional titles. For example, titles such as lawyer, doctor, accountant, appraiser, psychologist, engineer, social worker, and optometrist all require licensing and certification, and using them without a license constitutes a criminal offense.
According to her, "the use of titles is limited and granted to those with appropriate licenses, and their unlawful use is a criminal offense... Protection is intended to strengthen public trust and prevent deception.".
On the other hand, she claims that the title "rabbi" remains without any legal oversight. "Today, anyone can call themselves 'rabbi', even without any formal training or certification. In essence, anyone who wants to can come and take it.".
This situation, in her opinion, "creates a debasement of the title, in order to harm the status of the rabbinate, mislead the public, and create a glaring inequality between rabbis who are authorized to do so and those who bear the title of rabbi in vain.".
In the letter, Attorney Tzibin emphasizes that there is a system of examinations and certification organized by the Rabbinate – for neighborhood rabbis, regional rabbis, and city rabbis – but there is no legal impediment to a person who has not gone through any such procedure from presenting himself as a "rabbi." She mentions that the legislature itself recognized the status of "certified rabbi" in various contexts.
Tzibin also points to a ruling by the District Court in the case of Rabbi Baruch Abuhatzeira, where it was determined that money a rabbi receives by virtue of his position constitutes income from a professional activity. "From this arises an absurdity: the state recognizes the rabbinate as a profession for the purposes of duties and taxation, but does not protect the title itself.""
Among the harsh claims in the letter, Tzivin notes that there are cases of "those who bear the title are perceived to be corrupting themselves in their actions... that neither the mind nor the paper can tolerate," and asks: "Why should we allow people to boast of a rabbinical title?!""
Finally, she proposes establishing a committee that will discuss specialization in the degree, set regulations, examine complaints against those who are and are not worthy of holding it, and impose civil and even criminal sanctions.
The appeal poses a fundamental issue: In a country where almost every profession requires licensing, is it possible to leave a degree with broad public and halachic significance without legal regulation?
