What do you call your rabbi?

If you’re speaking to the rabbi, you refer to him as Rabbi Ginsburg even addressing him.

If you’re speaking about him to someone else you can call him Rabbi Ginsburg, or if there is more than one rabbi with that name you can refer to him as Rabbi Eliyahu Ginsburg.

It depends. BTW, Rav Ovadia was against calling someone “Rav [last name]” because Rav Adaa bar Ahava said that he had a long life because he avoided this (Taanit 20b and Mishna Gittin 9:8 with Bartenura).

Joseph, which jokes did I not get?

I remember there was a discussion about immaculate conception once. As far as I recall, I didn’t not get anything; it was just that the term is apparently used incorrectly.

And how often are jokes referencing christian concepts passed around here? I was actually slightly surprised the mods let that through – I was wondering if they would. I’m glad they did, because I think it’s very funny.

Talking to him, I would say (like YesorNo & APushataYid), “I want to ask The Rov …”
Talking about him, I would say, “The Rov said…”, if there was another Rabbi Ginsburg, “Reb Eliyohu (Ginsburg – if there is more than one Rabbi called Eliyohu) said…” I’ve been told that in America, the equivalent of Reb Eliyohu, would be Rav Eliyohu.

Here in Manchester, there are two Rabonim with the exact same name. Let’s say for example it’s Rabbi Binyomin Greenberg. One is a Rov of a shul, the other is the mashgiach of a Yeshiva. (They happen to be mechutonim as well, but that’s for another time). The one who is a Rov, has a nickname, let’s say it’s Benny. So people will say, “I spoke to Reb Binyomin Greenberg today, I mean Reb Benny, and…” adding in the nickname for clarity. If they mean the other one, they will say “I spoke to Reb Binyomin Greenberg today, I mean the mashgiach/ the one from Shaarei Torah, and…”. In this case the nickname is used purely for clarity and does not demean the Rov in any way.

Benny is not his real nickname, but it’s about equal to what it really is.

When referring to the Rabbi of our synagogue, I say Rabbi….last name
When calling the house or synagogue office, I announce myself: This is Atty CTL, may I speak to the rabbi please.
When he is in the privacy of the CTL hot tub or sauna or swimming pool, I call him by his first name.
He’s more than 30 years younger than me.

Would a very choshuve Rov go by a non-Jewish name? Could you imagine Rav Moshe Feinstein being known as Rabbi Moses?

One of the Baalei HaTosfos was named Peter.

Someone mocked him by asking him, “Where is your name in the Torah?”

“Right after yours – “פטר חמור””

Yosselle, You’re just not getting it. There are two Rabbonim in this town with exactly the same name. One of them had a nickname, presumably as a child, which for the purposes of this debate, let’s say is Benny. So people of the town, who wish to identify him, refer to Reb Benny, in addition to his full and proper title of Reb Binyomin Greenberg.

He doesn’t choose the name Benny, it is used for convenience by the people, in a respectful way to differentiate him from his namesake.

Capisce?

Sorry Josselle. Also, ‘Jekkisch’, surely?

There is no Yekke #1.

Reminds me of the joke about the wife who told her unsuccessful husband that he’s such a shlumazel that if there was an award for being a loser, he’d get second place.

Startled, he asked why only #2 and not first.

Cackling, his wife told him that he was such a loser, he’d never be #1 in anything.

Yekke, so why are you Yekke2 and not Yekke1 or just plain Yekke?

Lilmod, because he is a second generation yekke.

No genuine Yekke would be so presumptuous as to call themselves Yekke1.

Joseph…………..
My maternal side is Yekke, arriving in NY from Bavaria in 1868

I was raised that if you are not 20 minutes early you are late.

You arrive for an 8PM invitation at 7:40 and park the car. At 7:57, you exit the car, check to make sure your clothing, hair, etc. are all correctly straight, hostess gift in hand, you walk to the front door and at exactly 8PM you ring the bell.

Someone who is habitually late is not a Yekke, he is an aberration.

Joseph………………
I honestly don’t know, but Yekkes did business in the German Gentile world and certainly would have had to conform to their time habits.
Non-Hareidi Jews attended German Gymnasiums (e.g. Einstein) and would have always been seated in class before Herr Doktorr Professor entered.

My niece’s German Jewish family settled in St’ Louis about 130 years ago. WQhen she married my nephew the wedding was held in the Missouri Club with a brought in Kosher caterer. Her parents, grand parents and great grandparents had all been members along with the major German Gentile families such as Busch from Budweiser Breweries. The German community in St. Louis to this day is totally mixed Jewish and Gentile and functions in harmony.

Her family is full of judges and many politicians from both the Missouri side and Illinois side of the Mississippi River were invited. The Illinois Governor was late, but the affair was not delayed one minute for his arrival. The German-American merchants and politicians were all seated promptly before the stated time on the invitations.

As I’ve posted before, my German side arrived in NY in 1868, there was no one left to ask what was learned in Germany, the last known relation on that side left in 1880.

My Litvak side arrived at Castle Garden, NY in 1872, by 1890 all relatives had either arrived in NY or were living in Manchester, England. B”H no known relative was affected by the Shoah.

@Joseph

No, it was about 10 years before that Governor assumed office