Rav of the Kosel and Holy Sites Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz does not have semicha according to a Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) report. The report sites that at the age of 25 he began serving as the Rav of Holy Sites and he later received responsibility for the Kosel too despite never having been tested to receive semicha.
Officials in Rabbi Rabinowitz’s office responded to the report, explaining he has semicha from a number of rabbonim including gedolim such as HaGaon HaRav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach Zatzal, adding at the time, this fulfilled the requirement to hold such a post.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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7 Responses
u believe the galai tzahal
Without discussing any of the “facts on the ground”, I think that this raises an interesting questions about rabbonim and smicha generally. The job of the Kosel Rav, and of many “rabbis”, has little to do with yoreh deah, dinei taaroves, basar bchalav, hilchose tevilah, aveilus, etc, and most of the standard topics for semicha programs, including the rabbanut’s. The Kosel Rav person is certainly doing important work, but should we require that he have the same credentials as a shul rav? Should we care if we knew with certainty that he did *not* have semicha (assuming he never claimed he did)? Does a second grade rebbe need to have semicha for us to call him Rabbi? Does a mesivta menahel need to know yoreh deah for us to call him Rav?
Please say it “ain’t so”…..the heilege rav who called for the big galach from Rome to remove his tzeilem before visiting the Kosel and who has given so much publicity to the Women of the Wall forgot to take his semicha exam??? what a shanda
I actually davened in a minyan on shabbos where Rav Rabinowitz davened when he was a bachor. He was always a masmid, always learning and not schmoozing like many other people in that minyan.
I have always maintained that he is a sincere and capable person and when he became the Rav of the Kotel, I knew that they selected the right person.
GadolHador,
YOU ARE A REFORM RABBI! it so obvious. Any excuse to attack an Orthodox Rabbi. is Rabbi sally paying you a nice stipend??? Please note that the Reform rabbinical Movement is trying to infiltrate YWN too…bunch of parasitic idiots.
I would ask that the frum reasers object to Rabbi of Bernlin, and gadolhador who are out to cause machlocus.
To No. 5
As usual, the response is to label someone C’V “a reform rabbi”….vell, I don’t have semicha from either the reform or whatever passes for rabbonus in your narrow world. My point about Rabinowitz has nothing to do with his lamdus…its his common sense or lack thereof. He has demonstrated a remarkable lack of judgment in so many controversial issues related to the Kosel. His job is not just to paskin on whether the height of the mechitza defining the area for ezras nashim on the plaza is sufficient. He needs to show leadership in balancing the competing public interests and be a mediator to bring more achdus rather than inciting more broigas.
#2 Well said. He does a fantastic job and Smicha would not change his approach to controversial issues.
It’s like today’s world where computer programmers who have a degree in liberal arts will get a higher salary. What does liberal arts or social science have to do with computer programming? A computer programmer needs common sense, a practical approach how to solve problems.