Riverdale, NY – The number of women in America with the title “rabba” (female for rabbi) is poised to double next week.
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The Academy of Jewish Religion in Riverdale, a 55-year-old pluralistic seminary, will bestow that title on Kaya Stern-Kaufman, 47, of Great Barrington, Mass., at a ceremony on May 12.
Avi Weiss, an Orthodox rabbi in Riverdale, conferred the same title last year on Sara Hurwitz, who studied for three years at the Drisha Institute and five years with Rabbi Weiss.
Stern-Kaufman said she follows seven generations of Orthodox rabbis in her family and felt “uncomfortable” with the prospect of having the same title they held — “rav” (rabbi) — conferred upon her.
“It is a masculine term that has been used for 2,000 years to describe a male rabbi,” she explained. “It’s important for me to be acknowledged for the contribution I hope to make as a woman rabbi.”
To keep this in perspective. Nobody doubts the efforts of these women to learn. Nobody doubts that they are more than knowledgeable. However, this is just not proper and will no doubt cause confusion for people which will lead to aveiros.
There is no reason that a title like “Morah” could not have been made a recognized “title”.
Again, this is another embarrassment and I am so sorry that this woman’s learning will be for naught as she will now be shunned by everyone else in the frum community because of this foolish “Rabbi” who is trying to make a name for himself.
Based on the reaction to first “Rabba” ordained last year by Rav Weiss, shlita, there will be some VIN readers who will react with hostility to the concept. Whatever your view on the whether or not women should be given semicha or the equivalent, there can be no disagreement that having jewish women achieving such great levels of lamdus in daas torah is a real kiddush hashem and somthing that will provide a great role model for our daughters and granddaughters .
She’s not an orthodox “rabbah” since she’s getting her “rabbah” ordination from a non denominational school. She presently is the “lay leader of an egalitarian congregation” whatever that means. It seems that there’s no connection to Avi Weiss other than she’s taking a clergy title he once created. Her descent from a long line of rabbis is a true descent from Yiddishkeit to the new modern age where our halacha and mesorah are cast aside for modernity.
Reply to #2 – Kol Hakavod!! Yes, women should be educated in Gemara, halacha and give classes.
Can I send my pet to the Academy of Jewish Religion in Riverdale?
Then she can become a “Rabbit”.
I’m not sure what #2 means “there can be no disagreement”… Ha’lavi everyone would agree that this is a good thing. Nebich, though, such is simply not the case. Trust me on this…
What is wrong with Rebbetzin?
If she learned that much how come she missed what chazal say? המלמד את בתו תורה מלמדה תיפלות
I am also a Rabbi (Rabba-if that makes you happy) and I am making a “Pasek Din” that no one can leave negative comments
Totally agree to #1 .
But to the #2 -
Hopefully their “Lamdus in daas Torah” will never provide for any role to anyone.
It’s like saying “Lamdus in daas Torah” in public school
First let this “Rabbi” take care of his wife, so she shouldn’t choke at another Yanky game on a kosher hamburger!
It’s rather amusing that these women want to BE rabbis like men, but do not want to be CALLED “rabbi” like men. They appear to be insisting that there’s a difference between the gender. Just that they only accept some differences, not all.
the rabbinate will be Stern-Kaufman’s third career following stints as a clinical social worker and as a Feng Shui consultant
LOL
I think the best way to stabilize the energy in the room is to have her walk out.
The vast majority Jews in the USA (over 90%) are either Reform, or Conservative. If they wish to have women Rabbis, that is their business. This is America, and freedom of religion still prevails!
What do I know? Let’s just see what they did in previous generations and let’s do the same. Were there rabbas in Rambams generation? Rashi? The geonim? The amoraim? No? Then there is no place for them now. The ancients knew more than this raabbi weiss character. Judaism is not to be morphed to conform to some politically correct cultural inflection.
#8 is right 100 percent. It was never in our history that typical women learned torah -gemura  211; rambam.
Its really a long discussion  230; 230;
Rabbi Meir’s wife taught in the academy. Rashi’s daughter’s transcribed many of his works. And for hundreds of years women learned “hilchos melicha” on how to make their meats kosher at home. And I am sure they knew a thing or two about baser b’chalev and Shabbos.
Yes, women should know halachos so as to properly run their home and teach our children when we are not at home. For instance, when you’re playing Daf Yomi in the yeshiva, someone’s gotta tell your son what Rashi says on his homework.
“Rabbah” means “female Rabbi” in Hebrew? Really? I guess that puts a whole new spin on the “Rabbah” in the Gemara, as well as “Rabbah Bar Rav Huna”.
There are certainly examples of learned women throughout Jewish History. However, the current examples seem to reduce the status of semicha to an academic degree missing the essence of preserving Daas Moshe, Minhag Yehudai and Yirat Shamyim.
If they call his school a pluralistic seminary, why don’t they call him a pluralistic rabbi?
I’m schocked at the anti-feminist attitude of the smicha candidate that she would want a special woman’s title like rabbah LOL