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From: martillo@mit-athena.UUCP (Joaquim Martillo)
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: Re: Halachic not Humanistic Judism
Message-ID: <137@mit-athena.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 29-Mar-85 10:45:26 EST
Article-I.D.: mit-athe.137
Posted: Fri Mar 29 10:45:26 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 5-Apr-85 09:19:19 EST
References: <248@npois.UUCP>, <421@wxlvax.UUCP> <130@mit-athena.UUCP>, <1324@aecom.UUCP>
Organization: MIT Project Athena
Lines: 21

If you read the article, I did not call Rab Gershom silly.  I called the
tikun silly.  I consider this not disrespectful because I do not believe
he  ever made such a tikun.  Anyway Sefardim do not use rab or rabbi the
same way as Ashkenazim but usually only apply the  term  to  individuals
who  have smikah when the Sanhedrin is in existence.  I doubt that Moshe
bar Maimon ever was addressed by title Rab  or  Rabbi  in  conversation.
Likewise  since  Gershom  comes from the provencal tradition probably he
was never addressed as Rab while he lived.

My mother tells me she has always been  amused  by  Ashkenazi  usage  of
rebbi  because  for  Libyans rebbi, ribbi or rubbi are disparaging terms
for people who know little of Judaism but exaggerate the value of  their
opinions (people like Rich Rosen).

Ribbi and Rebbi are also Karaite usage for a Karaite scholar.

The Hakam Bernays, Hirsch's teacher, held that all religious Jews should
avoid the use of Rab and Rabbi because using these terms give legitimacy
to certain illegitimate approaches to Judaism common among Ashkenazim.