Calling everyone "Rabbi"

[Euclid]

My employees address me as Mr. does that mean I am rich?

Yup, it's a sibah

[ExGingi]

My employees address me as Mr. does that mean I am rich?

You tell us. I would say most probably yes, based on the following:

[avromie7]

My employees address me as Mr. does that mean I am rich?

Since we're discussing Lakewood stereotypes, you have a business, so you must be rich.

[aygart]

Since we're discussing Lakewood stereotypes, you have a business, so you must be rich.

Definitely according to CHS!

[Moshe Green]

Rachmastrivka Rabbi of Jerusalem when he calls someone he would say, Hi this is David Twerski Calling.
Viznitz Bnei Brak (Reb Yisroel) does the same.
Viznitz Monsey Rabbi does the same.
I'm sure there are more, just these 3 I've heard them saying it

i think that if you adress yourself without any title then your an anav enough to be called rabbi.

[Sam Finkelstein]

i think that if you adress yourself without any title then your an anav enough to be called rabbi.

There are definitely good reasons or a rabbi to refer to himself as one, so I would not consider that a blanket rule.

It's more the obsequiousness of referring to others as "Rabbi" that people like @Something Fishy and me dislike.

[imayid2]

Seems that a Rabbi title that wasn’t earned should not be bestowed.

[Sam Finkelstein]

Seems that a Rabbi title that wasn’t earned should not be bestowed.

We can all agree (I think) when it’s regarding official halachic documents. 

[S209]

This is why the title has become cheapened. To you call everyone working in a hospital Dr. to stay on the safe side?

No, to be safe I call them Rabbi. Aren’t you paying attention? 

[WayBackMachine]

כל ישראל ערבים  זה לזה

[S209]

I think we can all agree that calling every Tom, Dick, and Harry "Rabbi" is a bit much.

I don’t agree.

It's more the obsequiousness of referring to others as "Rabbi" that people like @Something Fishy and me dislike.

Why does it bother you? I use the title “Rabbi” or “Reb” as “Reb Yid”, sort of a generic “Mr.” for people who I assume would appreciate it AKA bnei Torah while “Harav” means someone with a position in Rabbanus or the like. I’m genuinely surprised it bothers you. I did not grow up in Lakewood.

[moko]

How about מורינו הרב for aliyos in every chasidishe shteible/ beis medrash I've davened at

[EliJelly]

For the English speaker the question is just for the title, when addressing the person directly you always say "you". (Unless a very respectable person you say "Is the Rov looking for a ride?") In Yiddish there's the respectful איר אייך אייער versus the informal די דיר דיינס, which you gotta deal with during the entire conversation. Although today's youth has dropped the whole headache and refer to everyone with די דיר דיינס. 

[Sam Finkelstein]

Why does it bother you? I use the title “Rabbi” or “Reb” as “Reb Yid”, sort of a generic “Mr.” for people who I assume would appreciate it AKA bnei Torah while “Harav” means someone with a position in Rabbanus or the like. I’m genuinely surprised it bothers you. I did not grow up in Lakewood.

It bothers me because I find it cloying. It looks ridiculous that every gvir who gets onto a Lakewood institution’s letterhead or dinner flyer automatically gets “semicha.” I know people who are actually accomplished Talmidei Chachamim but would never be called “Rabbi” by these same people because they’re not the “type.”

In Lakewood and its copycats, the term has been cheapened to label someone as belonging or not belonging to a specific group.

[Sam Finkelstein]

Can you spot the difference between these two ad?

The whole thing is so unbelievably shallow.

[S209]

It bothers me because I find it cloying. It looks ridiculous that every gvir who gets onto a Lakewood institution’s letterhead or dinner flyer automatically gets “semicha.” I know people who are actually accomplished Talmidei Chachamim but would never be called “Rabbi” by these same people because they’re not the “type.”

In Lakewood and its copycats, the term has been cheapened to label someone as belonging or not belonging to a specific group.

To you, who perceives the word “Rabbi” as an earned honorific, it’s “cloying”, “ridiculous” and “cheapened”. To me, who perceives the word “Rabbi” as a friendly way of showing respect to someone, it’s none of those.

It doesn’t bother me that you perceive the word differently and it probably shouldn’t bother you either (Reb as an honorific did *not* mean anything prestigious in Europe and “Rabbi” is the equivalent IMHO so I don’t think you can lay claim to the accurate English meaning. Rabbi as a noun is different, that would be someone I would refer to as “Rav”).

Rabbi in English is a proper term which should technically be used for someone with specific qualifications. For example Reb Shraga Feival Mendelovitch absolutely insisted on being addressed as Mr for this reason.
However in Yiddish this is not the case, “Reb” is basically used as Mr . Over time Rabbi became the translation of “Reb”, and lost its prestige.
my2cents.

Agreed.

[S209]

Why be upset about different locales/cultures using titles differently? Again, I grew up out of Lakewood (I believe I might have spent part of my childhood in your hometown) and it was always this way in my circles. Being a “Mr.” was almost considered a derogatory way of referring to someone, which I’m sure isn’t the case for you.

[yelped]

Where I grew up we called everyone Mr. even if they were accomplished Talmidei Chachumim unless their occupation was actually being a Rabbi.

[Sam Finkelstein]

Rabbi is not the English equivalent of Reb. Reb is not a rabbinic title.

Maybe it's just one of those pacific things they would of known better were they by class more.

[yuneeq]

Can you spot the difference between these two ad?

The whole thing is so unbelievably shallow.

One is before semicha, the other is after