There is a story told in the name of R. Chaim Shmulevitz who besides being the great Gadol that he was, also had a excellent sense of humor. R Chaim was standing in a corner of the Bais HaMedrash in Yeshivas Mir during Shmuess of some kind and one of the speakers was announced to come take his turn in front of the podium. After a few moments had lapsed without him coming forward, R. Chaim was overheard saying, “Ruft Ehm "HaRav HaGoan" Vell Ehr Bald Kumen Tzu Loifen.” (“Call him HaRav HaGoan, and he’ll quickly come running.”)
The conferring of real Smicha, of course was discontinued about 2000 years ago. Even though there was an attempt at revival during the time of Rabenu Yosef Caro, who actually received one of these Smichos, the practice was not universally accepted and had to be abandoned. Today’s Smicha is far less meaningful.
Unfortunately, in our day and age, titles are given out far too easily. When I was a student in the Yeshiva it was common practice for many of us to take afternoon Hebrew school teaching jobs. This opportunity usually coincided with our entry into the very high level Gemarah Shiur given by Rav Mordechai Rogov. The Yeshiva determined that in order for us to receive any respect from the afternoon school kids, we would have to call ourselves Rabbi even though we were far away from getting Smicha. It was also the practice at the yeshiva for those of us who had achieved entry into Rav Rogov’s Shiur, that we could be called Rav uManhig (Rabbi and leader). By making it to Rav Rogov’s Shiur we were all supposed to on a very high level of learning and were therefore entitled it. The truth though was that the level of learning was not uniform on the part of the students. In some cases there were some real ignoramuses who had year after year passed on from one Shiur to the next and over time and just by sticking out, they got into the Shiur. Rav Rogov paid no attention to those individuals and directed his Shiurim to the motivated students.
My ordination took place during the era of the Viet Nam war. Because of it and because of various other reasons, many students of, shall we say, not very high caliber, (to say the least) ...who would have otherwise left to go to secular universities... continued on past high school all the way through the intensive 3 year Smicha program instituted by Rav Aaron Soloveichik and, somehow, received an actual Yoreh Yoreh (Smicha, as we know it today)! Somehow they passed the Bechinos (tests). It is simply amazing to me to see the disparity between the two opposite ends of the Yoreh Yoreh spectrum: from major Talmidei Chachamim to complete ignoramuses who would break their teeth just reading Hebrew in some cases!
And then there are the Israeli “Smichos”! It is possible to go to Israel, and get a quickie Smicha, an actual Yoreh Yoreh, in just a few months! On the other hand a Rabbanut Smicha is one of the most difficult ones to get. But most Yeshiva students today don’t care to put in the time and effort to get it.
Yeshivas Chaim Berlin, if you learn there long enough, gives you Simcha without requiring any Yoreh Deiah at all and certainly no Bechinos are given. A very respected Rav here in Chicago has that kind of Smicha.
Contrast that with the Chafetz Chaim who did not get Smicha until very near the end of his life, long after he had written the Mishna Berurah.
The attitude by right wing Yeshiva students today is to completely reject Smicha. They look at it as a waste of time at best... time that could be better spent learning Gemarah. In some ways, I can’t blame them for this condescending attitude. There are too many Musmachim out there that can barely learn a word. Why would anyone then consider it an achievement to be counted amongst them? Besides, if they get jobs in Chinuch and call themselves “Rabbi” who is going to question it?
It is too bad that the conferring of Smicha today has degenerated to a level of such insignificance. What was once one the loftiest of goals by any Yeshiva student has now been reduced to almost ridicule. For many who worked diligently to receive Smicha and are truly deserving of it, it is a shame to have to be embarrassed by those amongst their ranks who have Smicha and in some cases, barely read Hebrew.
