“…I have no illusions about what my rabbinic degree certifies me to do. It does not make me a world expert in Torah law…”

I am a Rabbi. I earned that title by four years of intense study, which built on a foundation of a somewhat reasonable Jewish education. I flatter myself that I worked hard and assiduously during those four years. But just as we don’t expect graduates of medical schools to come out at the top of their professions, I have no illusions about what my rabbinic degree certifies me to do. It does not make me a world expert in Torah law, in Jewish thought, or, truthfully, in anything. At most, it certifies that I know how to do research necessary — including consulting with experts on hard questions — to discover how to guide others in advancing their Jewish lives.

Gidon Rothstein, “I’m an Open Orthodox Rabbi; Aren’t You?”, Times of Israel (20 July 2015) [http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/im-an-open-orthodox-rabbi-arent-you/]