14-Year-Old Rabbinical Prodigy Denied Ordination
Just a year removed from his bar mitzvah, Netanya teenager Moshe Raziel Sharify is ready to become a rabbi. Thing is, Israel’s Chief Rabbinate won’t let him.
At 14, Sharify has been hailed as a rabbinical prodigy, garnering the approval of at least 10 “well-respected” rabbis, including Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger, the Jerusalem Post reported Thursday.
Sharify, who studies at a Tel Aviv yeshiva, will be profiled at length in Friday’s Jerusalem Post magazine.
The controversy doesn’t surround Sharify’s capabilities. In addition to passing a series of independently administered rabbinical examinations, he passed the Rabbinate’s formal ordination test in Jerusalem and, the article reports, is “convinced he aced it.” He noted his date of birth on the test application.
Years ago, the Rabbinate unofficially declared a prospective rabbi must be 22 to take the ordination test. The Rabbinate holds that Sharify shouldn’t have taken the test in the first place, even though it processed his application.
Sharify’s father is threatening to take his son’s case to court.
I’m personally matching all gifts to the Forward, up to $36,000. Can I match your gift now?
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
