Registration – Rabbinical Council of America

1) Legal First, Middle & Last Name *

2) שם בעברית: פלוני בן פלוני [הכהן / הלוי] למשפחת פלוני *

3) Date of Birth *

4) Place of Birth *

5) Mailing Address *

6) Email *

7) Home/Primary Phone Number *

8) Cell Phone Number (If Different from Primary) *

Write N/A if not applicable or "Same" if it is the same as your primary number.

9) Attach Headshot Here *

Click or drag a file to this area to upload.

10) Work Phone Number

11) Wife's Name (Write N/A if not applicable) *

12) What is your interest in joining the RCA? *

13) Please list the name(s) of the Yeshiva(ot) or private Masmich(im) that tested you in איסור והיתר and granted you יורה יורה Semicha. *

Your application must be accompanied by a photograph of your יורה יורה Semicha document(s) stating that you were tested in איסור והיתר

14) Please indicated whether you have a familial relationship to the Rabbis, staff, or leadership at the Yeshiva(ot) listed; if so, please describe the nature of that relationship. *

15) Your application must be accompanied by documentation stating that you were tested in two or more of the Halachic areas listed here. Please indicate the areas in which you were tested. *

Pick at least two

17) For each area selected above, please indicate the name of the Rabbi(s) or Yeshiva(ot) that tested you. *

18) For each Rabbi and Yeshiva listed, please indicate whether you have a familial relationship to him, or its staff or leadership; if so, please describe the nature of that relationship. *

19) I have received certification documenting additional competencies such as Safrut, Milah, Schechitah, chaplaincy, or other areas of Rabbinic or Halachic expertise please *

Yes
No

Please upload a letter from the institution or Masmich affirming your Semicha

Click or drag a file to this area to upload.

20) The Klaf of my יורה יורה Semicha in איסור והיתר is *

Attached
Not yet issued, although I have completed all requirements
Other (please explain)

Please upload a letter from the institution or Masmich affirming your Semicha

Click or drag a file to this area to upload.

21) Upload your Klaf Semicha

Click or drag a file to this area to upload.

20a) If You Selected "Other" Above, Please Explain Here (otherwise, write N/A)

22) Documentation of testing in the two (or more) areas of Halachah noted in question 15 (above) is *

Included on the Klaf of my יורה יורה Semicha
Attached below
Other (please explain)

22a) Attach Additional Documents (if applicable)

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22aa) Attach Additional Documents (if applicable) (copy)

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22b) If you Selected "Other" Above, Please Explain Here

23) Total Years of Post-High School Yeshiva Education (at least 5hrs per day) *

To qualify for RCA admission, you must have spent at least 6 years (for at least 5 hours a day) of post-high school learning in a traditional Beit Midrash setting. This INCLUDES your Semicha studies. Please indicate your COMPLETE Yeshiva history.

24) Name, City, State & Country of Post High School Yeshiva #1 *

24a) Dates Attended (Years) *

24b) Tractates and/or Halachot Studied *

25) Name, City, State & Country of Post High School Yeshiva #2 *

25a) Dates Attended (Years)

25b) Tractates and/or Halchot Studied

26) Name, City, State & Country of Post High School Yeshiva #3 *

26a) Dates Attended (Years)

26b) Tractates and/or Halachot Studied

27) Name, City, State & Country of Post High School Yeshiva #4 *

27a) Dates Attended (Years)

27b) Tractates and/or Halachot Studied

28) Other Information about your Yeshiva/Torah Education (including information about ALL OTHER Yeshivos you attended, but not listed above)

29) Did you receive an Undergraduate (Baccalaureate) Degree? *

Yes
No

29a) If you answered "Yes" above, please list the school, degree, and date of graduation for your Undergraduate (Baccalaureate) Degree

If you did not receive an Undergraduate (Baccalaureate) Degree, write "N/A"

30) Did you receive a Masters Degree or higher? *

Yes
No

30b) If you answered "Yes" above, please list the school(s), degree(s), and date(s) of graduation for your Master's Degree or higher

If you did not receive a Master's Degree or higher, write "N/A"

31) My employment history... *

Doesn't exist yet
Consists of ONLY my present job(s) listed later on this application
Includes jobs OTHER THAN those listed later in this application. I am submitting my most recent resume with this application

Please upload your resume if desired

Click or drag a file to this area to upload.

32) Name, Address, City, State/Province, Postal Code, Country, Website (if applicable) of Your Most Recent, Relevent Past Employers *

33) Name, Address, City, State/Province, Postal Code, Country, Website (if applicable) of ALL PRESENT EMPLOYERS *

34) Please indicate your present and/or intended areas of Rabbinic Activity *

Please pick at least one

If you selected "Other" above, please explain here

35) "In light of disturbing developments which have recently arisen in the Jewish community, the Rabbinical Council of America in convention assembled declares that there is not and never has been a place in Judaism for the belief that Mashiach ben David will begin his Messianic mission only to experience death, burial, and resurrection before completing it" *

Yes, I affirm that this resolution, adopted at the RCA's 1996 Convention, reflects my beliefs
No, I do not affirm that this resolution reflects my beliefs

36) "In light of the opportunity created by advanced women's learning, the Rabbinical Council of America encourages a diversity of halakhically and communally appropriate professional opportunities for learned, committed women, in the service of our collective mission to preserve and transmit our heritage. Due to our aforesaid commitment to sacred continuity, however, we cannot accept either the ordination of women or the recognition of women as members of the Orthodox rabbinate, regardless of the title." *

Yes, I affirm that this resolution, adopted at the RCA's 2010 Convention, reflects my beliefs
No, I do not affirm that this resolution reflects my beliefs

37) Please read and affirm the RCA Core Principles

a) We affirm that God’s revelation at Sinai created an eternal covenantal relationship with the Jewish nation as a chosen people which obligates all Jews in all generations to lives of complete observance of the commandments. *

Yes
No

b) We affirm that God gave the Torah to Moses, who in turn gave it to the Jewish people. The laws of the Torah are immutable and apply in all generations. *

Yes
No

c) We are heirs to and participants in a millennia-old halachic process which is founded upon an unbroken chain of tradition from Sinai and continues until today, embodied in a literature which incorporates the Bible, the Talmud, Jewish law codes, responsa literature, and other authoritative works. This process greatly emphasizes tradition and precedent while also sanctioning the adaptation and application of Jewish law to new circumstances and evolving realities. Halacha includes internal mechanisms which uniquely guide its responsible development by acknowledged halachic authorities and which create and thereby sanction multiple views on many issues. In accordance with the principle of “These and those are the words of the living God” (Eruvin 13b), we affirm that each such view deserves respect and consideration. *

Yes
No

d) We are passionately committed to the ongoing flourishing of the State of Israel, seeing its establishment and continued existence as historic, Divine expressions of national dignity, sovereignty, and redemption. *

Yes
No

e) We seek to maximize the involvement in Jewish life of all Jews, including young and old, groups with diverse customs due to their countries of origin, as well as those with greater knowledge of Judaism and those who are novices. We affirm the essential uniqueness of each sex and the halachic distinctions between them. We also foster, in light of the many positive changes in the lives of Orthodox Jewish women over the past century, a diversity of halachically and communally appropriate opportunities for women’s lay and professional involvement in Orthodox Jewish life. *

Yes
No

f) We embrace our mandate to interact with, and to effect positive changes in, all of human society, in keeping with the view of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik (in “Confrontation”) that Jews must “stand shoulder to shoulder with civilized society… and members of other faith communities, … committed to the general welfare and progress of mankind determined to participate in every civic, scientific, and political enterprise[, as we] feel obligated to enrich society with our creative talents and to be constructive and useful citizens.” *

Yes
No

g) As proud, loyal citizens of the United States, Canada, and elsewhere, we urge the Jewish communities we lead to comply with all non-discriminatory civil legislation, in fulfillment of the Talmudic dictate of dina de’malchuta dina (secular law has the force of halachic obligation). *

Yes
No

h) We believe that in addition to the ongoing study of Torah which is central to all Jews’ religious lives, Jews must pursue knowledge of the universe and humanity, including the natural, social, and applied sciences, humanities, and higher culture. Such knowledge is part of an integrated quest to know God, the unified Source of knowledge about His varied Creation. *

Yes
No

38) I affirm that I have read and agree with the RCA Code of Conduct *

Yes

39) I wish to apply for membership in the Rabbinical Council of America, affirm that the above information is complete and omits no material information, have reviewed its Constitution, and agree to abide by its terms *

Yes

40) Date *

41) Please indicate your references; please note, at least one of your references should to be a current RCA member

a) First Name, Last Name, City of Residence & Institutional Affiliation of Reference #1 *

b) First Name, Last Name, City of Residence & Institutional Affiliation of Reference #2 *

c) First Name, Last Name, City of Residence, and Institutional Affiliation of the Rabbinic Faculty member of the Yeshiva you learned איסור והיתר who has personal, first-hand knowledge of your character and learning ability *

42) If you are not an active congregational Rabbi, please list the name(s) and Rabbis(s) of the shul(s) where your regularly daven.

43) Please list URLs of personal and professional social media websites maintained by you, or featuring or describing your work. (if applicable)

44) Please list any published books or articles (if applicable)

45) Application Fee *

Pay Online (PayPal or Credit Card) - $50.00

Pay Now *

Card Number

Expiration Date

Security Code

Card Holder Name

	212-807-9000
	office@rabbis.org