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I have never met anyone or heard of anyone that has received Semicha (rabbinic ordination) from Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky Zatzal. Did Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky ever give anyone Semicha? If the answer is no, was there a reason he did not give Semicha?

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I spoke with a student of his. He said:

  • R' Yaakov did not sign the institutional Torah VoDaath semicha (which was signed by his co-"menahel", Rabbi Gedalya Schorr) as that program required knowledge only on Shechita, Melicha, Basar B'Chalav, Ta'aruvos. (Slaughter, salting, meat&milk, prohibited mixtures.)
  • R' Yaakov felt that a semicha test should also require knowledge of Chumash with Rashi and Ramban, several tractates such as Gittin and Kiddushin, and the Laws of Shabbos.
  • There are some people out there who claim to have personal ordination. The individual with whom I spoke said he wasn't sure whether their claims are true.
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My understanding is that he never signed any Semicha including the ones that were issued by Yeshiva Torah VoDaath. – Gershon Gold Dec 15 '11 at 16:10
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