Question
How are Rabbis ordained?
Answer
Traditionally, a Rabbi is ordained by his teacher(s). The first example of this was Moses ordaining Joshua (Num.27:16-23). Nowadays, Rabbis are usually ordained by Rabbinical schools (Yeshivos), whose faculty are of course Rabbis. Most Rabbis have only the first level of ordination, which qualifies them to make decisions about religious law or to teach it. The next level qualifies them to be judges in cases involving Jewish civil or criminal law.