A letter came in the mail this week addressed to me as “Harav….” Nothing wrong with that; it is perfectly accurate. But in today’s inflationary times it was a rarity. Usually the honorific is at least Harav Hagaon and occasionally Hagaon Hagadol. I have not yet received a Hagaon Haamiti but inflation being what it is it is only a matter of time before that takes its place in the hyperbolic sun. To receive a simple “Harav” without any added flourishes was rather refreshing.
In truth so common are these grandiloquent encomia that no one takes them seriously — which is unfortunate because there are some truly profound talmidei chachamim today who clearly deserve such titles but are unrecognized in our inflationary morass. There was a time when the term gaon was rarely used and referred to the pinnacle of Jewish scholarship. As recently as the 20th century it was applied to someone who was a true Talmudic genius who not only knew the entire Talmud by heart — that was only the first step — but was familiar with the subtleties and insights of all the major commentaries on the Oral and Written Torah. Of course the original classic geonim of Jewish history were such genuine luminaries as Rav Saadia Gaon Rav Hai Gaon Rav Nehira Gaon Rav Sherira Gaon for each of whom the simple appellation of gaon was apparently sufficient. But no more. “Hagaon ” as is true of all currency during inflationary times has lost all meaning. The day is not far off when we will be receiving invitations to the celebration for “our beloved son Hagaon Hagadol Yaakov… who next Shabbos will become a bar mitzvah.”
Such are the wages of excess. At first we recognize it as silly nonsensical absurd exaggerated overdone meaningless superfluous and redundant  — but soon enough excess is no longer excessive. It becomes the norm and any deviation from exaggeration is considered strange and curious.
People have often wondered: Who decides who is a gaon and who is merely a plain unvarnished rav? Are there special committee meetings? And to move up from simple Hagaon to Hagaon Hagadol is there a written examination? What are the requirements to move from a commonplace ordinary Harav to Harav Hagaon and upward from there to Hagadol and Haamiti? How does one apply who are the final judges and how is the ultimate decision arrived at?
As for those inflated gaon honorifics I am watching my mail carefully. Harav Hagaon Hagadol Haamiti… yes they are silly but I must in all honesty confess that lately something strange has been happening. For some mysterious and inexplicable reason I am finding it singularly curious that somehow when these (to be sure undeserved) encomia are attached to my own name… well it becomes rather apparent that when read aloud this fusion of panegyrics and my name seems for some reason to engender (albeit unmerited) a certain sonority and resonance in the air — and perhaps if I may be so bold as to suggest it even a hint of… shall I say… a touch of je ne sais quoi… grandeur?
Hagaon hagadol haamiti… hmmm... —