i-am-an-orthodox-clergywoman-and-i-am-changing-my-title

"Since My Ordination, I’ve been using the title Maharat, the Hebrew acronym meaning halachic and spiritual Torah leader, which was created in 2009 to refer to Orthodox women clergy. A rabbinic title matters. It is a sign of the confidence of teachers, the acceptance of the community, and the weighty responsibility of leadership and religious authority. Now, six years later, I have decided to begin to use ‘Rabba’ before my name, instead of Maharat. Here’s why:
Inhabiting the title ‘Maharat’ has been like doing a delicate dance. In an attempt to carefully balance tradition and innovation, I have found the title to be unsatisfying for those on all sides of the issue of Orthodox women’s ordination. More liberal-minded Jewish feminists may feel it does not sound rabbinic enough, that it shies away from the fact that I have the same ordination as any Orthodox rabbi. Traditionalists, on the other hand, those who object to the ordination of Orthodox women regardless of the title, may feel that the title ‘Maharat’ might be masking some hidden agenda that I have not been honest about, or even, at some point down the line, that I intend to violate halachic norms. Over the past number of years, as the stormy debate swirled around Orthodox women in spiritual leadership, I have kept my head down and focused on doing good work for the community I serve, a vibrant and historic congregation in the rich Jewish landscape of Montreal"