What IS a Torah scholar?
In my limited experience (as a non-Jew who has lived among Hasidim, has known many scholars of Judaism and more than a few rabbis, and has read for secular purposes, but extensively, about Judaism), the main qualification for being a Torah scholar is respect of your peers; that is, those who are already Torah scholars must accept you as one of their own. Obviously, this requires a lot of study (decades, usually) and adherence to the beliefs of a particular Jewish sect. As far as becoming a rabbi, in general it is much like “preacher” or “reverend” in the Protestant faiths. While there are organized educational paths one can take to achieve the rank (depending upon the sect), the title is sometimes bestowed by the community one serves as a sign of respect. See How to become a Rabbi and How to become a Rabbi (different articles, same title).
OmieWise basically said what I was going to say. There are levels of being considered a Torah scholar. There is the respect and acceptance of your scholarship within your immediate cultural group, and there is the respect and acceptance of your scholarship within the larger less homogenous culture as a whole. I think of it as equally intangible to philosopher. I can be a philosopher in my own living room, or among a group of my peers, or even in my larger community, but that doesn’t mean that the larger group of people who collectively create the body of knowledge that is taught to students in US colleges under the heading Philosophy 101 [for example] consider me a philosopher. This is even more difficult with scholarhsip designations than with scientist designations because at least nowadays, scientists generally have advanced degrees from a smallish set of institutions [this was not true historically when many advanced discoveries were made by gentlemen of high and low backgrounds].
In addition to the excellent advice above, it’s not dissimilar from other sorts of academic careers. In order to be recognized among the community of say, Shakespeare scholars, you’d need to have absolute familiarity with primary and secondary text, to contribute original research and thought to the body of work on the subject, and – for an academic Torah scholar – to be affiliated with an institution (secular or religious). Combine this with the fact that for many (but not all) Torah scholars, this is a religious pursuit as well as an academic pursuit, and you would then add in a level of daily practice and the various religious obligations of the Jewish practice of your choice.
Hmm… Torah scholar? I think that some people are assuming that “Torah scholar” is an imperfect translation of a more firmly defined Yiddish phrase. Talmud chachem is probably the closest. Leo Rosten in The Joys of Yiddish does the same and so does at least the one web page that I just read. But the web page that you linked (at “this”) seems to be using the world “scholar” much in the same way that we understand it in English. Sometimes it means a respected sage and sometimes it just means any serious student. And in this case, I think they just mean “serious student.” In this sense, you could be a “Torah scholar” tomorrow if you had the right spirit. To convey the meanings that other people are describing here, the people that I know would probably just use Yiddish. Their meaning would be well understood even by those who aren’t fluent in Yiddish. “Torah scholar” is potentially ambigious. At the same time it’s the most natural translation of “Talmud chachem” which is more firmly defi
Great set of answers. I agree with “the main qualification for being a Torah scholar is respect of your peers,” and I think the key here is that Judaism, like Islam, has no hierarchical structure and thus no authoritative body qualified to issue certificates of approval. Being a rabbi or Torah scholar is like being a mufti or ayatollah: if enough people ask you the kind of questions that need resolution by a fatwa, you’re a mufti; if enough Shi’ite clergy look up to you as a “sign of Allah,” you’re an ayatollah. Being an anarchist, of course I like that system better than the official-stamp one.
