"Savoir faire," from the French "savoir-faire," means "knowing how to do." People say someone has savoir faire when he knows how to behave in any situation, public or private. Courtesy and etiquette are an important part of savoir faire and letter writing, though not as commonplace today as it was before the Internet and e-mail, requires attention to both courtesy and etiquette. Show your savoir faire when you're addressing a letter to a rabbi by following a few simple steps.
Write the title "Rabbi" on the front of your envelope followed by the rabbi's full name. For example, write "Rabbi Israel Nir."
Write the name of the rabbi's congregation on the next line. For example, write "Beth El Congregation."
Write the congregation's street address on the next line. For example, write "37 Ghent Road."
Write the city, state and zip code of the street address you have written. For example, write "Bath, OH 44310."
Write the words "Dear Rabbi" followed by the rabbi's last name when you are writing the salutation of your letter to the rabbi. For example, write "Dear Rabbi Nir."
Related Articles
Writer Bio
John Woloch writes professionally for various websites. He has published in the Dutch journal "Crux" and writes frequently on oil painting, classical languages and topics involving math and biochemistry. Woloch holds a Master of Arts in English from the University of Chicago, a Master of Arts in classics from Ohio State University and a postbaccalaureate pre-medical degree from Georgetown University.