The Master of Rabbinic Studies (MRb) is a

graduate degree Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree. The organization and struc ...

granted by a

Yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are s ...

rabbinical school A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are stud ...

. It involves the academic study of

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...

Jewish law ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also Romanization of Hebrew, transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Judaism, Jewish religious laws which is derived from the Torah, written and Oral Tora ...

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

ethics Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns m ...

, and

rabbinic literature Rabbinic literature, in its broadest sense, is the entire spectrum of rabbinic writings throughout Jewish history. However, the term often refers specifically to literature from the Talmudic era, as opposed to medieval and modern rabbinic writ ...

; see . The Master of Talmudic Law is closely related. In many institutions, this degree is a standard component in the study for

semicha Semikhah ( he, סמיכה) is the traditional Jewish name for rabbinic ordination. The original ''semikhah'' was the formal "transmission of authority" from Moses through the generations. This form of ''semikhah'' ceased between 360 and 425 C ...

(rabbinic

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorization, authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominational ...

). At accredited institutions this degree requires between 72 and 90 credit hours of study (72 being the minimum determined by academic accrediting agencies and 90 being on the upper end of certain schools that wish to ensure a broader study of the related material).

Contemporary usage

The MRb is a significantly more extensive program than most

master's degrees A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

. The degree usually consists on average of 90 semester hours, as opposed to the usual 36 or 48. Ordination in a mainstream

yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are s ...

or rabbinical school requires seven or eight years of education past high school: the first four in undergraduate studies leading to a

Bachelor of Talmudic Law The Bachelor of Talmudic Law (BTL), Bachelor of Talmudic Studies (BTS) and First Talmudic Degree (FTD) are law degrees, comprising the study, analysis and application of ancient Talmudical, Biblical, and other historical sources. The laws derived ...

and then three or four years of seminary or rabbinical school leading to the MRb. See and .

Accreditation and recognition

In North America, four entities that accredit religious schools in particular are recognized by the

United States Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department ...

and the

Council for Higher Education Accreditation The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) is a United States organization of degree-granting colleges and universities. It identifies its purpose as providing national advocacy for academic quality through accreditation in order t ...

: #

Association for Biblical Higher Education The Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE), formerly The Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges (AABC) is an evangelical Christian organization of bible colleges in the United States and Canada. It is a member of the International Co ...

(ABHE) # Association of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools (AARTS) #

Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. History It was founded in 1918. The associ ...

(ATS) #

Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools The Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) is a U.S. based institutional accreditation organization that focuses on Christian colleges, universities, and seminaries seeking collegiate accreditation in the United Sta ...

(TRACS) Since these accreditors meet

and

recognition criteria, standards correspond to those of regional accreditors. Contrary to the principles laid out by the

in Transfer and the Public Interest: A Statement to the Community, many regionally accredited institutions continue to base transfer credit decisions solely or primarily upon regional accreditation.

References

{{reflist

External links

* http://www2.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/accreditation_pg8.html * https://web.archive.org/web/20100410192912/http://www.ajrca.org/programs/rabbinicalschool.shtml * https://web.archive.org/web/20100207022635/http://admissions.ajula.edu/Content/ContentUnit.asp?CID=5&u=749&t=0 * https://web.archive.org/web/20091206165953/http://www.lecfl.com/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/243685/jewish/Yeshiva-Gedolah-Rabbinical-College.htm * http://www.citytowninfo.com/school-profiles/ner-israel-rabbinical-college Jewish education Rabbinic Studies Religious degrees

Contemporary usage

Accreditation and recognition

See also

References

External links