Etymology and pronunciation
The word comes from theHistorical overview
Rabbi is not an occupation found in theTalmudic period
From the 1st to 5th centuries, the title "Rabbi" was given to those sages of theMiddle Ages
In the early Middle Ages "rabbi" was not a formal title, but was used as a term of respect for Jews of great scholarship and reputation. After the emergence of18th–19th centuries
A dramatic change in rabbinic functions occurred withFunctions
Rabbis serve the Jewish community. Hence their functions vary as the needs of the Jewish community vary over time and from place to place. ; Study and teaching: Rabbis have always been the main links in the chain of transmission (''masorah'') whereby knowledge of the Torah has been passed down through the generations. Learning from their teachers, adding new insights of their own (''hidushim''), and teaching the public have always been the primary functions of the rabbinate. Studying the Torah is a rabbi's lifelong undertaking that does not end with receiving ordination. A rabbi is expected to set aside time daily for study. A rabbi that does not constantly replenish his or her store of Torah learning will lack the knowledge, inspiration and mastery of Jewish law and traditions required to perform all other rabbinic functions. :Once acquired, Torah knowledge must be passed on, because it is the heritage of all Israel. Teaching by rabbis occurs in many venues—the schoolroom of course, elementary (''heder''), intermediate (''yeshivah'') and advanced (''kollel''), but also, especially in antiquity, in the vineyard, the marketplace and the disciple circle. In manyCompensation
In antiquity those who performed rabbinic functions, such as judging a case or teaching Torah to students, did not receive compensation for their services. Being a rabbi was not a full-time profession and those who served had other occupations to support themselves and their families, such as woodchopper, sandal-maker, carpenter, water-carrier, farmer and tanner. A respected scholar, RabbiAuthority
The practical basis for rabbinic authority involves the acceptance of the rabbinic individual and their scholarly credentials. In practical terms, Jewish communities and individuals commonly proffer allegiance to the authority of the rabbi they have chosen. Such a rabbinic leader is sometimes called the "Master of the Locale" (''mara d'atra''). Jewish individuals may acknowledge the authority of others but will defer legal decisions to the ''mara d'atra''.Friedman, M. (2004). Halachic rabbinic authority in the modern open society. Jewish Religious Leadership, Image, and Reality, 2, 757-770. The rabbi derives authority from achievements within a meritocratic system. Rabbis' authority is neither nominal nor spiritual — it is based on credentials. Typically the rabbi receives an institutional stamp of approval. It is this authority that allows them to engage in the halakhic process and make legal prescriptions. The same pattern is true within broader communities, ranging from Hasidic communities to rabbinical or congregational organizations: there will be a formal or ''de facto'' structure of rabbinic authority that is responsible for the members of the community. However, Hasidic communities do not have a mere rabbi: they have aHonor
According to the Talmud, it is a commandment (''Ordination
Classical ordination
The first recorded examples of ordination areContemporary ordination
Since the end of classical ordination, other forms of ordination have developed which use much of the same terminology, but have a lesser significance in Jewish law. Nowadays, a rabbinical student is awarded ''semikhah'' (rabbinic ordination) after the completion of a learning program in a yeshiva or modern rabbinical seminary or under the guidance of an individual rabbi. The exact course of study varies by denomination, but most are in the range of 3–6 years. The programs all include study of Talmud, the codes ofOrthodox and Modern Orthodox Judaism
An Orthodox ''semikhah'' requires the successful completion of a program encompassing Jewish law ("''Non-Orthodox Judaism
Conservative Judaism
Reform Judaism
In Reform Judaism rabbinic studies are mandated in pastoral care, the historical development of Judaism, academic biblical criticism, in addition to the study of traditional rabbinic texts. Rabbinical students also are required to gain practical rabbinic experience by working at a congregation as a rabbinic intern during each year of study from year one onwards. All Reform seminaries ordain women and openly LGBT people as rabbis and Hazzan, cantors. SeeSeminaries unaffiliated with main denominations
There are several possibilities for receiving rabbinic ordination in addition to seminaries maintained by the large Jewish denominations; these are the Academy for Jewish Religion (New York), Academy for Jewish Religion in New York City, Academy for Jewish Religion (California), AJR in California, Hebrew College in Boston, and Hebrew Seminary in Illinois. The structure and curricula here are largely as at other non-Orthodox yeshivot. More recently established are several non-traditional, and nondenominational (also called "transdenominational" or "postdenominational") seminaries. These grant semicha with lesser requirements re time, and with a modified curriculum, generally focusing on leadership and pastoral roles. These are Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute, JSLI, Rabbinical Seminary International, RSI, Pluralistic Rabbinical Seminary, PRS, and List_of_rabbinical_schools#Non-denominational, Ateret Tzvi. The Mesifta Adath Wolkowisk, Wolkowisk Mesifta is aimed at community professionals with significant knowledge and experience, and provides a tailored curriculum to each candidate. Rimmon Rabbinical School, Rimmon, the most recently established, emphasizes halakha, halakhic decision making.Interdenominational recognition
Historically and until the present, recognition of a rabbi relates to a community's perception of the rabbi's competence to interpret Jewish law and act as a teacher on central matters within Judaism. More broadly speaking, it is also an issue of being a worthy successor to a sacred legacy. As a result, there have always been greater or lesser disputes about the legitimacy and authority of rabbis. Historical examples include Samaritans and Karaite (Jewish sect), Karaites. The divisions between Jewish denominations may have their most pronounced manifestation on whether rabbis from one denomination recognize the legitimacy or authority of rabbis in another. As a general rule within Orthodoxy and among some in the Conservative movement, rabbis are reluctant to accept the authority of other rabbis whose Halakhic standards are not as strict as their own. In some cases, this leads to an outright rejection of even the legitimacy of other rabbis; in others, the more lenient rabbi may be recognized as a spiritual leader of a particular community but may not be accepted as a credible authority on Jewish law. *The Orthodox rabbinical establishment rejects the validity of Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist rabbis on the grounds that their movements' teachings are in violation of traditional Jewish tenets. SomeWomen rabbis
With few rare exceptions, Jewish women have historically been excluded from serving as rabbis. This changed in the 1970s, when due to the shift in American society under the influence of second-wave feminism, the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion began ordaining women as rabbis.Blau, EleanorSee also
* Chief Rabbinate of Israel * Hakham * List of rabbis * List of rabbinical schools * Mashpia * Posek * Rav muvhak * Reb (Yiddish) * Talmid ChakhamNotes
References
Citations
Notes
Sources
* * Aaron Kirchenbaum, ''Mara de-Atra: A Brief Sketch,'' Tradition, Vol. 27, No. 4, 1993, pp. 35–40. * Aharon Lichtenstein, ''The Israeli Chief Rabbinate: A Current Halakhic Perspective,'' Tradition, Vol. 26, No. 4, 1992, pp. 26–38. * Jeffrey I. Roth, ''Inheriting the Crown in Jewish Law: The Struggle for Rabbinic Compensation, Tenure and Inheritance Rights,'' Univ. of South Carolina Press, 2006. * S. Schwarzfuchs, ''A Concise History of the Rabbinate'', Oxford, 1993.External links
* {{Authority control Rabbis, Jewish religious occupations Orthodox rabbinic roles and titles, *