Rabbi
A rabbi is a Jewish preacher and religious leader in Judaism. A person becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi — known as Semikhah — following a course of study of Jewish history and texts, including the Tanakh, Midrash, Mishnah, Tosefta, Talmud, Halakha, and rabbinic commentaries thereon. The basic form of the rabbi developed between the Second Temple —being heavily influenced by the Pharisees—and Rabbinic periods, when learned teachers—overlapping with the Tannaim, Amoraim, Savoraim, and early Geonim—assembled to codify Judaism's written and oral laws. The title "rabbi" was first used in the first century CE. In more recent centuries, the duties of a rabbi became increasingly influenced by the duties of the Protestant Christian minister, hence the title "pulpit rabbis." Further, in 19th-century Germany and the United States, rabbinical activities such as delivering sermons, pastoral counseling, and representing the community to the outside all increased in importance.
Within the various Jewish denominations, there are different requirements for rabbinic ordination, and differences in opinion regarding who is recognized as a rabbi. Non-Orthodox movements, including Conservative Judaism, Reform Judaism, Reconstructionist Judaism, and Jewish Renewal, have set their requirements for semikhah based on what they consider halakhic reasons and ethical reasons.
Etymology and pronunciation
The word comes from the Mishnaic Hebrew construct רְבִּי, meaning 'Master '; the standard Hebrew noun is רב 'master'. is also used as a title for rabbis, as are and . A derived term is.The Hebrew root in turn derives from the Semitic root , which in Biblical Aramaic means 'great' in many senses, including 'revered', but appears primarily as a prefix in construct forms. Although the usage 'many' 'the majority', 'the multitude' occurs for the assembly of the community in the Dead Sea Scrolls, there's no evidence to support an association of this use with the later title "rabbi". The root is cognate to Arabic ربّ, meaning 'lord', and to the Syriac word ܪܒܝ.
Some communities, especially Sephardic and Yemenite Jews, historically pronounced the title רִבִּי ; this pronunciation competed with רְבִּי and רַבִּי in Ashkenaz until the modern period.
Historical overview
"Rabbi" is not an occupation found in the Hebrew Bible, and ancient generations did not apply related titles such as rabban, rabbi, or rav for either the Babylonian sages or the sages in Israel. For example, Hillel I and Shammai had no rabbinic title prefixed to their names. The titles "rabban" and "rabbi" are first mentioned in Jewish literature in the Mishnah. Rabban was first used for Rabban Gamaliel the Elder, Rabban Simeon ben Gamliel, and Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai, all of whom were patriarchs or presidents of the Sanhedrin in the first century. Early recipients of the title rabbi include Rabbi Zadok and Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob, beginning in the time of the disciples of Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai. The title "Rabbi" occurs in the Christian books of Matthew, Mark, and John in the New Testament, in which it is used—sometimes negatively—in reference to the "Scribes and Pharisees" as well as to Jesus.According to some, the title "rabbi" or "rabban" was first used after 70 CE to refer to Yohanan ben Zakkai and his students, and references in Rabbinic texts and the New Testament to rabbis earlier in the 1st century are anachronisms or retroactive honorifics. Other scholars believe that the term "rabbi" was a well-known informal title by the beginning of the first century CE, and thus that the Jewish and Christian references to rabbis reflect the titles used in this period.
The governments of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah were based on a system that included the Jewish kings; the Jewish prophets; the legal authority of the high court of Jerusalem, the Great Sanhedrin; and the ritual authority of the priesthood. Members of the Sanhedrin had to receive their ordination through an unbroken line of transmission from Moses; however, instead of being called "rabbis", they were referred to as "priests" or "scribes", like Ezra, who is called in the Hebrew Bible "Ezra the priest-scribe, a scholar in matters concerning 's commandments and laws to Israel". "Rabbi" as a title does not appear in the Hebrew Bible, though later Rabbinic sources occasionally use it as a title for wise biblical figures, as in tractate Pirkei Avot 6:3.
With the destruction of the two Temples in Jerusalem, the end of the Jewish monarchy, the decline of the dual institutions of prophets and the priesthood, and the later failure of the Bar Kokhba revolt, the focus of scholarly and spiritual leadership within the Jewish people shifted to the sages of the Great Sanhedrin. The Great Sanhedrin was composed of the earliest group of "rabbis" in the contemporary sense of the word, in large part because they began the formulation and explication of what became known as Judaism's Oral Torah. The Oral Torah was eventually codified in the Mishnah, Talmud, and subsequent Rabbinic scholarship, leading to what is known as Rabbinic Judaism.
Talmudic period
The traditional explanation is that from the 1st to 5th centuries, the title "rabbi" was given to those sages of the Land of Israel who received formal ordination, while the lesser title "rav" was given to sages who taught in the Talmudic Academies in Babylonia, as ordination could not be performed outside the Land of Israel. Sherira Gaon summarized the relationship between these titles as follows: "Rabbi is greater than Rav, Rabban is greater than Rabbi, one's name is greater than Rabban". However, some modern scholars argue that "rabbi" and "rav" are the same title, pronounced differently due to variations in dialect.After the suppression of the Jewish Patriarchate and Sanhedrin by Theodosius II in 425, there could no longer be formal ordination in the traditional sense. Like the Babylonian sages, a recognised scholar could be called Rav or Hakham. The transmission of learning from teacher to disciple remained of tremendous importance, but there was no formal rabbinic qualification.
Middle 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 of Karaite Judaism, Jews who remained within the purview of normative—i.e., Rabbinic Judaism—became known as "rabbanites". Initially, communities might have had a religious judge appointed by the central geonate, often possessing a certification known as pitka dedayanuta or bearing the title chaver or aluf. By the 11th century, as the geonate weakened it was common for Jewish communities to elect a local spiritual authority. In the 11th–12th century, some local rabbinic authorities in Spain received formal certification known as ketav masmich or ketav minui in preparation for their leadership role. Maimonides ruled that every congregation is obliged to appoint a preacher and scholar to admonish the community and teach Torah, and the social institution he describes is the germ of the modern congregational rabbinate.Until the mid-14th-century Black Death pandemic, Ashkenazi communities typically made religious decisions by consensus of scholars on a council, rather than the decision of a single authority. In the 14th century, the concept arose of a single person who served as the religious authority for a particular area. Formal ordination is first recorded among Ashkenazim with Meir ben Baruch Halevi, who issued the formal title Moreinu to scholars. However, it likely existed somewhat earlier. By the 15th century, this formal ordination, known as semicha, had become a requirement to be recognized as a rabbi. Initially, some Sephardic communities objected to such formal ordination, but over time they too adopted the system.
18th–19th centuries
A dramatic change in rabbinic functions occurred with Jewish emancipation. Tasks that were once the primary focus for rabbis, such as settling disputes by presiding over a Jewish court, became less prominent, while other tasks that had been secondary, such as delivering sermons, increased in importance.In 19th-century Germany and the United States, the duties of the rabbi in some respects became increasingly similar to the duties of other clergy, such as the Protestant Christian minister, and the title "pulpit rabbis" arose to describe this phenomenon. Sermons, pastoral counseling, and representing the congregation to the community all increased in importance. Non-Orthodox rabbis, on a day-to-day business basis, now spend more time on these functions than they do teaching or answering questions on Jewish law and philosophy. Within the Modern Orthodox community, many rabbis still mainly deal with teaching and questions of Jewish law, but many are increasingly dealing with these same pastoral functions.
Traditionally, rabbis have never been an intermediary between God and humans; this idea was considered outside the bounds of Jewish theology. Unlike spiritual leaders in many other faiths, they are not considered imbued with special powers or abilities.
Functions
Rabbis serve the Jewish community. Hence, their functions vary as the community's needs vary over time and place.Study and teaching
Rabbis have always been the main links in the chain of transmission of Torah throughout the generations of Jews. Learning from and studying previous generations' rabbinical leaders and thinkers, offering new insight, and teaching the public have always been primary functions of the rabbinate. Torah study is a rabbi's lifelong undertaking that does not end with ordination. A rabbi is expected to set aside time daily for study. A rabbi who does not constantly replenish their store of Torah learning will lack the knowledge, inspiration, and mastery of Halakha and traditions required to perform all other rabbinic functions.Once acquired, Torah must be passed on, given its status in Deuteronomy 33:4 as "the heritage of the congregation of Jacob". Teaching by rabbis occurs in many venues—elementary schools and intermediate and advanced learning institutions, but also the public and community squares outside of learning institutions. In many synagogues, the rabbi will give a short class to those who attend morning and/or evening services. The sermon is another form of public education, often integrating Bible passages with a contemporary ethical message, and no Jewish meal or celebration is complete without the rabbi's d'var Torah —a short exposition of verses of Jewish literature related to a given discussion.
Apart from face-to-face instruction, rabbis have composed an extensive body of literature over the millennia of Jewish history, dealing with all aspects of the Jewish tradition. Jewish commentaries on the Bible, Halakha and halakhic commentaries, responsa, mystical and ethical tracts, and collections of sermons are examples of common genres of rabbinic literature.