Talk:Rabbi
"While rabbis are generally thought of as clergy, equivalent to priests or ministers in Christian denominations, in fact the role is quite different." -- On the other hand, I believe it would be accurate to say that the role of rabbi and (Muslim) imam are similar. Yes? No? Thanks for input.
Orthodox smicha is a test in halacha. That is all. There is no requirement that it include Tanach, Jewish philosophy, Talmud, or anything else. It's just shabbat, nida, and issur ve-heter (the three components of the test). Danny (been there, done that)
- The test itself may not include Talmud, but the course of study does include huge amounts of Mishnah, Talmud, and responsa, right? I wasn't referring to the final test itself, but rather to the program of study. Do most Orthodox synagogues not require the study of classic rabbinic philosophical works? I would be willing to believe this, but I would find it ironic and Reform and Conservative rabbis seem to have a more demanding array of subjects to study than Orthodox Jews. I know that at the Jewish Theological Seminary, the Conservative movement's main rabbinic seminary, there is a wide array of Judaica subjects that all rabbinic students there must master. I was under the impression that this was true also at Yeshiva University (although YU may not be representative of most Yeshivas in the last 500 years!) RK
YU is not representative. I've known plenty of people with "smicha" who can't learn a page of Talmud (blatt gemara). I also have a cousin going for smicha now, who is excited by his program because it requires them to read all of Tanach. In terms of a well-rounded Judaic studies program, JTS is certainly far ahead of most yeshivot (though this may come at the expense of halachah, which is the core/sole requirement Orthodox smichas. Danny
A topic that deserves a mention on this page is the word "Rav". In Israel especially one hears all the time of "Rav so-and-so" and much less frequently of "Rabbi so-and-so". I think the words are more or less interchangable but is that true everywhere? -- zero 15:55, 16 Aug 2003 (UTC)
- Rav is generally used for somebody who is an expert in Jewish law, while Rabbi generally implies a lesser degree of expertise in Jewish law. It is also used generally for teachers of Jewish religious subjects who would not ever be called a Rav. Ezra Wax 04:42, 25 Feb 2004 (UTC)
I take issue with the term 'laying on of hands' as Semicha is more than laying on of hands. The giver of Semicha, up till the time of the talmud when true semicha was no longer able to be given, placed his full weight on the recipient. Ezra Wax 04:42, 25 Feb 2004 (UTC)
Delete section?
Should we delete the section on becoming a rabbi, and just give a link to the semicha article? The semicha article covers everything on this topic. RK 20:33, Aug 24, 2004 (UTC)