The meaning of the word "rabbi" makes many difficult. Whom do the Jews call it - a preacher, clergyman, or just a person who knows the Torah well? This question is answered differently and often quite controversially. To understand everything thoroughly, let's try to figure it out together.
The origin of the word "rabbi"
To better understand who among Jews can be called a rabbi, we recall that the Hebrew word "rabbi" is translated as "my lord" or "my teacher." It has long been used in relation to learned people or spiritual leaders - that is, to those who were distinguished by their knowledge and therefore had the right to a particularly respectful attitude.
Judging by the preserved historical documents, the mentioned term began to be used in about 1 century. n e. Even in the New Testament, disciples respectfully turn to Jesus: rabbi. And in the era of the Talmud, a rabbi is a title that was awarded by the Sanhedrin or Talmudic Academy to someone who had sufficient scholarship to make informed decisions in the legislative field.
How was the rabbi paid
By the way, the first rabbis did not receive money for this service and therefore were forced to engage in trade or any craft in order to obtain a livelihood. Only those who became a teacher or spent whole days in rabbinical courts could receive some kind of payment from the community.
If we try to briefly determine what the main function of the rabbi was, then we can say this: a rabbi is a person who has thoroughly studied and therefore is able to teach and interpret Jewish law. One could turn to him for a resolution of any legal dispute that arose.
The rabbis were always revered by people belonging to the Jewish communities, and therefore enjoyed certain privileges. So, by the end of the 15th century. Jewish communities already elected a rabbi and paid him regular salaries, and he also took on, for example, supervision of education and observance of the rules of eating food (kashrut) or other equally important things.
Did the rabbi preach?
It should be noted that preaching and missionary work were not previously the duties of a rabbi, since in Judaism there are no such concepts. But in the community of that time, a rabbi is often also a cantor, a mohel (a person who circumcises newborn Jewish boys), or a shoher (a slaughterman performing a ritual of slaughtering livestock). That is, not directly, but in the exact observance of the Torah prescriptions, the rabbis carried religious knowledge to their compatriots.
The rabbi often also acted as a representative of the community in front of the authorities, which implied a duty such as tax collection.
In large communities, several rabbis were in the service at once. And in Israel and Great Britain, for example, for a long time there is a chief rabbi of a country, region and city.
Rabbis in Russia
In all countries where there are Jewish communities, rabbis generally limit their activities to religion and schools. The rabbinate is most often subordinate to the government, and its activities are governed by special laws or regulations.
So, in tsarist Russia, a law was introduced in 1855, which required persons who were defined as rabbis to be trained at a rabbinical school or to receive education in general secondary and higher educational institutions. If there were no such candidates, then the community was allowed to invite learned Jews from abroad (over time, the last rule was repealed).
The rabbi of Russia should have known German, Polish or Russian letters. The provincial authorities appointed the selected person to an official position, and he became the so-called official rabbi. But due to the fact that, as a rule, these people did not have the necessary knowledge to observe and conduct religious rites, in parallel with them there was also a spiritual rabbi in the community, elected by the community itself.
He was elected for three years, and in addition to the rites of worship, they were obliged to keep metric books, as well as make decisions on the conclusion or dissolution of marriages.
Rabbis in our time
In modern Russia, as well as in some other countries of the world, today the rabbis of the communities are subordinate to one person who bears the title "supreme or chief rabbi." This title of leader of Jewish communities was legalized in 1990.
The main emphasis in the activities of the rabbi is now placed on educational and social functions. The main role in them is given to work with parishioners, sermons, as well as participation in the affairs of the Jewish community.
Nowadays, the rabbi is primarily a spiritual leader who not only teaches the Torah and knows the intricacies of religious requirements, but can also give an answer to any exciting question or solve a difficult life situation. Any worthy person who has been trained can become a rabbi. But retaining this right is rather difficult. Indeed, any person who addresses him expects from the rabbi advice based not only on personal experience, but also on wisdom carried through the ages.