Question of the Week: Who was the oldest of the Marx
brothers: Gummo, Groucho, Harpo, Zeppo or Chico?
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How this esteemed role has changed throughout history.
ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
AppleTree Editor
t's one of the most often-used words in the
Jewish community, yet it never appears in the
Torah.
"Rabbi" is the name we give to the head of
our congregation, to teachers at a Jewish day
school, to headmasters and scholars. The word
means "my teacher" or "teacher," and usually sug-
gests one who has graduated from some kind of
seminary.
It wasn't always this way, though.
In fact, a "rabbi" today is very different from
what he or she used to be. Even the word started
out a bit different.
"Rabbi" is derived from the word ray, which in
biblical Hebrew means "great."
Initially, a rav was a master (as opposed to a
,
slave). Then in the days of Hillel, the term came to
be used in reference to a scholar, and eventually rav
evolved into "rabbi," around the first century CE.
From its earliest use, "rabbi" most often has been a
term specific to one who was ordained.
Long ago, of course, there was no Hebrew Union
College, Jewish Theological Seminary or Yeshiva
University for such purposes. Instead, for many
years one was granted ordination from a communi-
ty, another rabbi, a small school — and sometimes
only within the Land of Israel. Yet unlike today, the
first rabbis almost
inevitably had another
, career, while they inter-
preted the Torah as an
avocation.
Then, during the
Middle Ages, being a
rabbi became a full-time
vocation, not only sere-
: ing as an expert on the
Torah, but also heading a
congregation and even
delivering weekly ser-
mons (yes, they really
have been around that
long). Interestingly, how-
1 ever, it was not until the
19th century, with the
1 influence of the growing Reform movement, that
rabbis began taking on what many see as their Most
important functions now, such as presiding at
funerals and officiating at marriages.
1 Today's rabbis often command competitive
salaries. What a difference several thousands of
1 years make! The first rabbis earned not a shekel
because it was regarded improper to earn money
for teaching Torah.
I Then, in the 14th century CE, a rabbi named
Simeon ben Zemah Duran left Spain, where he was
persecuted in anti Semitic riots, and settled in
ndered ... now you know.
to [earn all kinds of compelling and unusual facts about Jewish life through-
w ou Know" introduces you to famous scholars and infamous gangsters, con-
.
incidents that continue to shape the way we live today, and tells you the story
orn classic Jewish texts to Hollywood feuds — all in a few pages. It's history,
.
own and learn a little (best of all, there are no homework assignments).
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Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook (1865-
1935) is a Latvian native who became
chief rabbi of the Ashkenazi Jews in
Palestine in 1922. He was considered a
talmudic scholar, and an expert in
Kabbalah, Chasidism and religious phi-
losophy. "He was among the few religious
leaders of his time who saw in the return
to Zion the fulfillment of a basic doctrine
of Judaism," according to the Junior
Jewish Encyclopedia/Seventh Edition.
Algiers. The Jewish community of Algiers
quickly took a liking to the new rabbi and
asked him to serve as their spiritual leader.
Simeon explained that while he would
love to take the position, one thing was
prohibiting him from doing so: He needed a paying
job.
So the community created a very clever legal
fiction. Simeon, they said, would not be paid for
teaching Torah. He would, though, be paid
"compensation" for all the time he could have
been spending at a day job, which he was unable
to secure because he was so busy with his rab-
binic duties.
The idea spread like wildfire. Jewish communi-
ties throughout the world quickly looked to leading
scholars to serve as their authorities. The primary
key to attaining this position was learning.
Candidates, so to speak, were expected to take rig-
orous exams that revealed their expert knowledge of
Judaism and HaLachah (Jewish Law). If they passed
such tests, they were awarded a smichah diploma.
Today, the title of smichah, or ordination, is
almost always granted by a theological institution,
and one who receives smichah takes on the title
"rabbi."
By the end of the 14th century, Jewish commu-