A Concise History of the Rabbinate (Jewish Society and Culture) - Hardcover

Schwarzfuchs, Simon

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0631161325 ISBN 13: 9780631161325

Publisher: Blackwell Pub, 1993

Synopsis

The rabbinate is not mentioned in the Bible. Talmudic literature and the New Testament know of scholars and teachers who are called 'rav' or 'rabbi', but they have no responsibility in the religious life of the community. It was only towards the end of the eleventh century that a community rabbinate which was not a new priesthood began to appear in the new Jewish settlements of the renascent medieval city, and since the Middle Ages the rabbi has become a ubiquitous presence in the history of the various Jewish communities. With this title or another he has ensured the continuity of Jewish communal life.
This is the first general history of an institution which has become central in Judaism. Schwarzfuchs traces its origin and development from early Judaism (Talmud to the eighteenth century), through the Hakham (Sefardic religious leadership) to its modern manifestation. He addresses contemporary problems (the role of the rabbi in a modern assimilated community; the relevance of the founding of the State of Israel to the rabbinate outside that country) as well as historical ones, and provides a history of the socio-economic forces which shaped the rabbinate.

About this title

About the Author

Simon Schwarzfuchs is Professor of History at Bar Ilan University, Israel, and has twice been Visiting Professor at the Universite de Paris and the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales.

Reviews

This scholarly book represents the first general history of this vital institution of Judaism , from its origins in the Talmudic period to the modern rabbinate in 20th-century Israel and the Diaspora. Its central thrust is that the community rabbinate as we know it today developed in the medieval period (roughly toward the end of the 11th century). Israeli professor Schwarzfuchs discusses vital aspects of the rabbinical office such as ordination, the authority of the rabbi to interpret the Torah, the differences between rabbis and Christian ministers, and the role of the rabbi in maintaining the continuity of the Jewish community. The author also discusses the rise of modern (Conservative and Reform) movements and the impact of the orthodox rabbinate in today's Israel. This serious yet accessible history belongs in all large Judaica collections.
- Robert A. Silver, formerly with Shaker Heights P.L., Ohio
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Blackwell Pub
• Publication date: 1993
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0631161325
• ISBN 13: 9780631161325
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224