Semikhah () is the traditional term for ordination in Judaism.
The original semikhah was the formal "transmission of authority" from Moses through the generations. This form of semikhah ceased between 360 and 425 CE. Since then, semikhah has continued in a less formal way; throughout Jewish history, there have been several attempts to reestablish the classical semikhah.
The title of "rabbi" has "proliferated greatly over the last century". Nowadays, semikhah is also granted for a comparatively limited form of ordination, bestowing the authority to apply Halakha in specific Jewish settings rather than across the Jewish people writ large. In non-Orthodox Jewish religious movements, rabbinical education often emphasizes the modern roles of rabbis, such as preaching, teaching, counseling, and pastoral work.
In recent times, relatedly, some institutions grant ordination for the role of hazzan (cantor), extending the "investiture" granted there from the 1950s. Less commonly, since the 1990s, ordination is granted for the role of lay leader – sometimes titled darshan. Ordination may then also be specifically termed סמיכה לרבנות ('rabbinical ordination'), סמיכה לחזנות ('cantorial ordination'), or הסמכת מגיד ('maggidic ordination').
A rabbi is also sometimes referred to as a Moreh Hora'ah (מורה הוראה) "one who teaches Halakhic decisions", while the ordination itself is called Heter Hora'ah (היתר הוראה) "permission to make Halakhic decisions", certifying that the holder has the facility to apply his "thorough knowledge of the Talmud" to the facts of a given halakhic question, and (implicitly) certifies also that the candidate is suitable to function as a community rabbi. These terms derive from Leviticus 10:11, where the requirement is specified Sefer Mitzvot Katan 111 sees this verse as constituting a Mitzvah. See also Mishneh Torah, Talmud Torah 5:4 that halakhic decisions are to be made only by a qualified authority.
In concept, semikhah represents a "bond" dating back to the time of Moses and Joshua. It is held that God taught the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai in 1312 BCE and that since that time, the knowledge of the Torah has been passed from generation to generation by the conferment of semikhah, rabbinic ordination, or the unbroken transmission of authority dating back to that time. This unbroken chain of Torah teaching is thus said to have continued for over 3300 years and continues to this day.
The ancient formula for semikhah was "Yoreh Yoreh. Yadin Yadin". ("May he decide? He may decide! May he judge? He may judge!"); and in the early days of rabbinical Judaism any ordained teacher could ordain his students. Classical semikhah was granted by a court of three judgesMishnah Sanhedrin 1:3 and it later required the participation of at least one who had attained this status himself. According to Maimonides the other two need not be semukhim.Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Sanhedrin 4:3
Today, semikha is generally through an institution, a yeshiva or specialized kollel, but is often granted by an individual. The testing here מידע לנבחנים - רבנות ("Information re testing for Rabbanut, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel Semikhah Certification"), www.gov.il Catalog, Rabbinical College of America Semikhah Requirements, Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary Catalog, Rabbinical College Bobover confirms one's ability to decide ("posek]]") a question in halakha (Jewish law). The examination has a dual concern: firstly it confirms knowledge of the law as presented in Shulchan Aruch, the standard code of law (with more recent applications from relevant teshuvot, or responsa); secondly, it also confirms an understanding of the underlying principles, by testing the relevant Talmudic , together with their development by the Rishonim and Acharonim, especially the Arba'ah Turim; see .
Many Yoreh Yoreh programs, for example the Chief Rabbinate's and RIETS, include testing in Avelut (Laws of mourning; Yoreh Deah) and/or Jewish marital law ( Even Ha'ezer section). Traditionally – and on the other hand – Yoreh Yoreh covered kashrut only, Interview with Rabbi Yosef Barber, Head of the Smicha program at Yeshivas Tomchei Temimim Chovevei Torah and this is still often the case. Example Semicha certificate: " Yoreh Yoreh BeIssur v'Hetter" Although apparently limited,See Rambam Sanhedrin veha'Onashin haMesurin lahem Ch4:8, discussing Semicha as limited to certain areas of Halakha. the basis here is that, as mentioned, semikha is in fact a confirmation of the ability - and right - of the holder to pasken in general,Moshe Isserles, Yoreh De'ah 242:14 and that, as required, the rabbi can correctly apply his Talmudic and Halakhic knowledge to other areas (and where necessary refer complex cases to a posek, a more qualified authority; see ). Similar, a semicha focusing on the laws of Shabbat is sometimes granted. Often, niddah will require a separate specialized certification, as – given their intricate and sensitive nature – an element of shimush, or "apprenticeship",See for illustration of apprenticeship in Halakhik areas, Rambam at Tzaraat 9:2. Chabad. pertains particularly to these halakhot. (In fact shimush more generally, is (implicitly) required before one serves as a Rabbi. Berakhot 47b: " said: Even if someone studied and reviewed, but did not serve sages, that one is an ignoramus.") It is not uncommon for a rabbi to hold several certificates, with each semikha covering a specific area of halakha. Certification, with similar testing, is also required to qualify as a shochet, mohel, sofer, or Nikkur; these inhere a major practical element and thus require significant shimush.
An Orthodox semikha, " Rav U'Manhig", "(pulpit) Rabbi and (community) leader", About Semicha, rbssemicha.com essentially testifies that the recipient has sufficient Torah knowledge to serve in a position of leadershipSee Aruch HaShulchan Yoreh Deah 242:29, where it is held that in recent times, additional to granting Heter Ho'ra'ah, semicha certifies one's suitability for the role of Community Rabbi. (as "rabbi" essentially means "teacher", not necessarily "halakhic authority"). The testing here covers Orach Chaim extensively, usually with limited emphasis on the underlying Talmudic sugyas. See the related discussion re "semicha-testing programs" and "online semicha" at .
Pluralistic and non-denominational movements grant an ordination titled " Rav U-moreh/morah BeYisrael", "Rabbi and Teacher in Israel". The curriculum here, as above, may emphasize "the other functions of a modern rabbi such as preaching, counselling, and pastoral work", as opposed to Halakha; further, often in these institutions less emphasis is placed on Talmud and Jewish law, "but rather on sociology, cultural studies, and modern Jewish philosophy". See .
In contrast to these, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel confers the further advanced semikhah of " Rav Ir", "Chief Rabbi of a City". This covers additional relevant topics from all sections of Shulchan Aruch - such as gerut - and, as for Dayanut, has Yoreh Yoreh as a prerequisite; see .
This " Smicha lerabbanut" signifies the transmission of rabbinic authority to give advice or judgment in Halakha, thus overlapping to some extent with the classical usage, per #Concept above; see also . In this context, "Rav Muvhak" is sometimes used to refer to a student's primary teacher.
Smicha lehazzanut, ordination as a Hazzan, similarly signifies the transmission of authoritative knowledge about Jewish musical and Jewish prayer. This is granted within some denominations.
Many Hasidic and of major Orthodox yeshivas are not required to "prove" to their flocks that they do or do not hold formal semikhah because their reputations as Torah-scholars and sages is unquestioned and esteemed based on the recommendations of trusted sages, and the experiences and interactions that many knowledgeable Torah-observant Jews have with them, which thus gives practical testimony based on experience that these great rabbis are indeed worthy to be called as such.
For example, according to some reports Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan (known as the Chafetz Chayim) did not officially receive semikhah until late in life, when a formal rabbinic qualification was necessary for him to call himself "rabbi" on an immigration application.Yissocher Frand, Listen To Your Messages, p. 89; however see a contradictory report Most current poskim, however, do have semikhah.
Just as a debate exists about who is a Jew, there is little consensus as to who is a rabbi. The Reform movement in a Responsum states that for their Temples, pulpit rabbis need to attend and complete their academic program at the Reform movement's rabbinic schools. But they further state that this does not negate other sects of Judaism from accepting the time-honored semikhah of one-on-one. Nor do they deal with the issue of rabbis who are not pulpit rabbis but teach, study, and do research. They do say that the need for three rabbis is unneeded as the two additional rabbis are just witnesses and cannot attest to the new rabbi's knowledge.
The term investiture was originally intended to make a distinction between the ordination of rabbis and that of cantors. However, in response to the increased responsibility of the cantor in contemporary American synagogues, some institutions such as Hebrew Union College (Reform Judaism) have recently begun to use the term "ordination" instead of "investiture". Other institutions that ordain cantors include Hebrew College (pluralistic), the Academy for Jewish Religion (pluralistic), and Aleph (Jewish Renewal).
As of 2021, the Jewish Theological Seminary (Conservative) will begin ordaining its cantors.
Several yeshivas and other academies now train and certify lay leaders, such as Darshan Yeshiva, ALEPH Pastor Program, the Union for Reform Judaism, and AJRCA's chaplaincy school.
Moses, before his death, ordained Joshua as his successor by resting his hands on Joshua:
This procedure caused the "spirit" in Moses to enter Joshua as well: "Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands upon him; and the Israelites heeded him, doing as יהוה had commanded Moses." Similarly, when Moses found the task of leadership too difficult, God caused the "spirit" in Moses to enter seventy additional elders (though no resting of hands is mentioned here).
According to later tradition, the elders ordained their successors in the same way, and their successors ordained others. This chain of hands-on semichah continued through the time of the Second Temple to an undetermined time.See Pirkei Avot 1:1
The title ribbi (or "rabbi") was reserved for those with semikhah. The sages of the Babylonian Jewish community had a similar religious education, but without the semikhah ceremony they were called rav. The Talmud also relates that one can obtain the title of rabbi by those to whom he teaches or counsels.
After the failed Bar Kokhba revolt in 132–135 CE, the Romans put down the revolt, and the emperor Hadrian tried to put a permanent end to the Sanhedrin. According to the Talmud, Hadrian decreed that anyone who gave or accepted semikhah would be killed, any city in which the ceremony took place would be razed, and all crops within a mile of the ceremony's site would be destroyed. The line of succession was saved by Judah ben Bava, who took five students of the recently martyred Rabbi Akiva to a mountain pass far from any settlement or farm, and ordained all five students. When the Romans attacked them, Judah ben Bava blocked the pass with his body, allowing the others to escape, and became one of Judaism's ten Rabbinic Martyrs himself by being speared 300 times. The five new rabbis – Rabbi Meir, Shimon, Judah bar Ilai, Jose ben Halafta and Eleazar ben Shammua – escaped and became the next generation of Torah leadership.
The exact date the original semikhah succession ended is not certain. Many medieval authorities believed that this occurred during the reign of Hillel II, around the year 360 CE.Nachmanides, Sefer Hazekhut, Gittin ch 4; Rabbenu Nissim, ibid; Sefer Haterumot, Gate 45; R Levi ibn Haviv, Kuntras Hasemikhah. However, Theodosius I forbade the Sanhedrin to assemble and declared ordination illegal. (Roman law prescribed capital punishment for any rabbi who received ordination and complete destruction of the town where the ordination occurred). A History of the Jewish People, by Hayim Ben-Sasson, Harvard University Press (October 15, 1985), It seems to have continued until at least 425, when Theodosius II executed Gamaliel VI and suppressed the Patriarchate and Sanhedrin.
Some believe that classical semikhah may have even survived until the 12th century when semuchim from Lebanon and Syria were traveling to Israel in order to pass on semicha to their students. Others, such as Yisroel ben Shmuel of Shklov (1770–1839), believed semikhah may not have been broken at all but that it continued outside of the land of Israel.
Since the end of classical ordination, other forms of ordination have developed which use much of the same terminology, but have a lesser significance in Jewish law (see Rabbi#Middle Ages).
Berab's attempt was the model for several other attempts to revive semikhah and reestablish the Sanhedrin, including one attempt in Israel in 2004.
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