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96-583: The history of the Jewish community in Belmonte , Portugal , dates back to the 13th century; the community was composed of Spanish and Portuguese Jews who kept their faith through crypto-Judaism . The history of Belmonte's Jewish community is told at the Belmonte Jewish Museum , opened in 2005. As of 2008, the Jewish population of Belmonte numbers around 300. The earliest sign relic of

192-420: A moreh hora'ah ("a teacher of rulings"). A more advanced form of semikhah is yadin yadin ("He may judge, he may judge" or "May he judge? He may judge."). This enables the recipient to serve as a judge on a rabbinical court and adjudicate cases of monetary law, among other responsibilities. The recipient of this ordination can be formally addressed as a dayan ("judge") and also retain the title of rabbi. Only

288-571: A Jewish population growth. However, in 1496, King Manuel I decreed the forced conversion of Jews in Portugal , which led to the formation of a crypto-Jewish community in Belmonte. The Cabral family held a central and influential role in the history of Belmonte, starting in the 13th century, when King Afonso III appointed Aires Pires Cabral to oversee the military administration of Belmonte. Around 1240, Maria Odil Cabral and Gil Cabral sponsored

384-543: A congregational rabbi, teacher, chaplain, Hillel director, camp director, social worker or administrator—through the placement office of his or her seminary. Like any modern professional, he or she will negotiate the terms of employment with potential employers and sign a contract specifying duties, duration of service, salary, benefits, pension and the like. A rabbi's salary and benefits today tend to be similar to those of other modern professionals, such as lawyers and accountants, with similar levels of post-graduate education. It

480-477: A full-time occupation. Under these conditions, the Geonim collected taxes and donations at home and abroad to fund their schools ( yeshivot ) and paid salaries to teachers, officials and judges of the Jewish community, whom they appointed. Maimonides (1135–1204), who supported himself as a physician, reasserted the traditional view of offering rabbinic service to the Jewish community without compensation. It remains

576-441: A modified curriculum, generally focusing on leadership and pastoral roles. These are JSLI , RSI , PRS , and Ateret Tzvi . The Wolkowisk Mesifta is aimed at community professionals with significant knowledge and experience, and provides a tailored curriculum to each candidate. Historically and until the present, recognition of a rabbi relates to a community's perception of the rabbi's competence to interpret Jewish law and act as

672-483: A network of marrano families announced the holding of a meeting where the Jewish Association of Belmonte would be founded. Belmonte's members had spent years studying prior for the official establishment of Belmonte's kehilah, or a Halakhic Jewish community. On February 8, a list of the rights and responsibilities of community members were published: In 1990, Frédéric Brenner released his documentary about

768-505: A number of modern attempts to revive the Sanhedrin have been made. So far, no such attempt has been accepted as valid among the consensus of rabbis, or persisted for longer than about a century. 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. Nowadays, a rabbinical student is awarded semikhah (rabbinic ordination) after

864-564: A particular community but may not be accepted as a credible authority on Jewish law. These debates cause great problems for recognition of Jewish marriages, conversions, and other life decisions that are touched by Jewish law. Orthodox rabbis do not recognize conversions by non-Orthodox rabbis. Conservative rabbis recognise all conversions done according to Halakha . Finally, the North American Reform and Reconstructionists recognize patrilineality , under certain circumstances, as

960-499: A prefix in construct forms. Although the usage rabim "many" (as 1 Kings 18:25, הָרַבִּים ‎) "the majority, the multitude" occurs for the assembly of the community in the Dead Sea Scrolls , there is no evidence to support an association of this use with the later title "rabbi". The root is cognate to Arabic ربّ rabb , meaning "lord" (generally used when talking about God, but also about temporal lords), and to

1056-452: A salary, as if he were relinquishing a salary from secular employment. The size of salaries varied, depending on the size of the community served, with rabbis in large cities being well-compensated while rabbis in small towns might receive a small stipend. Rabbis were able to supplement their rabbinic incomes by engaging in associated functions and accepting fees for them, like serving as the community's scribe, notary and archivist, teaching in

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1152-833: A small number of students obtain official ordination to become dayanim ("judges") on religious courts , poskim ("decisors" of Jewish law ), as well as teachers in the Hasidic schools. The same is true for the non-Hasidic Litvish yeshivas that are controlled by dynastically transmitted rosh yeshivas and the majority of students will not become rabbis, even after many years of post-graduate kollel study. Some yeshivas, such as Yeshivas Chafetz Chaim and Yeshivas Ner Yisroel in Baltimore , Maryland, may encourage their students to obtain semichah and mostly serve as rabbis who teach in other yeshivas or Hebrew day schools. Other yeshivas, such as Yeshiva Chaim Berlin ( Brooklyn , New York) or

1248-641: A small percentage of rabbis earn the yadin yadin ordination. Although not strictly necessary, many Orthodox rabbis hold that a beth din (court of Jewish law) should be made up of dayanim with this ordination. An Orthodox semikhah requires the successful completion of a program encompassing Jewish law (" Halakha ") and responsa in keeping with longstanding tradition. Orthodox rabbis typically study at yeshivas , "colleges" which provide Torah study generally, and increasingly at dedicated institutions known as kollelim ; both are also referred to as " Talmudical/Rabbinical schools or academies ". In both cases,

1344-494: A strong background within Jewish law, liturgy, Talmudic study, and attendant languages (e.g., Hebrew , Aramaic and in some cases Yiddish ). Specifically, students are expected to have acquired deep analytic skills , and breadth, in Talmud before commencing their rabbinic studies. At the same time, since rabbinical studies typically flow from other yeshiva studies, those who seek semichah are typically not required to have completed

1440-460: A substitute fee to replace their lost earnings when they had to leave work to perform a rabbinic function ( sekhar battalah ). During the period of the Geonim ( c.  650 –1050 CE), opinions on compensation shifted. It was deemed inappropriate for the leaders of the Jewish community to appear in the marketplace as laborers or vendors of merchandise, and leading a Jewish community was becoming

1536-498: A teacher on central matters within Judaism. More broadly speaking, it is also an issue of being a worthy successor to a sacred legacy. As a result, there have always been greater or lesser disputes about the legitimacy and authority of rabbis. Historical examples include Samaritans and Karaites . The divisions between Jewish denominations may have their most pronounced manifestation on whether rabbis from one denomination recognize

1632-442: A university education. Exceptions exist, such as Yeshiva University , which requires all rabbinical students to complete an undergraduate degree before entering the program, and a Masters or equivalent before ordination. Historically, women could not become Orthodox rabbis. Starting in 2009, some Modern Orthodox institutions began ordaining women with the title of " Maharat ", and later with titles including "Rabbah" and "Rabbi". This

1728-540: Is a shortened form of rebbe that can be used by, or applied to, any married Jewish male as the situation applies. Note: A rebbetzin (a Yiddish usage common among Ashkenazim ) or a rabbanit (in Hebrew and used among Sephardim ) is the official "title" used for, or by, the wife of any Orthodox, Haredi, or Hasidic rabbi. Rebbetzin may also be used as the equivalent of Reb and is sometimes abbreviated as such as well. Conservative Judaism confers semikhah after

1824-573: Is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism . One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as semikha —following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud . The basic form of the rabbi developed in the Pharisaic (167 BCE–73 CE) and Talmudic (70–640 CE) eras, when learned teachers assembled to codify Judaism's written and oral laws. The title "rabbi"

1920-463: Is also a commandment for teachers and rabbis to honor their students. Rabbis and Torah scholars, in order to ensure discipline within the Jewish community, have the authority to place individuals who insult them under a ban of excommunication. The first recorded examples of ordination are Moses transmitting his authority to Joshua and the 70 elders. Similarly, Elijah transmitted his authority to Elisha . According to Pirkei Avot , ordination

2016-457: Is also possible to engage in the rabbinate part-time, e.g. at a synagogue with a small membership; the rabbi's salary will be proportionate to the services rendered and he or she will likely have additional employment outside the synagogue. The practical basis for rabbinic authority involves the acceptance of the rabbinic individual and their scholarly credentials. In practical terms, Jewish communities and individuals commonly proffer allegiance to

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2112-595: Is called in the Bible "Ezra, the priest, the scribe, a scribe of the words of God's commandments and of His statutes unto Israel." "Rabbi" as a title does not appear in the Hebrew Bible, though later rabbinic sources occasionally use it as a title for wise Biblical figures. With the destruction of the two Temples in Jerusalem , the end of the Jewish monarchy, and the decline of the dual institutions of prophets and

2208-454: Is currently a contested issue for many Orthodox institutions, leading some to seek alternate clerical titles and roles for women (see Women rabbis and Torah scholars § Orthodox Judaism , Toanot Rabniyot , and Yoetzet Halacha ). While some Haredi (including Hasidic ) yeshivas do grant official ordination to many students wishing to become rabbis, most of the students within the yeshivas engage in learning Torah or Talmud without

2304-402: Is first recorded among Ashkenazim with Meir ben Baruch Halevi (late 14th century), who issued the formal title Moreinu (our teacher) to scholars, though it likely existed somewhat earlier. By the 15th century, this formal ordination (known as semicha ) became necessary in order to be recognized as a rabbi. Initially some Sephardic communities objected to such formal ordination, but over time

2400-447: Is no hierarchy and no central authority in Judaism that either supervises rabbinic education or records ordinations; each branch of Judaism regulates the ordination of the rabbis affiliated with it. The most common formula used on a certificate of semikhah is Yore yore ("He may teach, he may teach", sometimes rendered as a question and answer, "May he teach? He may teach."). Most Rabbis hold this qualification; they are sometimes called

2496-529: The Tur . Building on this, is the study of those sections of the Shulchan Aruch (codified Jewish law)—together with its main commentaries —that pertain to daily-life questions (such as the laws of keeping kosher , Shabbat , and the laws of family purity ). An element of shimush , or "apprenticeship", is often also required. Religious Zionist and Modern Orthodox rabbinical students, such as those at

2592-650: The Belmonte Jews , marking a significant chapter in the history of Jewish perseverance and identity. They remained isolated until the 1970s when they reconnected with the global Jewish community and openly returned to Judaism, culminating in the opening of a synagogue in 1996. In 2003, the American Sephardi Federation founded the Belmonte Project, designated to raise funds to acquire Judaic educational material and services for

2688-519: The Bishop of Coimbra . This charter aimed to populate the region, establishing Belmonte under Portuguese political control. Toward the end of the 12th century, the Belmonte Castle was built on Monte da Esperança, in the town of Belmonte. Together with the castles of Sortelha and Vila do Touro, Belmonte Castle formed part of the defensive line along Alto Côa , leveraging the natural barriers of

2784-503: The Hesder yeshivot and Yeshiva University respectively, additionally formally study hashkafa , i.e. the major elements of theology and philosophy and their application to contemporary questions, proceeding systematically through the classical rabbinic works here ; other students will have studied these works independently (see Yeshiva § Ethics, mysticism and philosophy ). The entrance requirements for an Orthodox yeshiva include

2880-797: The Iberian Peninsula was held, sponsored by the Association for Portuguese-Israeli Friendship, the Municipal Council of Transcoso, the Israeli Embassy in Portugal, the Civil Administration of Guarda , and also the Bureau of Archeology and History of Trancoso. The conference included lectures, exhibitions, films, guided tours of Belmonte's Jewish quarters, and other historical sites. On January 19, 1998,

2976-670: The Mishnaic Hebrew construct רְבִּי ‎ rǝbbī , meaning "Master [Name]"; the standard Hebrew noun is רב ‎ rav "master". רב ‎ rav is also used as a title for rabbis, as are rabbeinu ("our master") and ha-rav ("the master"). See also Rav and Rebbe . The Hebrew root in turn derives from the Semitic root ר-ב-ב ‎ (R-B-B), which in Biblical Aramaic means "great" in many senses, including "revered", but appears primarily as

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3072-608: The Sanhedrin in the first century. Early recipients of the title rabbi include Rabbi Zadok and Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob , beginning in the time of the disciples of Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai . The title "Rabbi" occurs (in Greek transliteration ῥαββί rabbi ) in the books of Matthew , Mark , and John in the New Testament , where it is used in reference to "Scribes and Pharisees " as well as to Jesus . According to some,

3168-535: The Serra da Estrela and Zêzere Valley to defend against invasions from León and Castile . By the 13th century, Belmonte had developed into a thriving town with a significant population of both Christians and Jews, as reflected in the presence of two churches, Santiago and Santa Maria, and a synagogue. The Jewish community likely lived in the area now known as Bairro de Marrocos and it prospered through trade. In 1492, Spain's expulsion of Jews may have contributed to

3264-610: The Syriac word ܪܒܝ rabi . Some communities, especially Sephardic and Yemenite Jews , historically pronounced the title רִבִּי ‎ rībbī ; this pronunciation competed with רְבִּי ‎ rǝbbī and רַבִּי rabbī in Ashkenaz until the modern period. Rabbi is not an occupation found in the Hebrew Bible , and ancient generations did not employ related titles such as Rabban , Rabbi , or Rav to describe either

3360-558: The expulsion of Jews from the Iberian Peninsula , Portuguese legislation required Jews to convert to Christianity or leave the country. Many Jews chose isolation, severing external contacts and strictly maintaining their traditions. Termed Marranos , in reference to the Jewish prohibition of pork , this group preserved their Jewish customs in secrecy. Belmonte stands as the site of Portugal's last Marrano community, now known as

3456-595: The tungsten and tin mines of Vilar Formoso and Belmonte. While in Belmonte, he was able to identify many Jewish symbols, such as a stele with Hebrew inscriptions, which he identified as belonging to an early synagogue. At the same time, he was warned by a Christian merchant not do business with a certain rival, claiming: "It is enough for me to tell you he is a Jew." He later met with this rival, Baltasar Pereira de Sousa, who confessed to him that he and his family were not only of Jewish descent, but were still secretly practicing Judaism. De Sousa went on to introduce Schwarz to

3552-597: The Babylonian sages or the sages in Israel. For example, Hillel I and Shammai (the religious leaders of the early first century) had no rabbinic title prefixed to their names. The titles "Rabban" and "Rabbi" are first mentioned in Jewish literature in the Mishnah . Rabban was first used for Rabban Gamaliel the elder , Rabban Simeon his son , and Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai , all of whom were patriarchs or presidents of

3648-950: The Belmonte Jewish community began to open up more to the outside world. In 1987, a ceremony to welcome the Sabbath was held in the Municipal Auditorium with 63 people presenting, including a rabbi from the United States. Belmonte's history of crypto-Judaism continues to generate interest. In November of 1987, the International Conference in Trancoso on the History of the Beiras and the Jews of

3744-443: The Belmonte Jewish community called " The Last Marranos", drawing the first wave of tourists.In 1994, a representative from the converso community invited an Israeli rabbi to convert a group in Belmonte. A synagogue named Bet Eliahu was built and opened its doors in 1996. In 2003, the Belmonte project was founded under the American Sephardi Federation in order to raise funds for acquiring Jewish education material and services for

3840-464: The Belmonte Jewish community created significant shock waves in the worldwide Jewish community, some going so far as to launch efforts to "re-judaize" the marranos of Portugal, or reintegrate them into formal Orthodox Judaism . Three young men from Belmonte went to study in the yeshiva of Porto to become future teachers and rabbis ; 1928, they were present at Passover services, and gave a number of Hebrew-language and religious basics lessons to some of

3936-580: The Belmonte Jewish community is an inscribed granite reliquary dating to 1297, from the town's first synagogue. Through the 15th and 16th century, there were a series of Inquisitions in Rome , Spain , and Portugal ; the Spanish Inquisition of 1478 targeted conversos , Jews who had publicly renounced the Jewish faith and adopted Christianity, eventually expelling them in 1492, and thousands of Jews and conversos fled from Spain to Portugal. However,

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4032-674: The Court of Coimbra raises doubts to the possibility that Jewish settlement of the town ever ceased to exist. Jews continued to hide their religious rites and practices even after the Inquisition officially ended in 1821. In 1914, a Jewish Polish mining engineer named Samuel Schwarz arrived in Portugal at the beginning of World War I . Because of the war, finding work in Western Europe proved impossible, and he and his wife moved to Lisbon , Portugal. Afterwards, he began working at

4128-569: The Great , the patron saint), and St. Peter. Adjacent to the church there is a family pantheon of the Cabral family. The church is located along one of the Portuguese pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela , serving as a place of spiritual solace for pilgrims on their journey. The singer Zeca Afonso lived in Belmonte for part of his childhood, between 1938 and 1940. He lived with his uncle,

4224-490: The Igreja Matriz de Belmonte (Mother Church of Belmonte), where it continued to be housed even after the church relocated to a new building in 1940. The Convento de Nossa Senhora da Boa Esperança was abandoned and fell into disrepair following the dissolution of religious orders in Portugal. In the 20th century, the former convent was sold and repurposed as a pousada (historic hotel). Renovated between 1999 and 2001,

4320-440: The Inquisition soon spread to Portugal, and they too began targeting conversos, and many worried about marranos, conversos only pretending to convert to Catholicism, but secretly continuing to practice Judaism and converting other Christians to Judaism. In 1497, King Manuel I ordered Portuguese Jews to either convert to Catholicism or to leave Portugal; many Jews, however, continued to practice Judaism, such as Belmonte. However,

4416-467: The Jewish community of Belmonte completed an Eruv . Belmonte (Portugal) Belmonte is distinguished by its enduring Jewish community , which dates back to at least the 13th century. This community, numbering about 300 in 2008, preserved its faith through crypto-Judaism , maintaining Jewish traditions in secret despite the pressures of the Inquisition and forced conversions . Open practice

4512-569: The Jewish community. Hence their functions vary as the needs of the Jewish community vary over time and from place to place. In antiquity those who performed rabbinic functions, such as judging a case or teaching Torah to students, did not receive compensation for their services. Being a rabbi was not a full-time profession and those who served had other occupations to support themselves and their families, such as woodchopper, sandal-maker, carpenter, water-carrier, farmer and tanner. A respected scholar, Rabbi Zadok (1st cent. CE), had said "never to use

4608-529: The Land of Israel. Sherira Gaon summarized the relationship between these titles as follows: "Rabbi is greater than Rav, Rabban is greater than Rabbi, one's name is greater than Rabban". However, some modern scholars argue that "Rabbi" and "Rav" are the same title, pronounced differently due to variations in dialect. After the suppression of the Patriarchate and Sanhedrin by Theodosius II in 425, there

4704-599: The Mirrer Yeshiva (in Brooklyn and Jerusalem ), do not have an official "semichah/rabbinical program" to train rabbis, but provide semichah on an "as needed" basis if and when one of their senior students is offered a rabbinical position but only with the approval of their rosh yeshivas . Haredim will often prefer using Hebrew names for rabbinic titles based on older traditions, such as: Rav (denoting "rabbi"), HaRav ("the rabbi"), Moreinu HaRav ("our teacher

4800-536: The Modern Orthodox community, many rabbis still mainly deal with teaching and questions of Jewish law, but many are increasingly dealing with these same pastoral functions. Traditionally, rabbis have never been an intermediary between God and humans. This idea was traditionally considered outside the bounds of Jewish theology . Unlike spiritual leaders in many other faiths, they are not considered to be imbued with special powers or abilities. Rabbis serve

4896-636: The Torah as a spade for digging," and this was understood to mean never to use one's Torah knowledge for an inappropriate purpose, such as earning a fee. Still, as honored members of the community, Torah sages were allowed a series of privileges and exemptions that alleviated their financial burdens somewhat. These included such things as tax exemption from communal levies, marketplace priority (first in, first out regarding their trade), receiving personal services from their students ( shimush talmedei hakhamim ), silent business partnerships with wealthy merchants, and

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4992-465: The authority of the rabbi they have chosen. Such a rabbinic leader is sometimes called the "Master of the Locale" ( mara d'atra ). Jewish individuals may acknowledge the authority of others but will defer legal decisions to the mara d'atra . The rabbi derives authority from achievements within a meritocratic system. Rabbis' authority is neither nominal nor spiritual—it is based on credentials. Typically

5088-516: The building preserved key architectural features, including the Manueline -style portal and the original cloister, while incorporating modern amenities The Church of Santiago in Belmonte is home to notable artistic and architectural features, including a polychrome granite Pietà and murals from at least two different periods. Among the remains, there are traces of a triptych depicting figures such as Nossa Senhora (Our Lady), São Tiago ( James

5184-437: The castle but also all rents, rights, and privileges tied to the town. In 1466, King Afonso V granted Fernão Cabral the hereditary title of alcaide-mor (chief mayor), which included not only the castle but also all rents, rights, and privileges associated with the town. Fernão Cabral transformed the castle into a fortified manor, where his son, Pedro Álvares Cabral , spent his early years. The Cabral family's legacy continued with

5280-407: The community on this: On the Jewish holidays, the men would go out into the street to avoid arousing suspicion. But it was up to us – the women who stayed inside the house – to take care of everything. We sang and we recited the prayers only after putting the young children to sleep. If they had heard us saying the prayers, they might have unintentionally repeated what they heard at home when out into

5376-541: The community, which now numbers 160–180. They opened a Jewish Museum of Belmonte ( Portuguese : Museu Judaico de Belmonte ) on 17 April 2005. In the summer of 2006, the American Sephardi Federation ceased to have the Belmonte Project under its auspices. Administratively, the municipality is divided into 4 civil parishes ( freguesias ): Catholicism has played a significant role in shaping Belmonte's cultural identity, particularly through

5472-459: The community. A Jewish Museum of Belmonte opened on April 17, 2005; the museum underwent a renovation in 2016 and reopened in 2017. In 2006, the American Sephardi Federation no longer houses the Belmonte Project, as it considers Belmonte's tradition of crypto-Judaism unique. The Daily Telegraph included the Jewish museum of Belmonte as part of its list of top 50 small museums in Europe. In 2019,

5568-406: The community. However, Hasidic communities do not have a mere rabbi: they have a Rebbe , who plays a similar role but is thought to have a special connection to God. The Rebbes' authority, then, is based on a spiritual connection to God and so they are venerated in a different way from rabbis. According to the Talmud, it is a commandment ( mitzvah ) to honor a rabbi and a Torah scholar, along with

5664-609: The completion of a learning program in a yeshiva or modern rabbinical seminary or under the guidance of an individual rabbi. The exact course of study varies by denomination, but most are in the range of 3–6 years. The programs all include study of Talmud, the codes of Jewish law and responsa to a greater or lesser extent, depending on the branch of Judaism. In addition to rabbinical literature, modern seminaries offer courses in pastoral subjects such as counseling, education, comparative religion and delivering sermons. Most rabbinical students will complete their studies in their mid-20s. There

5760-510: The completion of a program in the codes of Jewish law and responsa in keeping with Jewish tradition. In addition to knowledge and mastery of the study of Talmud and halakhah , Conservative semikhah also requires that its rabbinical students receive intensive training in Tanakh , classical biblical commentaries, biblical criticism , Midrash , Kabbalah and Hasidut , the historical development of Judaism from antiquity to modernity, Jewish ethics,

5856-512: The completion of an undergraduate university degree. In accordance with national collegiate accreditation requirements, Conservative rabbinical students earn a Master of Arts in Rabbinic Literature in addition to receiving ordination. See List of rabbinical schools § Conservative In Reform Judaism rabbinic studies are mandated in pastoral care, the historical development of Judaism, academic biblical criticism, in addition to

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5952-552: The construction of the Church of Santiago. Following the disruptions of the Fernandine Wars and the 1383–1385 interregnum , which left Belmonte's castle in a state of disrepair, King João I granted control of the castle to Álvaro Gil Cabral in 1397, a position later passed to his son, Luís Álvares Cabral. In 1466, King Afonso V gave the hereditary title of alcaide-mor (chief mayor) to Fernão Cabral, including not only

6048-479: The creation of a family pantheon adjacent to the Church of Santiago, which was under construction by 1483 and later renovated by Francisco Cabral in 1630. In 1527, Belmonte had the second-highest population density in the Castelo Branco district and was a rural community primarily reliant on livestock and agriculture. On 1 June 1510, King Manuel I renewed Belmonte’s foral . In the 16th century, following

6144-470: The elderly, as it is written in Leviticus 19:32, "Rise up before the elderly, and honor the aged." One should stand in their presence and address them with respect. Kohanim (priests) are required to honor rabbis and Torah scholars like the general public. However, if one is more learned than the rabbi or the scholar there is no need to stand. The spouse of a Torah scholar must also be shown deference. It

6240-504: The elementary school or yeshivah, publishing books, arbitrating civil litigations, or even serving as a matchmaker. With the formation of rabbinical seminaries starting in the nineteenth century, the rabbinate experienced a degree of professionalization that is still underway. At the present time, an ordained graduate of a rabbinical seminary that is affiliated with one of the modern branches of Judaism, Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, or modern Orthodox, will find employment—whether as

6336-567: The emergence of Karaism , Jews who still followed the Talmudic traditions became known as "rabbanites". Initially communities might have a religious judge appointed by the central geonate , often possessing a certification known as pitka dedayanuta or bearing the title chaver (short for chaver besanhedrin hagedolah , used in Israel) or aluf (used in Babylonia). By the 11th century, as

6432-436: The fact that besides the reliquary, there is no written evidence of Belmonte's Jewish community before or after 1297 means it cannot be confirmed whether the continuous presence of crypto-Jews was maintained or severed at some point(s). According to Antonieta Garcia, the wife of the former Mayor of Belmonte and who grew up as marrano in the 20th century, though, the existence of Inquisition dossiers against residents of Belmonte in

6528-465: The geonate weakened it was common for Jewish communities to elect a local spiritual authority. In the 11th–12th century, some local rabbinic authorities in Spain received formal certification known as ketav masmich or ketav minui in preparation for their leadership role. Maimonides ruled that every congregation is obliged to appoint a preacher and scholar to admonish the community and teach Torah, and

6624-427: The goal of becoming rabbis or holding any official positions. The curriculum for obtaining ordination as rabbis for Haredi scholars is the same as described above for all Orthodox students wishing to obtain the official title of "Rabbi" and to be recognized as such. Within the Hasidic world, the positions of spiritual leadership are dynastically transmitted within established families, usually from fathers to sons, while

6720-473: The halakhic methodology of Conservative responsa , classical and modern works of Jewish theology and philosophy, synagogue administration, pastoral care , chaplaincy , non-profit management, and navigating the modern world in a Jewish context. Entrance requirements to Conservative rabbinical study centers include a background within Jewish law and liturgy, familiarity with rabbinic literature , Talmud, etc., ritual observance according to Conservative halakha, and

6816-406: The ideal. But circumstances had changed. Jewish communities required full-time rabbis, and the rabbis themselves preferred to spend their days studying and teaching Torah rather than working at a secular trade. By the fifteenth century it was the norm for Jewish communities to compensate their rabbis, although the rabbi's contract might well refer to a "suspension fee" ( sekhar battalah ) rather than

6912-897: The large Jewish denominations; these are the Academy for Jewish Religion in New York City, AJR in California , ALEPH Ordination Program, the Jewish Renewal Seminary online, Hebrew College in Boston, and Hebrew Seminary in Illinois . The structure and curricula here are largely as at other non-Orthodox yeshivot. More recently established are several non-traditional, and nondenominational (also called "transdenominational" or "postdenominational") seminaries. These grant semicha with lesser requirements re time, and with

7008-535: The legitimacy or authority of rabbis in another. As a general rule within Orthodoxy and among some in the Conservative movement, rabbis are reluctant to accept the authority of other rabbis whose Halakhic standards are not as strict as their own. In some cases, this leads to an outright rejection of even the legitimacy of other rabbis; in others, the more lenient rabbi may be recognized as a spiritual leader of

7104-506: The mayor of the town, whilst his parents, José Nepomuceno Afonso dos Santos, a magistrate, and Maria das Dores Dantas Cerqueira, a primary school teacher, were living and working in Mozambique . Belmonte is twinned with: This Castelo Branco location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Rabbi A rabbi ( / ˈ r æ b aɪ / ; Hebrew : רַבִּי ‎ , romanized :  rabbī )

7200-648: The mountains around Belmonte, such as the Castro of Chandeirinha in the mountain range of Senhora da Esperança. During the Roman era, Belmonte’s mineral and agricultural wealth attracted settlers. They established roads to Belmonte and constructed sites like Quinta da Fornea in the parish of Belmonte and the monumental Centum Cellas in Colmeal da Torre. Belmonte was established as a municipality in 1199, when it received its first charter ( foral ) from King Sancho I and

7296-514: The older members of the community. António de Oliveira Salazar's rise to power caused the Portuguese Jewish community to retreat from public displays of their faith. However, many of Belmonte's crypto-Jews who had come out as Jewish continued to differentiate themselves from their Catholic neighbors, avoiding the performance of public Catholic ceremonies, and meticulously cleaning their houses on Friday. Garcia interviewed one woman from

7392-657: The other marrano families of Belmonte, but to gain their trust, Schwarz had to prove he was a fellow Jew. Following this, Schwarz would go onto study the Jewish community of Belmonte for eight more years, before publishing a book on them in 1925, titled "The New Christians in Portugal in the Twentieth Century." He observed that they did not practice circumcision, kept Sabbath candles submerged in clay jars, and constructed sausages out of flour and chicken called Alheira , before they were hung up on windows to prevent arousing suspicion from local authorities. In Portugal, it

7488-525: The priesthood, the focus of scholarly and spiritual leadership within the Jewish people shifted to the sages of the Men of the Great Assembly ( Anshe Knesset HaGedolah ). This assembly was composed of the earliest group of "rabbis" in the more modern sense of the word, in large part because they began the formulation and explication of what became known as Judaism's " Oral Law " ( Torah SheBe'al Peh ). This

7584-513: The program is effectively post-graduate , comprising two years on average, following at least four years' yeshiva study. In achieving semikhah , rabbinical students work to gain knowledge in specific and relevant Talmudic sugyas , and their development in the Rishonim and Acharonim (early and late medieval commentators), leading to their application in Halakha —particularly as traced by

7680-547: The rabbi in some respects became increasingly similar to the duties of other clergy, like the Protestant Christian minister , and the title " pulpit rabbis" appeared to describe this phenomenon. Sermons , pastoral counseling, representing the community to the outside, all increased in importance. Non-Orthodox rabbis, on a day-to-day business basis, now spend more time on these functions than they do teaching or answering questions on Jewish law and philosophy. Within

7776-400: The rabbi receives an institutional stamp of approval. It is this authority that allows them to engage in the halakhic process and make legal prescriptions. The same pattern is true within broader communities, ranging from Hasidic communities to rabbinical or congregational organizations: there will be a formal or de facto structure of rabbinic authority that is responsible for the members of

7872-659: The rabbi"), Moreinu ("our teacher"), Moreinu VeRabeinu HaRav ("our teacher and our rabbi/master the rabbi"), Moreinu VeRabeinu ("our teacher and our rabbi/master"), Rosh yeshiva ("[the] head [of the] yeshiva"), Rosh HaYeshiva ("head [of] the yeshiva"), "Mashgiach" (for Mashgiach ruchani ) ("spiritual supervisor/guide"), Mora DeAsra ("teacher/decisor" [of] the/this place"), HaGaon ("the genius"), Rebbe ("[our/my] rabbi"), HaTzadik ("the righteous/saintly"), "ADMOR" ("Adoneinu Moreinu VeRabeinu") ("our master, our teacher and our rabbi/master") or often just plain Reb which

7968-471: The social institution he describes is the germ of the modern congregational rabbinate. Until the Black Death , Ashkenazi communities typically made religious decisions by consensus of scholars on a council, rather than the decision of a single authority. In the 14th century, the concept arose of a single person who served as religious authority for particular area (the mara de'atra ). Formal ordination

8064-457: The statue of Nossa Senhora da Esperança (Our Lady of Hope). This statue, which accompanied Pedro Álvares Cabral on his voyage to Brazil , was placed by him in a chapel on his estate upon his return. In 1563, with the founding of the Convento de Nossa Senhora da Boa Esperança (Convent of Our Lady of Hope), the statue was moved there, where it remained until 1834. Afterward, it was transferred to

8160-597: The street. Only after they were mature... [for example when they began] to keep all the fasts, did we include them in our ceremony. Not only that: when we didn't come to church for mass, and other people bothered us because of that in school, we were trained to say that we had heard mass on the radio, or on television. On 1974, April 25, the Carnation Revolution marked the end of the Salazar regime, leading to more openness in Portuguese society. Correspondingly,

8256-455: The study of traditional rabbinic texts. Rabbinical students also are required to gain practical rabbinic experience by working at a congregation as a rabbinic intern during each year of study from year one onwards. All Reform seminaries ordain women and openly LGBT people as rabbis and cantors . See List of rabbinical schools § Reform There are several possibilities for receiving rabbinic ordination in addition to seminaries maintained by

8352-405: The system became adopted by them too. A dramatic change in rabbinic functions occurred with Jewish emancipation . Tasks that were once the primary focus for rabbis, such as settling disputes by presiding over a Jewish court, became less prominent, while other tasks that were secondary, like delivering sermons, increased in importance. In 19th-century Germany and the United States, the duties of

8448-493: The title "rabbi" or "rabban" was first used after 70 CE to refer to Yochanan ben Zakkai and his students, and references in rabbinic texts and the New Testament to rabbis earlier in the 1st century are anachronisms or retroactive honorifics. Other scholars believe that the term "rabbi" was a well-known informal title by the beginning of the first century CE, and thus that the Jewish and Christian references to rabbis reflect

8544-584: The titles in fact used in this period. The governments of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah were based on a system that included the Jewish kings , the Jewish prophets, the legal authority of the high court of Jerusalem, the Great Sanhedrin , and the ritual authority of the priesthood . Members of the Sanhedrin had to receive their ordination ( semicha ) in an uninterrupted line of transmission from Moses , yet rather than being referred to as rabbis they were called priests or scribes, like Ezra, who

8640-501: The various Jewish denominations , there are different requirements for rabbinic ordination and differences in opinion regarding who is recognized as a rabbi. Non-Orthodox movements (i.e., the Conservative , Reform , Reconstructionist , and Renewal movements) have chosen to do so for what they view as halakhic reasons (Conservative Judaism) as well as ethical reasons (Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism). The word comes from

8736-435: Was a common practice to hang up chouriços to dry, which were made of pork - a meat that Jewish people don't eat. They also didn't have rabbis, and religious ceremonies were conducted at home by the women of the family. According to Garcia, Schwarz's arrival and the generally more lax atmosphere of Portugal at the time triggered a period of openness among the community, no longer as afraid to hide their faith. The revelation of

8832-579: Was eventually encoded and codified within the Mishnah and Talmud and subsequent rabbinical scholarship, leading to what is known as Rabbinic Judaism . The traditional explanation is that from the 1st to 5th centuries, the title "Rabbi" was given to those sages of the Land of Israel who received formal ordination ( semicha ), while the lesser title "Rav" was given to sages who taught in the Babylonian academies , as ordination could not be performed outside

8928-404: Was first used in the first century CE. In more recent centuries, the duties of a rabbi became increasingly influenced by the duties of the Protestant Christian minister , hence the title " pulpit rabbis", and in 19th-century Germany and the United States rabbinic activities including sermons , pastoral counseling, and representing the community to the outside, all increased in importance. Within

9024-423: Was no more formal ordination in the strict sense. A recognised scholar could be called Rav or Hacham , like the Babylonian sages. The transmission of learning from master to disciple remained of tremendous importance, but there was no formal rabbinic qualification as such. In the early Middle Ages "rabbi" was not a formal title, but was used as a term of respect for Jews of great scholarship and reputation. After

9120-410: Was re-established with the founding of a synagogue in 1996. The Belmonte Jewish Museum , opened in 2005, chronicles this remarkable history. Archaeological findings indicate that Belmonte’s lands have been occupied since prehistoric times, with notable megalithic sites in the parishes of Inguias and Caria dating back approximately 6,000 years. Ancient fortified settlements ( castros ) existed in

9216-635: Was transmitted without interruption from Moses to Joshua, to the elders, to the prophets, to the men of the Great Assembly , to the Zugot , to the Tannaim . The chain of semikhah was probably lost in the 4th or 5th century, though possibly as late as the 12th century. According to Maimonides (12th century), if it were possible to gather the greatest sages of the generation, a reconstituted court could confer classic semikhah or ordination. Since then,

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