THE PROFESSIONALIZATION OF THE RABBINATE

Raba said:“A rabbinic scholar may declare, I will not pay the poll tax, for it is written:‘It shall not be lawful to impose mindah, belo, or halak upon them."® R. Judah then said: “mindah is the King's portion[of the crops]; belo is a head tax; and halak is arnona[possibly a produce tax, or a tax for the sustenance of marching troops].” Raba also said:“A rabbinical scholar may assert,'l am a servant of fire, and will not pay poll-tax."*!

The Persian government granted tax-exemptions to clergy in the Persian fire-cult. Therefore, Raba permitted rabbis to claim that they were fire-worshippers in order to avoid paying taxes!®* Of course, a rabbi would avoid the apparent heresy of claiming to be : fire-worshipper by thinking about the Lord as the“all consuming ire.”

The Talmud ® presents laws and customs dealing with the business issues of local monopolies and restraint of trade. The discussion therein established the principles that scholars were exempt from certain business prohibitions. It also confirmed the right of a community to reserve a special space in the market for a worthy scholar:

Rabbi Dimi from Nehardea brought a load of figs in a boat. The Exilarch said to Raba,“Go and see if he is a scholar, and if so, reserve the market for him.”*

Obviously, tax-exemptions and business advantages were desirable privileges that benefitted the early rabbinate. It is surprising that we do not find strong arguments against these benefits. Perhaps even those who opposed rabbinic benefits agreed that rabbis deserved the priestly prerogatives.®

C) Rabbinic salaries and fees

Let us now examine a tradition that is preserved in the

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