THE PROFESSIONALIZATION OF THE RABBINATE
“| have seen that many people are grumbling at the fact that it was our custom throughout all the Jewish communities and many generations to give a salary to our scholars...they(who complain) base their argument in the light of what was written by the Rambam .””*
Joseph Karo opposed Rambam 's opinion on the professional rabbinate. Karo summarized the reasons for rabbinic salaries in his Kesef Mishneh. We will review Karo 's analysis of the issue before drawing our final conclusions.
The Kesef Mishneh, by Joseph Karo (1488-1575), is an important commentary to Rambam 's Mishneh Torah. As we review the Kesef Mishneh to Hilkhot Talmud Torah 3.10, note that Karo focused primarily on Rambam 's earlier commentary to Mishnah Avot 1V.5. Karo began:
"In his comments to Mishnah Avot IV.5, our Rabbi (Rambam ) derides the support given to students and rabbis. [However,] it appears from his own comments that most of the great Torah scholars of his day, or even all of them, did[receive
support from their communities]".”
Karo proceeded to systematically analyze Rambam 's opposition to salaried rabbis. First, Karo dismissed Rambam 's Talmudic examples of sages who supported themselves with their occupations and not from their rabbinical positions:
"He(Rambam ) brings the example of Hillel the Elder ” who was both a wood chopper and still studied. But there is no proof from this example, for this was, of course, at the beginning of his studies and it was during a time when there were thousands
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