RICHARD RHEINS

Notes

1. For example, cf. Encyclopedia Judaica ,"Rabbi, Rabbinate,” written by the editors, vol. XIII, pp. 1446-1447.“The office of rabbi was originally an honorary one on the nL that the Torah had to be taught free of charge. It was not until the 14th cent that there is the first clear evidence of a rabbi receiving emoluments.” The reference isto Rabbi Simeon ben Zemah Duran (Rashbaz). The Rashbaz, however, maintained that he was not the first professional rabbi and that “it was our custom throughout all Jewish communities and iany gesierations to ive a salary to our scholars”.(Responsum#142). He traces The halakhic support or the professional rabbinate to the Talmud . Also, see the responsum by Solomon oh vd American Reform Responsa, ed. Walter Jacob , New York , 1983, pp. 523­527.

2. Ephraim Urbach , The Sages, Cambridge, 1987, p. 601.

3. The title“rabbi” was not used by the earliest Jewish sages. Originally, it was accorded only to those who had received semikhah. The Ba ylonian scholars used the term"Rav.” Since a rabbi was called upon to decide ritual and monetary cases he was also given the title"Dayyan”(i.e.,"Judge”). Sephardic Jews used the title"Hakham”(“Sage”) instead of“rabbi.”

For a good review of the various titles used by Jewish scholars see The Jewish Encyclopedia ("Rabbi, ” p. 294), which also provides the text of Sherira Gaon 's letter to Jacob ben Nissim with regard to the various titles that were used in different times and areas.

In order to avoid confusion, I will use the term“rabbi” in reference to both Sephardic and Ashkenazic scholars. Not infre uently, I will refer to rabbis simply as scholars. It is important to note that, for the most part, the various terms are interchangeably used throughout the rabbinic literature.

4. There are some scholars who have stricter definitions of the professional rabbinate. Dr. Irving Agus, for example, defines the professional rabbinate as involving these major issues: 1) payment and privileges; 2) unquestioned authority in his locality(i.e., the community would only address questions to their rabbi, the"Rav ha-ir"); and 3) exclusive authority in’his locality(i.e., no other rabbi could come and contradict his rulings). See, I. Agus, Urban Civilization in Pre-Crusade Europe, New York , 1965, volume II, pp. 486-488. Of course, Agus' definition is much too narrow; it fits only the exception and not the normative realities of the rabbinate.

5. The translations in this paper are based on the Soncino editions. Words in brackets are my own explanatory notes. Words in parenthesis provide the English or Hebrew equivalent of the previous word.