A rabbi (/ ˈræbaɪ / ⓘ; Hebrew: רַבִּי, romanized: rabbī, IPA: [ʁǝbːi]) is a Jewish preacher and religious leader in Judaism. [1][2] A person becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi — known as Semikhah — following a course of study of Jewish history and texts, including the Tanakh, Midrash, Mishnah, Tosefta, Talmud, Halakha, and rabbin...
In order to understand what “rabbi” means today, let’s take a look at the history of rabbinic ordination, or semicha. Although the title itself is a more recent development, the ordination of spiritual leaders began at the dawn of Jewish history.
What Is a Rabbi? - A Brief History of Rabbinic Ordination (Semicha)
Rabbi, in Judaism, a person qualified by academic studies of the Hebrew Bible and the Talmud to act as spiritual leader and religious teacher of a Jewish community or congregation.
Although a kohein can be a rabbi, a rabbi is not required to be a kohein. A rabbi is simply a teacher, a person sufficiently educated in halakhah (Jewish law) and tradition to instruct the community and to answer questions and resolve disputes regarding halakhah.
While one generally must be a rabbi to sit on a beit din, a panel that adjudicates Jewish legal disputes and that is present at a conversion, rabbis are not strictly required at other Jewish events.
What Does It Mean to Be a Rabbi? - My Jewish Learning
The purpose of a rabbi is like that of using a judge or a lawyer in civil matters to ensure that the law is complied with. This differs from the nonJewish concept of a minister having some necessary mystical connection with God that is required to make the ceremony valid.