Monday, 18 March 2013

Helpful Details On What Is Required To Be A Rabbi

By Celso Cukierkorn


Not everybody will understand the meaning of the word Rabbi. The word was coined from the Hebrew language to mean teacher, teacher of Torah. Torah is a general idea in the Jewish culture that narrates the history of Jews. They are normally taken to be religious leaders in Judaism. A person cannot just become a Rabbi, there are certain requirements to be met to attain the status.

T o attain this title, you have to practice the Jewish religion. But also, converts to Judaism from other religions are allowed once they complete the processes of conversion. The religion has a variety of branches, converts are required to familiarize with the practices of each branch before conversion. There are three different branches, Reform, Conservative and Orthodox.

Again, as a teacher, you will be required to instill knowledge to individuals. Then, excellent public speaking skills are necessary. To communicate clearly and effectively, good public speaking skills are required. Furthermore, dealing with the society also involves instances where we are required to solve conflicts, especially for religious leaders, and offer guidance. Therefore, great listening skills are a must.

We have different branches of Judaism. You should decide which branch you want to follow. Orthodox is the most ancient and sticks to the traditional methods and practice. It is important to note that orthodox do not ordain women. The conservatives appreciate the traditional ways but advocate for the adaptation of the modern methods of worship. On the other hand, The Reform branch originating from Europe. It calls for total liberation from Orthodoxy.

It is also important to have higher education. Normally, most Jewish seminaries will ask for a university degree. Education is a quality that will easily make a person to be successful leader. This is because people tend to have more confidence in people who are educated. Also, educated people always seem to be more insightful and knowledgeable as opposed to those who lack it.

In addition to this, seminaries will also call for candidates who have practiced a particular line of profession. Be it, teacher, pilot, doctor, nurse or any other. This will have given them enough time to think about their decision, normally, people take it as a calling from God. It is therefore important to take enough time to think about it as you experience life. Again, this allows you to scrutinize the masses and understand ways of dealing with them.

The most important and inevitable stage is the seminary education. One must complete a four to seven year program in the seminary school. Here, the religion curriculum is taught, normally Jewish history and the language of Hebrew. In addition, theology, psychology and communication skills are taught. At the end of the seminary education, you are considered a graduate of Hebrew letters.

To complete the process, you will need a congregation. You may start small, you can start as an assistant or a Chaplain in a school or collage. A Rabbi is normally independent, he/she is not answer to bishops of cardinals but to the congregation that he/she serves. Therefore, once you become one, you will enjoy full autonomy, hence patience is important. And that is the process that makes one a Rabbi.




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