Semichah

Semichah (Rabbinical Ordination), which was given throughout the period of the Mishnah and Talmud, was stopped in the days of Hillel, who was from the last Nesi’im. It stems from the early stages of the Jewish Nation. Yehoshua Bin Nun, Moshe Rabbeinu’s student, was the first one to be ordained. Yehoshua was ordained when Hashem told Moshe (Bamidbar 27:18), “Take to yourself Yehoshua son of Nun, a man in whom there is spirit, and lean your hand upon him.” It also says (Devarim 34:9), “Yehoshua son of Nunwas filled with a spirit of wisdom, because Moshe had laid his hands upon him, so the Children of Israel obeyed him.” Apart from Yehoshua Bin Nun, another seventy elders were ordained by Moshe Rabbeinu, and they assisted him in governing the nation. Since the ordination of Yehoshua, the system of ordination has been transmitted from one person to another and from generation to generation. The objective of ordination is to qualify the student being ordained to ecide halachic rulings, as the Rambam says, “He is called Rabbi, and he is told that he is qualified and permitted to decide on penalties.” His job is to rule and guide the nation in the path that they must take, and which actions to take. Only one who was ordained was qualified to ordain others. As a result of the process of ordination, referred to as semichah, the Supreme Court of Am Yisrael was established, which was called the Sanhedrin. It was the place where cases were decided upon by judges who had received Rabbinical Ordination from another ordained Rabbi, belonging to the chain that led back to Moshe Rabbeinu, who was delegated by Hashem. Through the act of ordination, they were qualified to issue penalties and decide other matters. Those who were not ordained were unable to do this.

Semichah was only issued in Eretz Yisrael. Therefore, the title “Rabbi” is not given to the Amora’im from Bavel. They are referred to only as “Rav.” When a Rabbi was ordained, he wore special garments, and songs of praises were sung at the ordination.

The tradition of Rabbinical Ordination came to a halt in the days of Hillel II, who was the last of the Nesi’im to be ordained. Since then, because of the turbulent times that existed during Am Yisrael’s exile in foreign lands, their entire way of life was disrupted, and people did not seek the decisions of Torah as before.

After the revolution led by Bar Kochba, the Caesar, Hadrian, prohibited ordination of the elders, and issued the penalty of death upon those who were ordained, as well as those who conferred ordination upon others, and upon the entire city in which it was performed. We are all familiar with the execution of Rabbi Yehuda Ben Bava, who was killed because he ordained his students.

Around the time of Maran Beit Yosef, a group of Torah scholars, headed by Rabbi Yaakov Bi Rav, decided to renew the issuing of semichah. Their decision was based on the ruling of the Rambam, recorded in Perek 4 in Hilchot Sanhedrin, stating: “It seems to me that if all the Chachamim in Eretz Yisrael agree to appoint judges and ordain them, they shall be considered ordained, etc.”

Those who sided with the renewal of semichah did so based on the fact that almost all the Torah scholars were concentrated in Tzefat at that time. There were those who felt that this heralded the redemption. Rabbi Yaakov Bi Rav was the first one to grant Rabbinical Ordination, and through him and his students the semichah system spread in that generation.

Those who opposed his view, including the Chachamim of Yerushalayim, refused to recognize this semichah system. There are records of many discussions on the topic about the opposing viewpoints on semichah.