Messianic Congregation Shema Yisrael Article Who is a Rabbi

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Who is a Rabbi?

by James Pyles

You probably think the answer to this question is easy. I did too for a long time until I started to think about it in the context of what we call "Messianic Judaism" or the "One Law Movement". I realized that just about every Messianic congregation I encountered had a leader who called himself (the only ones I've ever met were all men) "Rabbi". I know that in non-messianic or traditional Jewish circles, a Rabbi has attended an accredited Yeshiva, is fluent in Biblical Hebrew, well versed in the Talmud and many other subjects of study and has the equivalent of a Masters Degree in Theology. Is it possible that all these Messianic congregations I encountered had leaders of such an educational background?

The answer to that question would mean that there is at least one Messianic Yeshiva in existence to not only provide such an education to prospective Messianic congregational leaders but to act as the authoritative body which confers the formal ordination or "Shmicha". Before tackling that one, let's get back to basics. Who is a Rabbi?

In the time of the Tanakh, the Judges would have been the primary educational authorities however, Levitical Priests, members of the Sanhedrin, and any of the Prophets could also be considered belonging to this group. Part of the answer may lie in a teaching in the Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) portion of the Mishnah as follows.

He who learns from his fellowman a single chapter, a single halakha, a single verse, a single Torah statement, or even a single letter, must treat him with honor. For so we find with David King of Israel, who learned nothing from Ahitophel except two things, yet called him his teacher (in Hebrew: rabbo -- meaning his "rabbi"), his guide, his intimate, as it is said: 'You are a man of my measure, my guide, my intimate' (Psalms 55:14). One can derive from this the following: If David King of Israel who learned nothing from Ahitophel except for two things, called him his teacher (i.e. rabbo -- his "rabbi"), his guide, his intimate, one who learns from his fellowman a single chapter, a single halakha, a single verse, a single statement, or even a single letter, how much more must he treat him with honor. And honor is due only for Torah, as it is said: 'The wise shall inherit honor' (Proverbs 3:35), 'and the perfect shall inherit good' (Proverbs 28:10). And only Torah is truly good, as it is said: 'I have given you a good teaching, do not forsake My Torah' (Psalms 128:2). (Pirkei Avot 6:3)

Actually, the formal occupation of "Rabbi" didn't seem to exist in ancient times although members of the Sanhedrin did receive an ordination or Shmicha and were sometimes referred to as "Rab" or "Rabban" (only the President of the Sanhedrin was called "Rabban"). Members of the Sanhedrin could ordain others as teachers and these people were called "Ribbi".

In Yeshua's day, to become a Rabbi, you had to become a disciple of a great master and learn at his Yeshiva. Gamaliel was one such Rabban during Yeshua's Earthly lifetime. It is interesting to note that although the Gospels record that Yeshua was called Rabbi by his disciples, there is no indication that he ever studied at a Yeshiva. The Gospels do record people responding with amazement that Yeshua taught with his own authority. More traditional Rabbis of that era always referred to the authority of their master when they taught. Of course, Yeshua received his "Shmicha" from a much higher authority.

Considering the Biblical record and the modern requirements to become a Rabbi, it seems clear that a formal process of education, testing, and ordination was and is required for a person to be able to correctly call themselves by that title. Let's take a closer look at the modern requirements.

According to the Rabbinical Seminary International website, the person who is ordained as a Rabbi must have completed the following requirements:

Given the formal requirements, is there a body in the Messianic movement that can fill the bill? Perhaps there is. Both the Messianic Bible Institute and the International Federation of Messianic Jews operate Messianic Yeshivas and confer Shmichas to their graduates. I only know what I read about them online so I can't render an opinion on their qualifications based on experience. Also, I'm sure there are more Messianic Yeshivas in existance than my humble researches have discovered. Try not to assume at this point, that it is possible to make Messianic rabbis. There are still some barriers.

Probably the most profound roadblock is the general dismissal of Messianic Judaism as an authentic "Judaism" among the general and religious Jewish population. If a Messianic Rabbi found himself among a group of Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform Rabbis, he'd likely find that he would not be accepted as a peer. It would even be difficult for a Messianic Rabbi to be accepted on the same par as an ordained Pastor or Minister in the Christian church. The later would be because the education of the "Rabbi" would be in question. The authoritative bodies that ordain Pastors and Rabbis have long been established and accepted. Any Messianic Yeshiva would have to be a relatively new creation and questions of qualifications and accreditation would be raised.

Now let's say that a person did attend a traditional Yeshiva or Bible Seminary, completed the program successfully and was ordained. Could that person then establish a Messianic Congregation and call themselves Rabbi? Yes and no. The split second the Yeshiva discovered their recent graduate had declared that Yeshua (Jesus) is the Messiah, his Shmicha would be removed. I'm not quite sure how a Bible Seminary would react if one of their graduates adopted a Torah-based lifestyle, started wearing tzitzit and praying in Hebrew but it might also be a problem on that side of the equation.

Of course nothing would take the education away so on that basis, you could probably call this person a Rabbi. Problem is, I seriously doubt that any more than the tiniest fraction of those people calling themselves Messianic Rabbis have anywhere near the education I've been referencing.

So where does that leave us? First of all, I sincerely believe that there are people out there calling themselves "Rabbi" that don't even begin to meet the qualifications and who have conferred upon themselves that title simply because they are in a leadership position and teach each week from the Sidra. If these people need to refer to themselves by a title (and remember what Yeshua had to say on the subject: Matthew 23:6-12), they should pick one that is more consistent with their education and background. Probably the title "Gabbai" would be the closest fit since in traditional synagogues, this is a lay person who volunteers to perform some of the duties connected to the reading of the Torah on Shabbat.

If there are people out there who have successfully completed a program, Messianic or otherwise, that has given them the education identical or at least substantically similar to a modern Rabbi, they might marginally be able to use the title in their congregation. Education aside, I would still want the person's motivations to be clear regarding why the title is so important.

Of course, it's not always the congregational leader who decides that he's going to be called "Rabbi". Often congregations assume or on some emotional level, require that there leader use this title. Congregations without a Rabbi sometimes feel they are missing out on something or that they are less legitimate as a house of worship if their leader isn't a Rabbi.

Let's face it. The educational branch of the Messianic community is in its infancy. Our entire movement in fact is still quite fragmented and disjointed. Establishing and applying educational, theological and other standards on the Messianic movement as a whole is still somewhere in the future. We'll get there at some point I'm sure but we aren't there yet.

Do Messianic congregations need a Rabbi in order to be valid houses of prayer? In my opinion, no. The larger issue in my mind is not focused on one person in leadership but on the basis of faith, worship, and teaching in the congregation. It's more important to me that people of good faith and grounded in solid Biblical teachings gather together to study than what the congregational leader calls him or herself. Sure, it's desirable to have a Biblical scholar leading the congregation but someone like that isn't always readily available. Does that mean like-minded believers can never gather together to study and worship if they don't have a Rabbi? To paraphrase Paul, "Heck no"! What it does mean, at least to me, is that our focus needs to be on G-d, on the Messiah, and on His powerful Word and not so much wrapped up in who gets called what.

As a parting note, I didn't write this article to try and insult or offend anyone. I wrote it because I've been concerned that titles and authorities seem to have been granted a little too freely among our congregations. If we are supposed to be sources of truth and light, we need to start with ourselves. Moses lead three million people across the desert for forty years and spoke with G-d "face-to-face" and as far as I recall, no one called him anything but "Moses". With him as an example, I'd prefer to just call myself "Jim" and leave the titles to someone else.

Addendum: March 13, 2007

I left out something very important...maybe the most important part. I know a fellow who is a congregational leader in the Puget Sound area. He holds Masters degrees in both Theology and Divinity from recognized and accredited Bible Colleges. He and the others in leadership shepard a congregation of over 100 believers. This man is well schooled and published; a truly gifted scholar. By what title does this man go by? He and all the others in leadership call themselves "Overseers". That's it. It seems, at least in this case, the one person I know who comes closest to justly calling himself "Rabbi" does not use the name at all. I will never approach his level of wisdom or scholarship but I thank him for the example he gives us all as a student, teacher, leader and a man of humility.

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