Rabbinic Judaism is a way of life of the Jewish community as described by the Rabbis. The six centuries after the destruction of the Jerusalem temple are referred to as the late antiquity period. During that period, Rabbinic Judaism was among the prominent religions in Israel and Babylonia. The religious leaders during that time wrote three documents that have fostered the understanding of Rabbinic Judaism namely the Mishnah and the two Talmuds (p. 7584). Other documents include commentaries on the books of the Law (Torah) as well as Siddur-the Jewish prayer book. The Torah contains the sacred teachings of Moses to the Jewish community and acts as the basis of Rabbinic Judaism.
Rabbinic Judaism stems from a religious myth that is based on the revelation of Moses on Mt. Sinai. They believe that the initial encounter of God with man occurred when God appeared to Moses on the mountain. The myth seeks to explain the relationship between God and the sages/rabbis as well as the significance of the Torah in Jewish religion. Central to the religion is the adherence to the teachings of Moses as documented in the Torah. The Rabbis study the Torah to get spiritual inference/revelation and so does God and the other heavenly beings. This gives a rabbi a ‘Godly’ position where he is able to rule both on earth and in heaven. Additionally, the rabbi has the ability and power to change the contents of the Torah since the Jews hold the belief that rabbis continue to receive more revelation because the Torah was God’s revelation to Moses.
Rabbinic Judaism upholds the belief in Messianism. However, the oldest religious Jewish books i.e. the Misnah and Talmuds did not bring out this issue clearly. The Torah was believed to be the means through which the Jewish community will attain the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecy as stipulated in the history of the Israelites as expressed in the Jewish prayer book (thesiddur). Several documents have been written to support the messianic hope for the salvation of the Israelites. This has been noted in the interpretations of different rabbis e.g Rabbah, a fourth-century rabbi (p. 7586).
As aforementioned, the Jewish books form the core of the Rabbinic Judaism. Although they are all alike, “it is difficult to trace the history of the ideas commonly shared by them” (p. 7585). However, the Misnah is slightly different form the other because it omits the recurrent references to the ‘Torah myth’ which is common in the other documents. In a chronological order, the Misnah comes first followed by the Talmuds. The sages of the late antiquity used the Misnah as the foundation of the two Talmuds. The order of the various religious leaders in the Jewish community e.g. priests and Levites is outlined in the Misnah. Unlike the other books, the Misnah does not have an historical overview of the development of the various beliefs held by the Jews. It is inclined to aspects that spell out the order in the community. The Talmuds sought to fill in the gaps that were left by the sages who wrote the Misnah as far as bringing out the beliefs and pillars of Rabbinic Judaism is concerned. The believers in Rabbinic Judaism revered the religious writings-books. They used them as a guide on how to conduct their everyday life e.g. how to avoid sin and how to raise their families. The books instilled holy discipline in the Jews. They defined the expected conduct of a Jew in different settings.
The most significant figure in rabbinic Judaism was the rabbi. He was the source of all authority for the Judaism faithful. He derived his power from the mastery of the content of the Torah. He was able not only to communicate with his followers but also with God, spirits and demons. The first Rabbi in the Jewish religion was Moses-he had the first revelation from God. He is also at the core of the Jewish teachings and is to be emulated by all rabbis i.e. they should be able to receive revelations from God as a way of increasing their faith as well as that of the whole community. This ability made his followers revere him. He could also communicate and control nature an aspect that enabled him to “bring rain or cause drought” (p. 7587). Of great importance in the propagation of the religion, every man was expected to be a rabbi. The rabbi had the responsibility of teaching other people about the Torah and what God expected of them. Rabbis were believed to be more powerful than the Torah since they had the power to add more to the law from their own revelation. The teachings about the Jewish religion have been passed to many generations by not only rabbis but also other religious leaders such as prophets.
Rabbinic Judaism is best understood under its primary institutions/structures i.e. the rabbi and the court school. As aforementioned, Rabbis had great power and influence to the people (Jews), nature and the heavenly beings. One of the beliefs of the Jews is that God and angels studied the Torah just as the Rabbis did an aspect that made the equals in all aspects e.g. righteous. This aspect gave them the first place within the Jewish community. Besides their mastery of the Torah, their Godly attributes gave them authority over theology. Consequently, they taught their disciples.
Judaic schools played a pivotal role in the passing of religious knowledge and power from the Rabbis to the disciples and to the rest of the Jewish community through the study of the Torah. The teachings of the Torah were done in classes and were regarded as sacred. The rabbis not only taught about the Torah but also helped the learners to reason out cases that required the application of the law. Philosophers as well as judges were also among the people who went to the Jewish schools to learn more about their religion-Rabbinic Judaism.
Despite their position in the Jewish community, the Rabbis led a simple life i.e. the life that an ordinary person would live. They freely interacted with the members of their community; they ate the same types of food; married and owned property. Unlike the case with other types of religions e.g. Christianity where religious leaders e.g. monks and nuns lived in segregated special places, Rabbis lived within the community. They allowed free access to the schools where they spend much of their time teaching about the Jewish religion. The difference between the ordinary Jew and the sages was that the latter spend much of their time mastering the Torah as well as teaching in the schools (p. 7588).
Other than their religious roles, Rabbis assisted in enhancing the well-being of the Jewish community in various ways. They helped in the promotion of public health; in helping the poor in the society and ensuring that every person had a shelter over their head. He played a pivotal role in controlling the market forces of supply and demand to prevent the exploitation of the poor besides ensuring that people met all their basic needs. He also had great influence on the politics of the Jewish people. He also helped in settling disputes between different parties an aspect that fostered peace and cohesion in the community.
REFERENCES
Neusner, J. (2011). Rabbinic Judaism in Late Antiquity. In L. Jones (Eds), Encyclopedia of Religion (7583-
7590). 2 (11). Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA.
