קולטור

The Rabbi

In this lesson’s film, Nomi reads a story based on elements of Yiddish folklore. Set in a Jewish shtetl (town), a mother seeks the advice of her town’s rabbi, who then finds a humorous solution to her woes.

The rabbi’s advice in this episode is charming and playful; the figure of the rabbi historically, however, was that of an influential spiritual authority. A community would collectively select and employ a rabbi, whose main tasks were not only to give advice, but also to decide questions of what is and is not permitted according to Jewish law, and to judge cases of dispute between Jews of the community.

This role could only be fulfilled by a person with deep knowledge of halokhe (Jewish Law), and who had studied long enough to acquire smikhe: official ordination by an existing rabbinical authority. The post of the rabbi is thus one of the few “certified” positions in traditional Jewish society, a respected role in the society. A testament to this respect are the numerous Yiddish lullabies in which a mother expresses her wish that her infant son will one day grow up to be a rabbi!