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1. Developments up until the 17th centuryThe original form of the Jewish congregation (Hebr. kehilla) dates back to the Second Temple (ca. 520 BCE) with the development of the synagogue as Jewish community institutions. The Jewish congregation was the point where religious and social life met, especially after the destruction of the Second Temple (70 CE). Each Jewish congregation maintained a synagogue and  mikveh (the bath for ritual immersion), but was also responsible for the (internal) administration of justice, care of the sick, school education for …

1. Concept and history prior to the early modern periodThe Hebrew term  rabbi (my master) is derived from the root  rav (great, many, important). Although it does not occur in the Hebrew Bible as a title or form of address, it does appear in Greek transliteration in the Gospels of the New Testament and in rabbinical literature (e.g. Mishna, Talmud; Judaic law). Following the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem (70 CE), the rabbis assumed spiritual leadership of Judaism as Torah teachers and judges. Palestinian scholars received the title of rabbi, while Babylonians were called ra…

1. DefinitionBoth Judaic law as a whole and individual legal norms are called halacha (plural,  halachot) under Judaism; the Aramaic substantive is not biblical, but rather first appears in the Tannaitic literature of the rabbis of the 1st–3rd centuries ce. According to general consensus, the term is derived from the Hebrew root hlk (“go”) and indicates the way a Jew should go. In the Torah, Moses is instructed as follows: “teach them the statutes and instructions and make known to them the way they are to go” (Exod 18:20). God further gives his people Israel his blessing when they walk in …