Rabbinical

Rabbinical is an English adjective meaning related to rabbis or the rabbinate, the office and authority of Jewish religious leaders. It is used to describe aspects of Jewish law, education, and leadership that arise from the rabbinic tradition rather than directly from the biblical text. The term derives from rabbi with the suffix -ical and has been in use in English since the early modern period.

In practice, rabbinical authority refers to the right or responsibility to interpret and decide Jewish law as exercised by recognized rabbis. Decisions may be issued as rulings (psak) or guidance through rabbinical courts (beit din) and through responsa literature. Rabbinical literature encompasses the corpus of rabbinic writings—from the Mishnah and Talmud to later commentaries, codes, and legal responsa—that interpret, extend, and apply biblical and rabbinic law.

The relationship between rabbinical and rabbinic is nuanced; rabbinical is commonly used to denote the office, authority, or formal aspects of the rabbinate, whereas rabbinic more often refers to the scholarly, doctrinal, and literary dimensions of the tradition. In contemporary usage, rabbinical can be applied to institutions such as rabbinical schools or seminaries that confer ordination (semicha) upon rabbis, as well as to descriptions of liturgy, ritual practices, or leadership roles associated with the rabbinate.

See also: Rabbinate, Rabbi, Rabbinic Judaism, Semicha, Halakha.