rabbinic

Rabbinic is an adjective used to describe things related to rabbis and to Rabbinic Judaism, the stream of Jewish religious authority and practice that dominates Jewish life from late antiquity onward. It covers rabbinic literature, legal decisions, and leadership as distinct from biblical or temple-based traditions.

Origins: After the destruction of the Second Temple, Pharisaic and Tannaitic traditions were systematized by the early rabbis. The Mishnah, redacted by Judah ha-Nasi around 200 CE, codified oral law. The Gemara, formed in the academies of Babylonia and Palestine, completes the Talmud—the basis of Rabbinic law and discussion.

Practice and authority: Rabbinic authority rests on interpretation of written Torah and on oral law. Rabbis act as teachers, judges, and jurisconsults, issuing rulings called halakha. Jewish liturgy, prayer leadership, and sermonizing developed under rabbinic supervision; academies and later rabbinic courts shaped communal life.

Literature and genres: The core Rabbinic corpus includes the Mishnah, Gemara, and the Talmud. Later rabbinic literature includes midrash, codifications (Maimonides' Mishneh Torah; Shulchan Aruch), and responsa literature that address new questions.

Geographic and historical evolution: Rabbinic Judaism developed in the Land of Israel and Babylonia and spread through the diaspora. The Geonim, Rishonim, and Acharonim eras mark successive periods of rabbinic scholarship and legal development.

Modern usage: The term Rabbinic today denotes the religious leadership and jurisprudence of contemporary Jewish communities. Rabbinic ordination, or semikhah, and rabbinical education define the professional rabbi, with practices varying across Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and other movements.