Semikhah

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions | 1997 | 593 words | Copyright

Semikhah (Heb., ‘laying on’ (of hands)). The Jewish rite of ordination. In biblical times, leaders were ordained by the laying on of hands (e.g. Numbers 27. 22; 11. 16–17). Membership of the Great Sanhedrin required ordination, and it was agreed by the time of Judah ha-Nasi that religious decisions could only be made by those qualified ( B. Sanh. 5b). The formula for Semikhah was ‘Yoreh Yoreh. Yaddin Yaddin’ (‘May he decide? He may decide! May he judge? He may judge!’); and in the early days any ordained teacher could ordain his students.

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JOHN BOWKER. "Semikhah." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN BOWKER. "Semikhah." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Semikhah.html

JOHN BOWKER. "Semikhah." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Semikhah.html

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