What Does a Rabbi Need to Know?
Shalom Chaverim,
I was once asked “What do I need to know to be a Nazarene Rabbi?” And my answer was “Well, you really should know more than an Orthodox Rabbi.” The problem is, that’s a tall order. The level of education in an Orthodox Yeshiva is very high, where can you get that level of education in the Nazarene movement?
And remember I said, you really need to know MORE than an Orthodox Rabbi. In addition to the body of knowledge an Orthodox Rabbi must learn, a Nazarene Rabbi also needs to be educated in many other areas. Among these are: Textual Criticism, the Dead Sea Scrolls, A working knowledge of the so-called “New Testament” from a Nazarene Jewish perspective and more.
In the Messianic movement there a lot of people running around using the title “Rabbi” who have little if any of the knowledge they need to be a “Rabbi”. You would not want someone without a working knowledge of Neurology performing brain surgery on you, in fact you would probably want the most educated Neurologist you could get. Are not your spirit and soul of more value than your body? Yet in this movement “Frizzo the Snort King” can suddenly convert to the Nazarene movement and call himself “Rabbi ”. The title and office of “Rabbi” need to mean something in this movement, they need to convey that the person being called “Rabbi” is a scholar as well as a shepherd. (This is the point Yeshua was actually making in Matthew 23).
Now in a country with a freedom of religion (a freedom I personally cherish), I would not begin to suggest that we legally restrict the usage of the word “Rabbi”. But as the old saying goes, let the buyer beware. We at Beit Netzarim Yeshiva intend to set a new standard in education. We intend to provide a certificate of Rabbinate that will label its bearer as totally qualified by the highest standards to bear the title “Rabbi”.
One difficulty with Yeshiva certification in the past is that it requires a lot of work now, but takes years to pay off in the form of an actual degree and ordination. But now we have changed all of that. Applicants can get provisional certification now, while they complete the degree program.
Here is how it works: It’s kind of like a provisional driver’s license that a student driver gets, that allows them to drive under certain conditions. The applicant must meet the following criteria:
1. Have a sponsoring Rabbi as a mentor. Don’t worry, if you do not already have a mentor, we can set you up with one.
2. Have completed (and passed) The Davar Bible School Free Bible Correspondence course. This is a simple six lesson basic course in Nazarene Theology.
3. Make a personal commitment to complete the degree program within five years.
4. Pay a certification fee of $500 which may be broken into two monthly payments of $250
5. Complete an application and personal interview.
This program will help qualified applicants receive certification quickly, but without compromising our commitment to quality graduates.
Do NOT send any fees yet. We will notify you soon of where an how to send in the fees.
If you are interested in this program please fill out the application to our on-line Cyber Space campus at http://www.beitnetzarimyeshiva.ning.com
I was once asked “What do I need to know to be a Nazarene Rabbi?” And my answer was “Well, you really should know more than an Orthodox Rabbi.” The problem is, that’s a tall order. The level of education in an Orthodox Yeshiva is very high, where can you get that level of education in the Nazarene movement?
And remember I said, you really need to know MORE than an Orthodox Rabbi. In addition to the body of knowledge an Orthodox Rabbi must learn, a Nazarene Rabbi also needs to be educated in many other areas. Among these are: Textual Criticism, the Dead Sea Scrolls, A working knowledge of the so-called “New Testament” from a Nazarene Jewish perspective and more.
In the Messianic movement there a lot of people running around using the title “Rabbi” who have little if any of the knowledge they need to be a “Rabbi”. You would not want someone without a working knowledge of Neurology performing brain surgery on you, in fact you would probably want the most educated Neurologist you could get. Are not your spirit and soul of more value than your body? Yet in this movement “Frizzo the Snort King” can suddenly convert to the Nazarene movement and call himself “Rabbi ”. The title and office of “Rabbi” need to mean something in this movement, they need to convey that the person being called “Rabbi” is a scholar as well as a shepherd. (This is the point Yeshua was actually making in Matthew 23).
Now in a country with a freedom of religion (a freedom I personally cherish), I would not begin to suggest that we legally restrict the usage of the word “Rabbi”. But as the old saying goes, let the buyer beware. We at Beit Netzarim Yeshiva intend to set a new standard in education. We intend to provide a certificate of Rabbinate that will label its bearer as totally qualified by the highest standards to bear the title “Rabbi”.
One difficulty with Yeshiva certification in the past is that it requires a lot of work now, but takes years to pay off in the form of an actual degree and ordination. But now we have changed all of that. Applicants can get provisional certification now, while they complete the degree program.
Here is how it works: It’s kind of like a provisional driver’s license that a student driver gets, that allows them to drive under certain conditions. The applicant must meet the following criteria:
1. Have a sponsoring Rabbi as a mentor. Don’t worry, if you do not already have a mentor, we can set you up with one.
2. Have completed (and passed) The Davar Bible School Free Bible Correspondence course. This is a simple six lesson basic course in Nazarene Theology.
3. Make a personal commitment to complete the degree program within five years.
4. Pay a certification fee of $500 which may be broken into two monthly payments of $250
5. Complete an application and personal interview.
This program will help qualified applicants receive certification quickly, but without compromising our commitment to quality graduates.
Do NOT send any fees yet. We will notify you soon of where an how to send in the fees.
If you are interested in this program please fill out the application to our on-line Cyber Space campus at http://www.beitnetzarimyeshiva.ning.com
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