GoyĬonsidered to be an offensive term (and consequently avoided) by many today, the word “goy” literally means a nation. (Sadly, these rabbis could no longer enjoy the chain of unbroken ordination that went back to Moses.) Today, a rabbi today means that one is qualified to rule on Jewish law, answering questions and transmitting knowledge to a new generation of Jews. The term “rabbi” became popular in Medieval Europe, applied to learned teachers who led communities. (Jewish sages in exile in Babylonia used the related title of “ Rav” instead.) The Roman Empire banned the practice of ordaining rabbis in Israel, however, and though many sages resisted, it became more and more difficult to maintain the original, unbroken line of teacher-student ordination. For hundreds of years, “rabbi” referred to Jewish leaders who were ordained in the Land of Israel. “ Rabban” referred to the head of the Sanhedrin, or Jewish court, and the first sages to be called “rabbi” were the disciples of Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakai. Both words are related to the Hebrew word "rav" which means numerous or great, a reference to the copious knowledge of those who led Jewish courts and academies. It wasn’t until relatively recently, in the first century of the Common Era, that he terms “Rabbi” and “ Rabban” were used. This method of direct transfer of knowledge and authority continued unabated in the land of Israel for thousands of years in the early years, Jewish sages didn’t go by the title Rabbi. Jewish spiritual leadership was traditionally passed down from teacher to student: Moses, who received the Torah on Mount Sinai, taught his disciple Joshua, who taught it to the leaders of the Jewish people who came after him, etc. Repeating Rabbi Akiva’s famous toast reminds us to be cautious in our use of wine, using it for good and “for Life!” only.
The way we handle wine can elevate us or, God forbid, it can degrade us. The Talmud cautions that “wine goes in and secrets come out” (Eruvin 65). Rabbi Akiva’s toast reflects a deep truth about wine: it can be used both for good and for bad. At his son’s wedding, Rabbi Akiva toasted “Wine, and to Life to the mouths of the rabbis and the mouths of their students!” over every single cup of wine (Shabbat 67b). “ L’Chaim” means “To Life!” and it is a shortened form of a toast that Rabbi Akiva, the great First Century sage, made. Many cultures have traditional toasts over wine and other drinks “ L’Chaim,” the Jewish toast, is arguably the oldest. As she did so, she inadvertently killed a scorpion that was mean to bite her and changed her own destiny” (Shabbat 156a).īy wishing “Mazel Tov”, we’re wishing others the chance to grow, to rise above their own situations, and to create a “mazel tov”, a good situation, for themselves. Instead, she gave food to a poor beggar at her wedding. The Talmud discusses the example of Rabbi Akiva’s daughter who was destined, according to astrologers, to die on her wedding day. (“Tov” means good.)īut the fate of the Jewish people is not limited by “mazel.” The Talmud teaches that we each have the power to transcend our external circumstances and shape our own destiny if we try. “Mazel” is variously translated as luck, or a sign (the signs of the Zodiac in Hebrew area also called “ mazalot”), and it denotes something coming down to us from above. It’s often translated as the Jewish “congratulations,” but the actual meaning of “Mazel Tov” is much deeper. “Mazel tov” is a quintessential Jewish expression we wish Mazel Tov when someone gets engaged, at weddings, and to kids at their bar mitzvahs. (See Dictionary of the Targum, Talmud Bavli, Talmud Yerushalmi and Midrashic Literature by Marcus Jastrow, 19.) Mazel Tov
“ Vey” means woe in Aramaic, the language of the Talmud. “Oy” means “woe”, and it’s used to describe the horror that people and nations feel when threatened by their enemies. Little do we realize, we’re echoing a word that’s thousands of years old that is found in the Tanach. These days, we might exclaim “Oy!” when something doesn’t go our way.