Rabbinic School Preparation

How to Prepare for Rabbinical School

Preparing to become a rabbinical student means committing to an awareness of Jewish traditions and practices. Rabbinical students enter Hebrew Seminary with varying levels of mastery of Jewish studies subjects and different Jewish practices. Nonetheless, all prospective students can benefit from increased reading of Jewish texts and increased participation in Jewish communal life.

Prospective rabbinical students seeking an entryway into Jewish study and Jewish living should consider some of the following options:

Study Hebrew

Hebrew is the most important language to know to master the Torah, the Hebrew Bible, and the majority of rabbinic writings–most of which are written in Hebrew. Many free and low-cost apps and websites help students learn Hebrew on their phones and other electronic devices. Hebrew Seminary regularly offers beginner-level Hebrew classes, for which prospective students can consider registering.

Keep Up with the Torah

Every week, Jews around the world read a weekly parashah (“portion”) of the Torah. HebCal is among many websites that share what excerpts of the Torah Jews will read around the world each week. Multiple English translations of the Torah reading appear side-by-side with the traditional Hebrew text of the Torah reading on the Sefaria website. The Brown-Driver-Briggs dictionary is one excellent dictionary that can be searched online to understand the unique Hebrew in the Hebrew Bible. 

Read Rabbinic Literature

Although the Torah is central to the Jewish tradition, Judaism is a religion rooted in the discoveries and the relationships that rabbis and other Jewish sages forged when they studied the Torah. Becoming a rabbi means becoming acquainted with how rabbis like Rashi and other biblical commentators reread the Torah and how rabbinic texts like the Mishnah developed new ideas about Jewish law. The Sefaria website includes links to commentators, including Rashi (whose work appears both in English and in Hebrew), on every verse of the Hebrew Bible. The website of Sefaria also includes the entire Mishnah in both Hebrew and English. Students may find the free, online, searchable version of the Jastrow dictionary to be a useful resource for rabbinic Hebrew. 

Join Jewish Events

Make time for attending services and participating in other events in the organized Jewish community. The most important part of rabbinic work is, ultimately, serving people.

Still need further ideas?

Please contact us if you are looking for other ways to deepen your connection to Judaism and Jewish knowledge as you prepare to become a rabbi.