by Mark Gambill
As part of my job in the grocery business, I am developing a full-line kosher grocery store in Evanston, Illinois. While we have smaller kosher offerings in almost all our stores, Evanston will be the biggest kosher grocery in our portfolio. The largest concentration of Jews in the U.S. is in New York City, where over half of the Jewish population lives. Evanston, home of Northwestern University, is the second largest Jewish community in our country.
There are several sects of Judaism; the primary ones are Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform. The most traditional branch is Orthodox, adhering strictly to Jewish law (halakha) and maintaining traditional practices, and when catering to that community, it is imperative that we adhere to the most uncompromising standards.
Jewish customers (and in fact, many so-called Gentile customers, because of the rigorous quality requirements) look for certified kosher products with a kosher certification symbol (hechsher) and separate meat, dairy, and pareve (containing neither meat nor dairy) symbols, utensils, and food storage areas. In the Old Testament Law, in the book of Leviticus, there were numerous forbidden practices, in particular, the types of foods that could be eaten (see Leviticus 11).
Kosher is a biblical term that means “fit” or “proper.” Its most common usage is to denote the types of foods one is permitted to eat according to Jewish law. Over time, it has been incorporated into daily vernacular to mean that something is genuine, legitimate, or official.
In kosher groceries, there are rabbis assigned to supervise all food preparation processes, and it is necessary for those who observe kosher to require kosher certification from an accredited rabbinic organization. When a rabbi visits a kosher facility, he is ensuring that the ingredients and methods used in the facility and the items produced there meet and exceed kosher requirements. Often, given the size of some kosher operations, there are several rabbis involved in the process of production.
Modern-Day Rabbis and Rabbi Jesus
As we develop the kosher grocery, I have had the privilege to collaborate with several rabbis. My main contact has been Yakov, an Orthodox rabbi, who is an employee of our company. He runs our kosher operations after serving as a chaplain in the Army and being on staff with a large Jewish temple. He has helped me understand and adhere to the criteria necessary to meet the kosher standards. As I have dealt with the rabbinical community, my admiration for their adherence to their traditions and Scripture has grown.
Presently, we are getting our stores geared up for Passover by bringing in huge shipments of kosher goods. We just had a “Purim” sale in our stores. This is the holiday in which Jewish people celebrate their deliverance from a royal decree of annihilation in ancient Persia. The celebrations include the wearing of costumes, gift giving, the reading of the book of Esther, and of course—feasting!
I told my rabbi friend Yakov that my Bible has two testaments, and he acknowledged that while the Old Testament was the book of the Jews, he knew that a lot of the New Testament drew from the Old and its historical contexts and prophesies. We have had some interesting conversations about my rabbi, Jesus.
To become a rabbi was and is a very complicated process. Calling Jesus “rabbi” is a loaded term. Jesus had no official status with the Pharisees, as did the apostle Paul. He was a teacher of things that concerned the Law, but with no official recognition as a rabbi by the Sanhedrin—the supreme council and tribunal of the Jewish people during Jesus’ day.
The term “rabbi” (and its Aramaic equivalent, rabbouni) was used in the Gospels to address Jesus, signifying a teacher or master. “Rabbi” is a title that students used to address their teachers, and Jesus was a teacher of the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) and Jewish traditions, engaging in teaching and debating within synagogues and with the Pharisees. Jesus was called “rabbi” as a sign of respect for his knowledge and teaching.
The conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount confirms the special status of Jesus as not only rabbi but also prophet. “And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes” (Matthew 7:28, 29, ESV). The Gospels record that Jesus was called “rabbi” on sixteen different occasions. To find out more about the process of how a rabbi called his disciples to follow his teaching, I would encourage you to check out last Sunday’s teaching at my church by our story pastor Dale Reeves.
Walking Closely with Rabbi Jesus
We get a picture of Jesus’ future as a rabbi from Luke the physician. In Luke 2:41-51, Luke describes Jesus’ visit to the temple in Jerusalem at the young age of twelve years old. For three days, Jesus sat among the teachers, rabbis, doctors of religion, and professional clergy, listening and asking them questions.
Every rabbinical student enrolled in a school that was named after the rabbi they were learning from. For example, before he was Paul the apostle, Saul sat at the feet of Rabbi Gamaliel (see Acts 22:3). Rabbis chose students based on their ability to carry on their unique teachings. When they graduated, they would establish their own schools, call their own disciples, and hand down the same teachings they learned to the next generation. Students did not come up with their own ideas; rather they quoted the specific rabbis they followed.
Jesus was not a rabbi in the traditional sense, since he had no formal rabbinical training. Scripture does not mention the school he attended, nor does it mention which rabbi he trained under. Not once does he say, “According to Rabbi so and so . . . .” This is why the teachers of the law asked him several times where he got his teaching, and who given him the authority to say and do the things he did. John writes in his Gospel, “Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. The Jews there were amazed and asked, ‘How did this man get such learning without having been taught?’ Jesus answered, ‘My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me’” (John 7:14-16, NIV).
Rabbi Jesus was actually God the Father. He did not need to study under a rabbi, because he was trained by the ultimate rabbi. I like what author and blogger Peter DeHaan says about Jesus as our rabbi: “Jesus, of course, is worthy of our respect if we call him Rabbi or teacher. He alone is our Rabbi. We can also use other labels such as Savior, Redeemer, and Healer. We can even call him friend, because that’s how he views us” (see John 15:15).
If Jesus is your rabbi, how does that affect your daily life? As you study Scripture, what insights do you gain from the understanding that Jesus is your teacher? What difference does it make in how you live today? In Jesus’ time, disciples were known for walking behind their rabbi, following him so closely that they would literally be covered with the dust kicked up from his sandals. The disciples wanted to imitate the actions of their rabbi so much that they followed him as closely as they possibly could.
Is Jesus your rabbi? If you are a follower of Christ, are you “covered in his dust”? Do you strive to imitate his actions in your daily choices? What concrete steps are you taking to draw so close to him that people can feel Jesus’ dust on you when you interact with them? He says to you today, “I choose you. Follow me.”
With over 35 years of business experience, Mark Gambill runs the East Region Real Estate Division for Albertsons; has three post-graduate degrees; has taught for over 30 years at various universities; and has been a member of Christ’s Church for over 25 years. He and his wife Karen have two sons, John and Matt, and three dogs, Winnie, Lia, and Tater.