Semicha
/səˈmiː.xə/noun
Jewish rabbinic ordination or authorization, traditionally associated with the laying on of hands.
Did you know?In biblical Hebrew, the related verb can describe physically leaning or placing a hand on something, while rabbinic tradition transformed that image into the transmission of legal authority.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*smk
“To support, uphold, or lean upon; a reconstructed Semitic root”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
סָמַךְ (sāmakh)
“To support, lean upon, or place a hand upon”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
סְמִיכָה (semikhah)
“Laying on of hands or the act of conferring authority”
Rabbinic Hebrew
Hebrew
סמיכה (semikhah)
“Ordination or authorization of a rabbinic judge or teacher”
Modern English
English
semicha
“An English transliteration referring chiefly to rabbinic ordination”