How the Rabbis got their Power

Unlike almost every other major world religion, Judaism has absolutely no Pope—and the beautiful reason why is hidden deep in the Book of Leviticus. Rabbis today are "ordained." But the original system of rabbinic ordination—semikhah, the laying on of hands—collapsed almost 1,600 years ago. So how did rabbinic authority survive? In this episode of Madlik Disruptive Torah, Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz trace the surprising story of how a simple biblical gesture—placing hands on a sacrifice—became the foundation for Jewish leadership and authority. Key Takeaways Authority in Judaism started as a gesture, not an institution Rabbinic authority survives not because the chain held—but because it broke Judaism chose influence over control Timestamps [00:00] Hands and Authority [01:49] Leviticus Semikhah [05:26] Blessing and Transference [08:50] Two Hands Rule [11:40] Women and Semikhah [15:17] Sponsor Break [16:23] Communal Offerings [21:30] Joshua Commissioned [23:22] Chain of Tradition [25:13] Ordination Disrupted [29:14] No Pope in Judaism [30:53] Closing Reflections Links & Learnings Sign up for free and get more from our weekly newsletter Sefaria Source Sheet: Transcript here:

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How the Rabbis got their Power is an episode from Madlik Podcast – Torah Thoughts on Judaism From a Post-Orthodox Jew by Geoffrey Stern.

This episode is 32:07 long.

This episode was published on Mar 18, 2026.

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