Nasi (Hebrew title) facts for kids

Nasi (Hebrew: נָשִׂיא, romanized: nāśī) is an important title from Jewish history. It means "prince" in Biblical Hebrew. Later, in Mishnaic Hebrew, it meant "Prince of the Sanhedrin". The Sanhedrin was a very important Jewish council.

One famous person who held this title was Judah ha-Nasi. He was a key leader who helped put together the Mishnah, which is a collection of Jewish laws and teachings.

In Modern Hebrew today, the meaning of nasi has changed. It now means "president", like the president of a country.

What Nasi Means and How It Was Used

Early Uses in the Bible

The word nasi appears many times in the Hebrew Bible. It is usually translated as "prince" or sometimes "captain."

• The first time it's used is in the Book of Genesis. It talks about the twelve "princes" who would come from Ishmael (Genesis 17:20).
• Another early use in Genesis describes the Hittites calling Abraham "a godly prince" (נְשִׂיא אֱלֹהִים‎ nǝśi ʾǝlohim). This shows how much they respected him.

In the Book of Leviticus, the nasi is mentioned as a leader who makes a special offering if they make a mistake.

In the Book of Numbers, the leader of each of the twelve Israelite tribes is called a nasi. Each of these leaders brought gifts to the Tabernacle, which was a holy tent used for worship. Later, these nǝśiʾim (the plural form of nasi) were responsible for dividing the land among the tribes.

Later on, the title of nasi was even given to the Kings of Judah.

Nasi During the Second Temple Period

During the Second Temple period (around 530 BCE to 70 CE), the nasi was the top leader of the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was a very important council that made decisions and even acted as a court.

This position was created around 191 BCE. This happened because the Sanhedrin members felt that the High Priest of Israel was no longer the best person to lead them.

When the Roman Republic was powerful, they recognized the nasi as the leader of all Jews. The Romans even made all Jews pay a tax to support this important office.

After the Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE) and the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, the nasi in Palestine was similar to the exilarch in Mesopotamia. Both were important leaders for Jewish communities in different regions.

Nasi in the Late Roman Empire

After a big Jewish rebellion called the Bar Kokhba revolt, the role of the nasi as head of the court was brought back. This made the nasi a powerful figure respected by both Jews and Romans. Jewish communities in Mesopotamia (also called Babylonia) also looked up to the nasi.

The nasi was the main political leader for the Jewish people, representing them to the authorities. Religious leadership was handled by Torah scholars. The nasi also had the power to appoint or remove community leaders both inside and outside of Israel.

The Romans respected the nasi so much that they gave them extra land and allowed them to collect their own taxes. Also, under Jewish law, the nasi was the one who announced when an extra month (the thirteenth month, Adar Bet) needed to be added to the Hebrew calendar to keep it in sync with the seasons.

The last nasi of the Sanhedrin in Palestine was Gamaliel VI, who died in 425 CE. After his death, the Byzantine Empire changed the nasi tax into a regular imperial tax.

Nasi in the Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages, the term nasi was used for people who held high positions in Jewish communities. It also referred to Jews who were important figures in the courts of non-Jewish rulers.

For example, during the 8th century in the Frankish kingdom, the nasi were a very privileged group. The Jews of Narbonne helped Pepin the Short end Muslim rule over their city in 759 CE. Pepin rewarded the Jews with land and special rights, like having their own courts and religious freedom. The kings and the nasi had a close relationship for a long time.

Nasi in Yemen (17th-20th Centuries)

Among the Jews of Yemen, the title of nasi was given to a man from the richest and most respected family in the community. This position was not chosen by direct election. Usually, the nasi was also a scholar who knew a lot about the Torah, but this wasn't always required.

The nasi had many duties. They represented the community to the government and were in charge of collecting the yearly jizya (a tax paid by non-Muslims). They also helped settle disagreements between members of the community.

Chabad and the Nasi Title

Menachem Mendel Schneerson, a spiritual leader of Chabad (a Jewish movement), used the term nasi to refer to the spiritual leaders of Chabad. He especially used the term Nesi Hador (נשיא הדור‎; "prince of the generation") or Nesi doreinu (נשיא דורנו‎; "prince of our generation") for his father-in-law, Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn.

Nasi in Modern Hebrew

In Modern Hebrew, the word nasi means "president." It is no longer used in its old meaning of "prince." In Israel, nasi is the title for the President of Israel and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Israel.

If you want to say "prince" in modern Hebrew, you would use a different word, nasīkh (נָסִיך‎).

More recently, Adin Steinsaltz took the title nasi as part of an effort to bring back the Sanhedrin as the highest court in Judaism.

Important Nesi'im in History

During the Mishnaic period, many important leaders held the title of nasi. Here are some of them:

Here are the people who have served as President of Israel:

The Title of Rabban

The title Rabban was a higher honor than rabbi. It was given to the nasi starting with Gamaliel the Elder.

The title rabban was usually only given to the family members of Hillel the Elder. The only exception was Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai. He was a leader in Jerusalem during the siege in 70 CE. He helped protect the future of the Jewish people after the Great Revolt by talking with the Emperor Vespasian.

Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah was nasi for a short time (118-120 CE), but he was not given the title rabban. This might be because he only held the office for a brief period before it went back to Hillel's family.

Before Rabban Gamliel the Elder, people didn't use titles before their names. There's a saying in the Talmud that means "A person's own name is greater than the title rabban." That's why Hillel the Elder doesn't have a title before his name. His name itself was enough. Similarly, Moses and Abraham don't have titles. Sometimes, a special description is used to tell them apart, like Avraham Avinu (Abraham 'Our Father') and Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses 'Our Teacher').

Starting with Rabbi Judah I haNasi (born 135 CE), even the nasi was no longer given the title rabban. Instead, Judah haNasi was given the special title Rabbeinu HaKadosh ('Our Holy Teacher').

See also

• Modern attempts to revive the Sanhedrin