Jacob Berab (Hebrew: יעקב בירב), also spelled Berav or Bei-Rav, known as Mahari Beirav (1474 – April 3, 1546), was an influential rabbi and talmudist best known for his attempt to reintroduce classical semikhah (ordination).

[2]: 298b  Evidence of the great respect there paid him is afforded by the following lines of Abraham Gavison quoted by Isaiah Berlin's Omer ha-Shikḥah: "Say not that the lamp of the Law no longer in Israel burneth!

These hopes "afforded the right person an excellent opportunity to create for the Jews a recognized central authority, spiritual—and perhaps, in time, political—in character.

There is no doubt that the man for the purpose was Berab; he was the most important and honored Talmudist in the Orient, and was endowed with perseverance amounting to obstinacy.

Although Maimonides' opinion had been opposed by Nahmanides and others, the scholars at Safed had confidence in Berab, and had no doubt that, from a rabbinical standpoint, no objection to his plan could be raised.

In a discourse in the synagogue at Safed, Berab defended the legality of his ordination from a Talmudic standpoint, and showed the nature of the rights conferred upon him.

He did not content himself with an oral protest, but sent a communication to the scholars of Safed, in which he set forth the illegality of their proceeding and declared that the innovation involved a risk to rabbinical Judaism, since the Sanhedrin might use its sovereign authority to tamper with the calendar.

An illustration of this is afforded by the remarks made by ibn Habib when he maintained at length that the scholars of Safed were not qualified to ordain, since they were not unprejudiced in the matter, and when he hinted that Berab was not worthy to transmit ordination.

Berab was forced to go to Egypt for a while, but though each moment's delay might have cost him his life, he tarried long enough to ordain four rabbis, so that during his absence they might continue to exercise the function of ordination.

His death some years later put an end to the dispute which had gradually arrayed most of the Jewish scholars in hostile lines on the question of ordination.

Its bibliography: The most important source of information for the dispute about ordination is Levi ben Jacob ibn Ḥabib, Responsa, pp.