Guide
Rosh Knesset
1st–6th Centuries
Mishnah Yoma mentions the role of the head of the synagogue (rosh ha-knesset) in the Torah service on Yom Kippur. The social hierarchy of men whose daughters are desirable to marry outlined in b. Pesaḥim is seemingly based on the women’s knowledge of and ability to observe the commandments. It is considered desirable to marry a daughter of a leader of a synagogue.
Related Primary Sources
Primary Source
The Rosh Knesset in the Torah Service
m. Yoma 7:1
The high priest [then] came to read. If he wished to read in linen garments, he read, and if not, he read in his own white cloak. The synagogue attendant [ḥazzan ha-knesset] would take a Torah scroll…
Primary Source
Marrying the Daughter of the Rosh Knesset
b. Pesaḥim 49b
The sages taught: A person should always [be willing to] sell all he has [in order to] marry the daughter of a Torah scholar. [If] he cannot find the daughter of a Torah scholar, he should marry the…
Related Guide
Leadership of the Early Synagogue
1st–7th Centuries