Melamed

Melamed, Melammed (Hebrew: מלמד, romanized: məlammeḏ "teacher") in Biblical times denoted a religious teacher or instructor in general (e.g., in Psalm 119:99 and Proverbs 5:13), but which in the Talmudic period was applied especially to a teacher of children, and was almost invariably followed by the word tinokot (Hebrew: תינוקות, romanized: tinoqoṯ "children").^[1] The Aramaic equivalent was Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: מקרי דרדקי, romanized: maqrē dardaqē.^[1]

The melamed was appointed by the community, and there were special regulations determining how many children he might teach, as well as rules governing the choice of applicants for the office and the dismissal of a melamed.^[1] These regulations were extended and augmented in the post-Talmudic period.