THE SYNAGOGUE: ORIGINS AND DIFFUSION 239cise pronunciation of Hebrew), obviously not an option in the synagogues of
Haifa, Beth Shean, and Tivon (Y. Berakhot 2:4, 4d)?
Rabbinic literature provides evidence of the rabbis’ gradually intensifying
attempttoregulatesynagoguesandcommunities.Bythefourthcenturyrabbis
probably preached in synagogues, at least in some places, fairly frequently.
The occasional employment of rabbinic figures as religious functionaries,
schoolteachers, and charity collectors has already been discussed. Yet we
should be careful not to infer too much from this. As we will see later, there
is little evidence that the rabbis’ exertions had much impact before the sixth
century.Bythefourth,somerabbiswereclaimingproprietaryrightsoversyna-
gogues: as embodiments of Torah, they belonged to the synagogues and the
synagogues to them. But a story the Talmud tells to illustrate this point serves
mainly to underline its ambiguity. The rabbis themselves may have been the
only ones aware of their proprietary claims (Y. Megillah 3:3).
R. Berechiah came to the synagogue of Beth Shean and saw a man washing his
hands and feet in the fountain. He said to the man, “This is forbidden to you.”
The next day, the same man saw the rabbi washing his hands and feet in the
fountain.Hesaidtohim,“Rabbi!Itispermittedtoyou,buttomeitisforbidden?”
The rabbi responded, “Yes.” The man said, “Why?” The rabbi responded, “So
saidR.Joshuab.Levi,‘Synagoguesandstudyhousesbelongtothesagesandtheir
disciples.’ ”