A darshan or baal darshan is a Jewish scriptural interpreter. Since the Middle Ages, it has referred to a professional sermonizer more broadly.[1] [2] The title was given to Abtalion and Shemaiah in the 1st century BCE.[3]
Since the 1990s, some branches of Liberal Judaism have ordained lay leaders and chaplains as darshanim. Today, the term is sometimes used for whoever delivers a sermon at a service, whether they are ordained or a layperson.