This is less of a blog post and more of an open ended question. I am looking for responses from the world out there!
In today’s world, where decisions are made by boards, executive directors handle the day-to-day operation and infrastructure of our houses of worship, Unions, Agudas and the like decide policy, Rabbi Eidlitz handles Kashrus questions, mashgichim supervise our restaurants, youth directors handle our kids, gabbais delegate prayer jobs, meshulachim come straight to our door to collect charity, kollel members teach Torah classes, therapists counsel us, and the general population of Orthodox Jews is becoming more and more learned, able to learn and look up Halachic Shailas (Questions of Jewish Law) on their own and if not, most will call their “Rebbe from Yeshiva” for a more serious Shaila, what is the role of the Congregational Rabbi?
I would like to make it clear, I am not opposed to congregational Rabbis, in fact I love them… The congregational Rabbi of my home town, who was there for me as I became a Jewish adult, was amazing (so amazing that he is now Executive Vice President of the OU) and I also currently live in a small town (Jewishly), where the Rabbis do a helluvalot. But looking at the trend of American Jewish Communities (particularly Orthodox), the question constantly comes to mind: What is the role of a congregational Rabbi in today’s/tomorrow’s world?
I would love to hear from the people out there, community members, lay-leaders, congregational Rabbis (particularly, congregational Rabbis), kids, teens, parents, grandparents and everyone in between. Either post your response in the comments section, or write a post on your own blog and post a link below. Conversation is a healthy thing.
UPDATE: I wanted clarify my intention with this post. I feel that congregational Rabbis have a purpose in today’s world, I wanted/want to make the Jewish world think about what each of us feel that role is and about the importance of that role. So please, don’t take this post as an attack on the institution of congregational Rabbis, rather let it get you thinking about what you appreciate about congregational Rabbis and take it as a conversation starter about the state of Judaism in America today and the direction it is going.
I have a lot of thoughts on this one:
1) The effects of a small-town rabbi cannot be forgotten – even in a big town. Having a collection of different Jewish organizations in a city doesn’t mean that all of the needs of the city are being met and a Rav needs to make sure that people have the right focus and priorities.
2) There are personal needs and communal needs. If everyone runs to ask their questions to their Rav half-way across the world, where does that leave the community? Where do two people go if they have a dispute? Who decides acceptable standards of Kashrut for community events?
3) An inspirational rabbi in a community can create a growth environment where community members pull each other along. Single shiurim or long-distance rabbinic relationships can’t do this.
4) A Rav’s job is not simply answering shailas from a book, but evaluating who the person is and how the halacha might differ for them. This can only be accomplished with a close and regular relationship.
5) A Rav’s job is not simply answering shailas, but rather should be the “Mashgiach Ruchani” of his congregation. He must look at what chizzuk and tochacha this particular community (and each of its individual members) needs.
i didn’t know any of this. I thought rabbi b was in charge of everything :-) but what none of these entities do is inspire us, put a face on Judaism, counsel us, answer crazy questions at all hours of the day and night and provide a fantastic role model in both self and family like we have here. The rabbi is the face of the community and maybe should have more say in it!!!! We have talked with Rabbi Bogopulsky about things we would never talk to any of these other entities about because we know and trust him. Boards and organizations cannot take that role.
Now I don’t have any great deal of experience or wisdom but as a Jewish teen I feel that rabbis, whether congregational or teachers, certainly play a big role in my Jewish life. Along with being the go-to-guy for all halachic questions and inquiries the rabbi, for me, is someone to go to for many more important things. These things, mostly ideas, include inspiration and guidance on living a more moral, ethical, and proper Jewish life. Even though I disagree with many things my rabbi may say, his input into my tough decisions help me to stay on a proper path and not fall too deep into a immoral path. Rabbis can help you choose a school, they can answer your practical questions, they can answer your philisophical questions, but most importantly they can be that barrier on your life path. A car on the highway which skids out will hit the railing on the side and will hopefully not fall or flip over due to this protective railing. If my life was a highway, my rabbi would be that fence guiding me when I lose control.
An answer from Eretz Israel.
I have been in Israel for most of my life, in congregation WITHOUT a rabbi. I have also lived in “a small town (Jewishly), where the Rabbis do a helluvalot.”, and saw some others.
Firstly, in the organizational view, it is clear that the rabbi is the chief coordinator and supervisor for all the other community efforts: Torah learning and teaching, kashrus and charity, youth and retirees, etc etc.
In Israel, most of these activities are not handled by the congregation or by the rabbi. in my shul, people are organizing and going to Torah classes all over the city, every day, but would probably will not come to the classes at the shul (or only few people will attend). so what is the role of the Rabbi here?
the Rabbi is the role model, and the first point of access for Jewish knowledge. for some, it is a simple answer to a simple question. it might be negotiating between different Halachic/ Ideologic/ biblical opinions in the community. the Rabbi should gently point to some things that need improvement, and sometimes lead a community effort of a sort (starting a new school is a good example, happened to me both in Israel and in the US). the Rabbi should set an example of behavior and conduct, _that_is_suitable_for_the_congregation – not to far above, not as one of the congregants
to be continued…
I think there is no dispute as to the role of an excellent Rabbi/mentor/leader/teacher. The real question is, what is the role of a mediocre Rabbi? Are we better off employing only the stellar individuals and saving the money by not hiring “just adequate” ones? Are we doing ourselves a disservice by hiring an ill-equipped individual for the sole purpose of having a Rabbi?
My aim is not to offend, but just as in every other area of life there is continuum of capability, and this exists too among rabbis.
I actually do have an opinion. Isn’t it pirkei avos that teaches one to find for themself a rav? I could be wrong as since we’ve finished pirkei avos I’ve of course forgotten much. Wherever it says it, the sure thing is that it is serious good advice. In essence, the congregational rabbi should be that rav. I think the role of a congregational rabbi is to offer a cohesiveness to the community. That is why he is there and thus, one should follow the customs of their community.
In a pinch, you can’t always ask rabbi eidlitz if say, you accidentally add milk to mashed potatoes that you used fleish utensils to make and you’re not sure if your bowl is now treif. If there is a dispute, in theory, it is your local community’s rabbi that you should go to. And there are some rosh yeshivos who won’t answer some questions because they feel you should ask the rav of your community.
In the end, it is kind of sad because we are faced with a dilemma in these times. We have made the congregational rabbi’s role trivial and that is wrong. We all have found many ravs and I think that is very wrong. It goes against the whole “find yourself a rav” premise. Perhaps Jews should put more stock in their own community’s rabbi? That old joke; two jews, five opinions is funny because it’s true. Whereas one rav you ask shilos for niddah might not agree with a posek that another rav you ask kashrus questions to gives, the whole point of getting a rav for yourself (singular) is to avoid these problems! We’re guilty of it ourselves. Michael will ask his rabbi who is the congregational rabbi of the community he grew up in most important shilos. We do go to rabbi bulgapulsky for many day-to-day things. I don’t think he’s spoken to his rosh yeshiva in a very long time also.
If anything, i think the role of the congregational rabbi needs to be emphasized more once again because this is all very dangerous
A congregational Rabbi should be a community leader, Posek, and mentor to the congregation. It is one that is all encompassing of the life cycles of Jewish life from cradle to grave.
I was led here from frumhacks.com, if you’re looking for contributors I’d like to be among them.
This is a great question. I think that there is a difficult mix for a Rabbi to reflect the community’s values and lead them on their derech toward hashem.
I think that recently the Jewish community has experienced unprecedented financial success which makes so many of these large staffs possible. However, considering these changes, I think that the Rabbi should basically be the head spokesman in in charge of all education…