Ten guidelines for choosing your rabbi
Dear Tzemach,
I'm happy to forward what you requested. Brocho ve'hatzlocho bechol hainyonim, and a good Shabbos.
Yours always, Lazer Brody.
Rembrandt, Moses with the Tablets of the Law, 1659, Gem�ldegalerie, Berlin
Ten guidelines for choosing your personal rabbi and spiritual guide:
1. Has this person been ordained by recognized scholars of high moral stature?
2. Does this person invest the bulk of his time in Torah study, prayer, and spiritual development?
3. Does this person have a simple, spiritual-oriented (as opposed to material-oriented) lifestyle?
4. Does this person possess positive character traits, and does he practice everything that he preaches?
5. Does this person display love and compassion for his fellow man, regardless of station or status in life? In other words, is he just as kind and compassionate toward the neighborhood street sweeper as he is to the wealthy members of the community?
6. Does this person understand you, and recognize your individual strengths and weaknesses?
7. Can you love, trust, and respect this person even when he reprimands you?
8. Do you have access to this person, and do you feel comfortable asking him questions?
9. Do you feel that this person gives you worthwhile advice and helps you succeed? Do you like hearing what this person has to say? Do you feel uplifted when you take this person's advice?
10. Does your spouse trust this person as much as you do?
(first posted on the former Lazer Beams site on March 14, 2004 at 12:00 AM)
Schneur Zalman of NY adds more qualifications:
1. Tolerance. A good Rav should be tolerant of different halachic types of Judaism. I think a Rav can not keep on giving drashoth just taking Torah from the Rav (Rav Joseph Baer of Brisk Boston) or the Lubavitcher Rebbe. A Rav should be willing to expose himself and others to all manners of Halachic Judaism.
2. A good Rav in the US must have some sort of secular knowledge (need not be college)
3. A Rav can not be a psychologist, but he must know the essentials of counseling in terms of marriage counseling etc.
4. A Rav must have training or knowledge of Jewish history ancient medieval and most important modern Jewish history. Even better would be some knowledge of Hebrew Literature, Kabbalah, Midrash, and Jewish philosophy (again lav davka on a graduate level.
5. A good Rav must be able to talk intelligently about Israel (Zionism), the Holocaust, Jewish attitude towards Sexuality Jewish Medical ethics, and must be aware of non-halachic trends amongst the Jewish people.
6. A good Rav must be aware that Rabbanut is not a profession, but an ol being an eved hashem. Thus constant talk of contract renewals, family days, off days, vacation days, sabbaticals, not to speak of major pay hikes etc are in my opinion a bit foreign to this field. Of course a normal Shul must understand that a Rav is also human and has material needs.
I'm happy to forward what you requested. Brocho ve'hatzlocho bechol hainyonim, and a good Shabbos.
Yours always, Lazer Brody.
Rembrandt, Moses with the Tablets of the Law, 1659, Gem�ldegalerie, Berlin
Ten guidelines for choosing your personal rabbi and spiritual guide:
1. Has this person been ordained by recognized scholars of high moral stature?
2. Does this person invest the bulk of his time in Torah study, prayer, and spiritual development?
3. Does this person have a simple, spiritual-oriented (as opposed to material-oriented) lifestyle?
4. Does this person possess positive character traits, and does he practice everything that he preaches?
5. Does this person display love and compassion for his fellow man, regardless of station or status in life? In other words, is he just as kind and compassionate toward the neighborhood street sweeper as he is to the wealthy members of the community?
6. Does this person understand you, and recognize your individual strengths and weaknesses?
7. Can you love, trust, and respect this person even when he reprimands you?
8. Do you have access to this person, and do you feel comfortable asking him questions?
9. Do you feel that this person gives you worthwhile advice and helps you succeed? Do you like hearing what this person has to say? Do you feel uplifted when you take this person's advice?
10. Does your spouse trust this person as much as you do?
The more you answer "yes" to the above questions, the greater your chances of success. Choosing a family rabbi and spiritual guide is in many ways more critical than choosing a family doctor, lawyer, or CPA. Be careful, because the wrong spiritual guide can cause you untold anguish, heaven forbid, while the right spiritual guide can help make your life heaven on earth.
- Lazer(first posted on the former Lazer Beams site on March 14, 2004 at 12:00 AM)
Schneur Zalman of NY adds more qualifications:
1. Tolerance. A good Rav should be tolerant of different halachic types of Judaism. I think a Rav can not keep on giving drashoth just taking Torah from the Rav (Rav Joseph Baer of Brisk Boston) or the Lubavitcher Rebbe. A Rav should be willing to expose himself and others to all manners of Halachic Judaism.
2. A good Rav in the US must have some sort of secular knowledge (need not be college)
3. A Rav can not be a psychologist, but he must know the essentials of counseling in terms of marriage counseling etc.
4. A Rav must have training or knowledge of Jewish history ancient medieval and most important modern Jewish history. Even better would be some knowledge of Hebrew Literature, Kabbalah, Midrash, and Jewish philosophy (again lav davka on a graduate level.
5. A good Rav must be able to talk intelligently about Israel (Zionism), the Holocaust, Jewish attitude towards Sexuality Jewish Medical ethics, and must be aware of non-halachic trends amongst the Jewish people.
6. A good Rav must be aware that Rabbanut is not a profession, but an ol being an eved hashem. Thus constant talk of contract renewals, family days, off days, vacation days, sabbaticals, not to speak of major pay hikes etc are in my opinion a bit foreign to this field. Of course a normal Shul must understand that a Rav is also human and has material needs.
posted by Tzemach Atlas at 7:13 AM
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