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RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL:JEWISH RENEWAL:RABBINIC SEARCH COMMITTEE
Shalom:
Many years ago, I was on the Rabbinic search committee of Temple Beth Yam of Hilton Head Island, SC. It was the not easiest committee I was to serve on. I was far from being a rabbi then, albeit I was the ritual chair of a Temple with no rabbi. The task of arranging services was up to me and with the help of two or three others in the congregation, we managed to keep the Temple afloat. My beshert, Ellen, was in charge of every Oneg Shabbat. While she could let the bi -weekly (we had just two Friday night services a month then), complaints and criticisms flow off of her back, I ,made with thin skin, could not, and Shabbats no longer were days of peace for me there. One of these kind men who led services is now R' Bob at Temple Oseh Shalom of Bluffton , SC.
Everyone of course has their own conception of what a rabbi should be or not be based on their past experiences, and based on their understanding or lack of understanding of Judaism.
And if there are two incontrovertible facts, for me at least, that I have learned in my years of study, and in my time as a rabbi is that there is a God and I am not Him.
But I would like to present a case of one Rabbi from the Talmud that I think we all could agree, no rabbinic search committee would hire. It is from Talmud Bavli Tractate Ta'anit 24 a.
It is a tale about Rabbi Yose of Yukrat.
Rabbi Yose had a son who prayed over a fig tree and the fig tree brought forth figs and feed his father's workers.
Rabbi Yose of Yukrat did not thank Ha Shem that he had such a pious son who was worthy of a miracle. Instead he cursed his son for troubling God to force the tree to give fruit out of season. Then his son died!
Rabbi Yose had a daughter who was very beautiful . Once a man made a hole in the hedge that surrounded Rabbi Yose of Yukrat's property. The man confessed that he did this so that he may catch a glimpse of Rabbi Yose's daughter.
Instead of fixing the hedge Rabbi Yose told his daughter that it would be better for her to return to dust than that she cause men to sin. She then died.
Rabbi Yose had a son who prayed over a fig tree and the fig tree brought forth figs and feed his father's workers.
Rabbi Yose of Yukrat did not thank Ha Shem that he had such a pious son who was worthy of a miracle. Instead he cursed his son for troubling God to force the tree to give fruit out of season. Then his son died!
Rabbi Yose had a daughter who was very beautiful . Once a man made a hole in the hedge that surrounded Rabbi Yose of Yukrat's property. The man confessed that he did this so that he may catch a glimpse of Rabbi Yose's daughter.
Instead of fixing the hedge Rabbi Yose told his daughter that it would be better for her to return to dust than that she cause men to sin. She then died.
Rabbi Yose was left with a very pious donkey . Who when it was rented out it would not come home till the right amount of money was placed in its pouch. Nor would the donkey leave if someone left their shoes on his back. The Piety of a donkey is better than the piety of a rabbi who curses his children or others.
What qualities do we want in a rabbi. Years ago I would say Torah and Talmud knowledge. But I would list kindness, true chesed, true love and understanding for all of God's children at the top of my list. I say this because all of Torah and Talmud should lead us to chesed.
Now I am not referring to someone who is charming. That is phoney and fake. And it is selfseeking. I am speaking of sincerity. And with the above trait I would add humility. A rabbi more interested in promoting himself, doesn't understand that Judaism is a way if life of attraction and not promotion. Ha Shem doesn't need we mortals to promote Him.
I would like to see a rabbi who truly understands the Talmudic teaching of Talmud Bavli Tractate Bava Metziah 59a, that it is better for a person to throw one's self into a burning furnace than to cause public embarrassment to a another human.{This is based on Tamar willing to be burnt as a pregnant unmarried harlot, then tell the judges she was impregnated by her father-in-law Judah}. In fact it is so important a trait of Jewish ethics, that it is quoted on page 16 of my 500 page ''A Spiritual and Ethical Compendium to the Torah and Talmud'', published by Amazon and available at www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.org .
Another trait is a rabbi who understands shomer lashon, watching of his tongue, both orally and with his pen. Doing lashon ha ra, dishonoring anyone, even if true, only causes one's self, and hence one's Temple to be dishonored. There is the true story a young rabbi, jealous of an older retired rabbi, who did acts of chesed and teaching in his community, who the younger rabbi bad-mouthed. Folks, upset at hearing this slander, left the younger rabbi's synagogue in the middle of a building campaign and the younger rabbi is now elsewhere.
The traits needed from a rabbi need to be of one who follows the Talmudic Judaism of Hillel. We are not to die by Torah but to live by it. We are to be , as the same Tractate Taanit tells us (7a-b) : "A person should always be soft like a reed, and not unbending like a cedar." When we are stubborn and cannot get along with our fellows, we cause makloket. And we are taught not to be like Korach. If we live by the letter of the law and not by the spirit of the law, we are taught we can cause the fall our Temple over to the Romans or an implosion unto ourselves.
To end, my prayers to Ha Shem for every member of any rabbinic search committee the world over. Its not easy work but if done for the sake of Heaven, its honorable avodah.
Shalom,
Rabbi Arthur Segal
Jewish Spiritual Renewal
Jewish Renewal
Hilton Head Island, SC
Bluffton, SC
Savannah, GA
Member: Temple Oseh Shalom
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 Click to Order | THE HANDBOOK TO JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL: A Path of Transformation for the Modern Jew Rabbi Dr. Arthur Segal distills millennia of sage advice into a step-by-step process to reclaim your Judaism and your spirituality in a concise easy-to-read and easy-to-follow manner. If you find yourself wishing for the strength to sustain you through the ups and downs of life; if you want to learn how to live life to its fullest without angst, worry, low self-esteem or fear; or if you wish that your relationships with family, friends and co-workers were based on love and service and free of ego, arguments, resentments and feelings of being unloved...this book is for you. Price: $19.99 254 Pages Published by: Amazon's BookSurge |
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 Click to Order | A SPIRITUAL AND ETHICAL COMPENDIUM TO THE TORAH AND TALMUD Rabbi Dr. Arthur Segal dissects each of the Torah's weekly sections (parashot) using the Talmud and other rabbinic texts to show the true Jewish take on what the Torah is trying to teach us. This companion to The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal: A Path of Transformation for the Modern Jew brings the Torah alive with daily relevance to the Modern Jew. All of the Torah can be summed up in one word: Chesed. It means kindness. The Talmud teaches that the Torah is about loving our fellow man and that we are to go and study. The rest is commentary. This compendium clarifies the commentary and allows one to study Torah and Talmud to learn the Judaic ideals of love, forgiveness, kindness, mercy and peace. A must read for all Jews and deserves a place in every Jewish home. Price: $24.99 494 Pages Published by: Amazon's BookSurge |
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(001) The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal
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In The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal: A Path of Transformation for the Modern Jew, Rabbi Dr. Arthur Segal distills millennia of sage advice to reclaim your Judaism and your spirituality.
- Price : $19.99
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(002) A Spiritual and Ethical Compendium to the Torah and Talmud
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A Spiritual and Ethical Compendium to the Torah and Talmud dissects each of the Torah's weekly sections (parashot) using the Talmud and other rabbinic texts to show the true Jewish take on what the Torah is trying to teach us.
- Price : $24.99
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(003) Tzadakkah Bundle
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The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal and A Spiritual and Ethical Compendium to the Torah and Talmud. Purchase both books as a set, and I will donate a portion of the sales price in your name to the tzadakkah of your choice. -- Rabbi Segal
- Price : $44.98
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