[Avodah] What is a Rav? (was kosher stores, rechovi)

[Prof. Levine]

At 01:30 PM 2/21/2011, Rn Toby Katz wrote:
>OK OK just stumbled into a minefield, "What is a Rav?"  Not going to  write
>/that/ 5,000-page book any time soon, either.

The following is from A Unique Perspective: The Essays of Rav Dr. Joseph
Breuer, 1914 1973

Education and Qualifications of a Rov

In the essay The Frankfurt Yeshiva, Jdische Monatshefte, Vol. 7, 1920
Rav Breuer, ZTL, wrote (pages 53 55):

    There is probably no other vocation whose successful practice
    requires so varied and many-faceted an education as the rabbinical
    calling. A rabbi must be the teacher of his congregants. He must have
    a talent for reaching and influencing the minds and hearts of others.
    He also ought to be a good speaker, which can be a very demanding
    quality. The sermons of a rabbi from the pulpit are expected to
    be inspiring; teachings in the classroom lively and to the point;
    social conversation friendly; after-dinner speeches humorous;
    speeches at wedding ceremonies solemn; eulogies moving. In case
    he has the ability and desire to be a chazzan for Neilah, he must
    make certain not to disappoint the congregants with a presentation
    that offends the listening ear. And so he might also be a cantor.
    He must be able to communicate with the authorities and to preside
    at official meetings; this would require certain diplomatic and
    organizing abilities. It goes without saying that a rabbi ought to
    be versatile when it comes to literary abilities. A rabbi must be
    ready to answer any religious doubts of his congregants. He must
    be well versed in Jewish history. It might be helpful for a better
    understanding of the Hebrew language to have some knowledge of
    ancient languages and of the science of archaeology. He must be a
    philosopher and cognizant of modern thought ­ and such a man of a
    thousand trades ought, in addition, also to be a Talmud Chocham.

    We have such a high regard for the position of a rabbi that we feel
    certain that he will want to have as broad an outlook as possible. The
    rabbi is not only, to use a pejorative phrase, an inspector of ritual
    slaughter; he is not only a Morah Horah for kosher and treifa. In
    fact, as guardian of Jewish religious law, every phase of life
    requires his psak din. His interpretations and instructions are to
    be applied far beyond the mere so-called rituals of Jewish life,
    for they extend to the broad reaches of the all-encompassing Jewish
    religious law, which regulates every aspect of mans life. It is
    wrong to say that Jewish religion is only a matter of feeling [and
    not observance], and it is equally wrong to say that thoughts and
    attitudes are personal matters of the individual [inconsequential
    to observance]. Innumerable pages of the Torah appeal to the heart
    and minds of our people [in calling for Torah observance]. He who
    tries to influence the minds of individuals in a spirit contrary to
    that of the Torah is as much an Apikoras as one who treats one of our
    rituals with contempt. If, then, the rabbi is expected to imbue his
    congregants with the proper knowledge and proper observance of Jewish
    law, he must be able to grapple with the specific practical problems
    and intellectual trends of his particular time. It becomes clear that
    the candidate for the rabbinate must acquire a wide area of knowledge
    in order to be a Morah Horah for the active life of his congregants.

    Half-knowledge in a rabbi is unacceptable ­ it borders on
    blasphemy. The study program in the Yeshiva is geared to avoid this,
    for its central aim is to make of the rabbi a genuine Ben Torah.
    No Yeshiva sees its program as one in which Gaonim and Gedolim
    are systematically produced. Rather, the Yeshiva provides the
    opportunity for the qualified individual student to gradually develop
    into a Gaon or Godol. And the Yeshiva, the Talmudic training school­
    in contrast to other places of study with multi-faceted programs­
    is the only guarantor for such development.

    A powerful speaker, a brilliant author, a profound thinker ­ all very
    impressive. But this powerful speaker, brilliant writer, profound
    thinker must also be a truly eminent Talmud Chocham, for otherwise
    his rabbinical qualities will just be those of a lifeless puppet.

Just think about what kind of a Jewish world it would be if we had many
such rabbonim today!

YL