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<b>A Unique Perspective: Essays of Rav Dr. Joseph Breuer, ZT"L, 1914
- 1973</b> has just been published by Feldheim. (See
<a href="http://tinyurl.com/y86fwfq" eudora="autourl">
http://tinyurl.com/y86fwfq</a> )<br><br>
"<font size=3>This comprehensive volume contains 136 essays by Rav
Dr. Joseph Breuer zt'l, Rosh Yeshiva in Frankfurt and Rav of Khal Adath
Jeshurun in New York, presented in chronological order to give the reader
a sense of the history of the times. The essays deal with all aspects of
Jewish living: from the everyday challenges of leading a Torah-true life
in the modern world to the emotional moments of the Yomim Nora'im and
Yomim Tovim; from the world of the Holocaust to the rise of a Jewish
state in Eretz Yisrael; from the learning program of the Frankfurt
Yeshiva to the education of modern-day yeshiva students; from the
fledgling beginnings of K'hal Adath Jeshurun to its becoming the model
Kehilla known the world over. Rav Breuer's essays reflect the teachings
and Torah im Derech Eretz hashkafah of his grandfather, Rav S. R.
Hirsch."<br><br>
I strongly recommend purchasing this important sefer. <br><br>
One essay is titled "The Frankfurt Yeshiva" and appeared in
1920. In this essay Rav Breuer describes the qualifications that a Rav
should have. (I have put certain sentences that struck me in bold.)
He writes<br><br>
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>There is probably no other
vocation whose successful practice<br>
requires so varied and many-faceted an education as the rabbinical<br>
calling. A rabbi must be the teacher of his congregants. He must<br>
have a talent for reaching and influencing the minds and hearts of<br>
others. He also ought to be a good speaker, which can be a very<br>
demanding quality. The sermons of a rabbi from the pulpit are<br>
expected to be inspiring; teachings in the classroom lively and to<br>
the point; social conversation friendly; after-dinner speeches
humorous;<br>
speeches at wedding ceremonies solemn; eulogies moving.<br>
In case he has the ability and desire to be a chazzan for Ne’ilah,
he<br>
must make certain not to disappoint the congregants with a
presentation<br>
that offends the listening ear. And so he might also be a<br>
cantor. He must be able to communicate with the authorities and to<br>
preside at official meetings; this would require certain diplomatic<br>
and organizing abilities. It goes without saying that a rabbi ought<br>
to be versatile when it comes to literary abilities. A rabbi must be<br>
ready to answer any religious doubts of his congregants.<b> He must<br>
be well versed in Jewish history. It might be helpful for a better<br>
understanding of the Hebrew language to have some knowledge of<br>
ancient languages and of the science of archaeology. He must be a<br>
philosopher and cognizant of modern thought — and such a man<br>
of a thousand trades ought, in addition, also to be a
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>Talmud
Chocham</i></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>.<br><br>
We have such a high regard for the position of a rabbi that we<br>
feel certain that he will want to have as broad an outlook as<br>
possible. </b>The rabbi is not only, to use a pejorative phrase, “an<br>
inspector of ritual slaughter”; he is not only a
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>Morah Horah
</i></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>for
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>kosher</i>
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>and<br>
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>treifa</i></font>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>. In fact, as guardian of Jewish
religious law, every phase of<br>
life requires his </font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>psak
din</i></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>. His interpretations
and instructions are to<br>
be applied far beyond the mere so-called “rituals” of Jewish life,
for<br>
they extend to the broad reaches of the all-encompassing Jewish<br>
religious law, which regulates every aspect of man’s life. It is<br>
wrong to say that Jewish religion is only a matter of feeling [and<br>
not observance], and it is equally wrong to say that thoughts and<br>
attitudes are personal matters of the individual [inconsequential to<br>
observance]. Innumerable pages of the Torah appeal to the hearts<br>
and minds of our people [in calling for Torah observance]. He who<br>
tries to influence the minds of individuals in a spirit contrary to
that<br>
of the Torah is as much an
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>Apikoras</i>
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>as one who treats one of
our<br>
“rituals” with contempt. If, then, the rabbi is expected to imbue
his<br>
congregants with the proper knowledge and proper observance of<br>
Jewish law, he must be able to grapple with the specific practical<br>
problems and intellectual trends of his particular time. It becomes<br>
clear that the candidate for the rabbinate must acquire a wide area<br>
of knowledge in order to be a
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>Morah Horah</i>
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>for the active life of
his<br>
congregants.<br><br>
<b>Half-knowledge in a rabbi is unacceptable — it borders on<br>
blasphemy.</b> The study program in the Yeshiva is geared to avoid<br>
this, for its central aim is to make of the rabbi a genuine
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>Ben
Torah</i></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>. <b>No<br>
Yeshiva sees its program as one in which
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>Geonim
</i></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>and
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>Gedolim</i>
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>are<br>
systematically produced. Rather, the Yeshiva provides the opportunity
<br>
for the qualified individual student to gradually develop<br>
into a </font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>Gaon</i>
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>or
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>Godol</i></font>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>. And the Yeshiva, the Talmudic
training school—<br>
in contrast to other places of study with multi-faceted programs—<br>
is the only guarantor for such development.<br><br>
</b>A powerful speaker, a brilliant author, a profound thinker—all<br>
very impressive. But this powerful speaker, brilliant writer,
profound<br>
thinker must also be a truly eminent
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>Talmud
Chocham</i></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>, for
otherwise<br>
his rabbinical qualities will just be those of a lifeless
puppet.</font></body>
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