Search Engine Finding Meaning in Jewish Texts Volume 2: Jewish Leadership Rabbi Gil Student Table of Contents Preface 13 Introduction 15 Chapter 1: Authority and Leadership 30 A Rabbi’s Role 32 Rabbinic Qualifications 36 What is Ordination? 42 Gradations of Authority 47 Who Can Be Called “Rabbi”? 51 Revoking Ordination 57 Revoking Ordination II 61 Undermining a Rabbi 66 The Repentant Rabbi 71 Chapter 2: Studies in Leadership 78 Learning from Moshe 79 Growth into A Rabbi 86 The President’s Rabbi 90 The Elected Official 95 How Should Jews Vote? 98 Religious Liberty 101 Religious Politicians 104 Is A Politician Allowed To Retire From Public Office? 111 Finding Inspiration In Politics 115 Chapter 3: Using Authority 119 A Rabbi’s Obligation 120 A Rabbi’s Method 127 A Rabbi’s Approach 133 Religious Law and Change 137 Religious Law and Historical Context 141 Contemporary Changes 144 Proposed Changes 148 Communal Impact of Strict Standards 153 Threatening Halakhah 161 Losing the Next Generation 164 The Israeli Chief Rabbinate: Why? 168 Determination of Jewish Status 175 The Decline and Fall of Local Rabbinic Authority 180 Chapter 4: Followership 207 The Need For A Rabbi 208 Communal Cynicism 214 Challenging Your Rabbi 217 Rating Your Rabbi 221 Retreating From Community: House Minyanim 226 Conversion Guidelines, Transparency, and Accountability 232 Conversion Control In Israel 237 Chapter 5: Community 242 Why Are There Jewish Denominations? 243 Secession 247 Crossing Denominational Lines 252 Will Charedi Ideology Change? 257 Why We Fight 260 The Agunah Debate Continues 264 The Convert Problem 270 Why Orthodoxy Needs Its Left Wing 273 Leaving Modern Orthodoxy 278 How Orthodox Is Open Orthodoxy? 282 All the Lonely People on Social Media 287 A Turkish Community’s Tax Revolt 291 Chapter 6: Values 298 Gender Roles 299 What Does Modern Orthodoxy Stand For? 305 How Much Does Unity Cost? 308 Tzelofchad’s Daughters and Open Orthodoxy 312 Judaism and Women’s Changed Status 317 Clemency in the Jewish Tradition 320 Biblical Defamation in Divorce and Politics 324 EpiPen Pricing and Jewish Law 330 Officiating At A Gay Marriage 334 May A Jew Register in a National Muslim Registry 338 Counting for a Minyan 344 Women Rabbis 350 Women Leaders 361 Afterword 365 Preface I thank God for allowing me to complete the second volume in this three-volume series. I pray that He allows me to finish volume three and to continue learning and teaching. Many of these essays appeared originally on my website, To- rah Musings. Where indicated, essays appeared elsewhere first. Regarding Torah Musings, I thank the members of the editorial board: R. Basil Herring and R. Moshe Schapiro. Efraim Vaynman does a lot of work on the website behind the scenes, often going above and beyond the call of duty. Regular contributors to the magazine include R. Gidon Rothstein, R. Daniel Mann, and Joel Rich. R. Micha Berger served as an invaluable early source of ad- vice and editorial assistance during the transition to Torah Mus- ings. I thank them all for their continued efforts to spread Torah. This book emerges from my contributions to Torah Musings over the past four years. Some of the essays were part of major com- munal controversies, as readers will see. On such issues, I benefit from the wise counsel of many different thinkers and communal leaders. My policy is to maintain the secrecy of people who offer me advice and halakhic guidance. I thank all those anonymous wise people for their assistance. R. Alec Goldstein of Kodesh Press served as the impetus for this series. In addition to being a good friend, he is an excellent editor. His tireless work and precision has made this process a pleasure. It would be difficult for me to name every teacher who has influenced me or taught me, and I certainly do not want to im- Search Engine ply that they agree with everything that I say or write. However, I would be negligent if I did not acknowledge their contributions to my education. What follows is a list of synagogue and school rab- bis from whom I have learned: R. David M. Feldman, R. Ephraim Kanarfogel, R. Feivel Cohen, R. Mordechai Marcus, R. Yisroel Hirsch, R. Baruch Pesach Mendelson, R. Shalom Z. Berger, R. Yitzchak Goodman, R. Shlomo Stochel, R. Menachem Meier, R. Benzion Scheinfeld, R. Mordechai Willig, R. Hershel Schachter, and in particular R. Mayer Twersky. I also highlight the influence of R. Aharon Rakeffet and R. Menachem Genack. I thank them all for inspiring and educating me in the path of Torah. My lifelong friends, R. Daniel Z. Feldman and R. Benjamin G. Kelsen, have been constant sources of support and advice. I thank them for al- ways being there for me. I would not be where I am, for better or for worse, without the dedication of two people who have set me on my current path: my mother and father. Their devotion to our family and Jewish edu- cation, and their encouragement for each of their children to grow in their own ways, serves as an inspiration to me and my children. And, of course, nothing in my life would have been possible without the loving patience and support of my wife, Miriam. She is a true partner in everything that I do. I thank her every day for bringing joy to my life. Our four children—Deena, Shea, Shmuly, and Tzaly—have always been blessings and sources of pride. Our family was recently joined by our son-in-law Dovid, and even more recently by our granddaughter, Ayala. We have so many blessings for which to be thankful. We pray for all their continued success in a Torah-infused life. Gil Student [email protected] 5 Elul 5778 August 16, 2018 14 Introduction Torah Authority in the Internet Age A famous saying has it that Jews in America are just like everyone else, only more so.1 Perhaps when it comes to the Internet, Jews are like everyone else, only less so. The following thoughts are admittedly impressionistic due to a lack of data. Moreover, I am not a sociologist. However, I am very much involved in the use of the Internet for Orthodox communal purposes. Likely because of that role, I have been observing the Orthodox community’s interaction with the Internet, particularly since the focus on its dangers was raised in broad communal terms in the Asifah anti- Internet gathering of 2012, which I strongly opposed for reasons I will explain below.2 The Internet’s impact on general society has certainly seeped into the Orthodox Jewish community, but to a lesser degree for us than for others because of our unique communal and cultural traits. For example, Shabbos observance forces us offline for approximately 25 hours a week. On occasion, throughout the year, we have prolonged electronic “fasts” due to holidays, sometimes 1. An earlier version of this essay appeared in Klal Perspectives (Fall 2015). 2. In 2012, tens of thousands of Charedi Jews attended a gathering (asifah) at Citi Field to hear about the dangers of the Internet. I was vocally critical of this event, which failed to address the real problems people are facing. See “Haredi Event On Internet Dangers Draws Thousands Of Participants,” The Jewish Press, May 23, 2012. 15 Search Engine lasting as long as three consecutive days. Forced to live in the pre- Internet era for these short periods, we exercise the skills that the Internet tends to suppress, such as holding conversations without electronic interruptions and reading without interrupting to check emails. Similarly, though our schools’ policies limiting Internet use are generally observed only in the breach, the concerned attitude toward Internet use conveyed by our yeshivos and rabbis force us to at least construe Internet use as an option, rather than an unquestioned necessity. Nevertheless, just as the Internet has dramatically changed general society, it has had a substantial impact on our community as well. The Orthodox community has captured many opportunities afforded by the Internet, but also has experienced significant challenges. Some of the more obvious and seemingly pressing issues generated by the Internet are, from a historical perspective, not particularly concerning. There is, however, another issue that is historic as well as theologically urgent, threatening to undermine our entire communal order and tradition. That issue will be discussed in the second half of this introduction. While I believe that, unfortunately, there is no simple solution for these problems, the old approach, exemplified by the aforementioned Asifah, is doomed to failure. Section I: The Internet and the Individual I. Facilitating Increased Torah Learning Probably the most significant contribution of the Internet has been its dramatic expansion of the sheer volume of Torah that is available to be learned. The immense storehouses of Torah articles, books and audio lectures posted online, and thereby accessible to all, are astounding. A simple personal device can store more information, study tools, and resources than the ancient library 16 Search Engine in Alexandria. This new technology allows yeshiva graduates to listen to, and learn from, their rabbeim (religious teachers) for years after leaving the yeshiva, something that was but a rare treat in earlier times. Perhaps the even greater innovation is its enabling of graduates of one yeshiva to learn from rabbeim of another yeshiva. The Gemara Avodah( Zarah 19a) encourages Torah learning from more than one teacher, since such practice broadens one’s understanding of Torah. As never before, the Internet allows mature students to learn from the widest selection of leading Torah scholars and lecturers. Different people gain in different ways from the access to their earlier rabbeim, as well as to others.