A few short weeks ago the electorate made a bold proclamation; while security
remains an obvious concern in Israel, interests such as education and social
responsibility took center stage and dictated the outcome of the
election.
In fact, the people of Israel pronounced that the only way to
ensure the security of the country is by strengthening a sense of responsibility
among its citizens across the board. This was made obvious not only based on the
outstanding success of Yesh Atid and Bayit Yehudi, but also by the diminishing
power of the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties who, assuming opportunity presents
itself, may be forced to compromise on some of their principles to vie for a
place in the new government (something which Shas has not had problems doing in
the past).
Although Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has enough work cut
out for him in trying to form a majority, on the same day that he was invited by
President Shimon Peres to start forming a government another important challenge
regarding the nation’s leadership surfaced. An organization called Kiruv Levavot
(bonding of hearts) ran an add in Haaretz which read: “The election for the
Chief Rabbinate is no less significant than that for the Knesset.”
The ad
went on to explain that the election for the Chief Rabbinate is held once in 10
years, and the results are no less significant than the government elections in
terms of its impact on our lives. It then claims that the haredim have taken
control of the rabbinate and have succeeded in imposing themselves upon the
secular majority.
We have come to expect politicians, with their inflated
egos, to be involved in scandalous affairs, but we expect otherwise from an
institution bearing the title of Chief Rabbinate. However, this is simply not
the case; the Chief Rabbinate itself has become a political institution rather
than a religious one.
I AM often reminded of Rabbi Isser Yehuda Unterman,
chief rabbi of Israel from 1964 to 1972, who lobbied for tolerance toward
secular Jews and wrote mostly about religious conversion and marital
law.
He explained that the difference between the American and Israeli
rabbinate is that “the American rabbinate has no power and tremendous influence;
while the Israeli rabbinate has tremendous power and little influence.”
I
am an Orthodox rabbi who frequently travels abroad to speak in various
communities. I come across rabbis of varying denominations, mostly Conservative
and Reform, many of whom are far more cognizant of the concepts of Derech Eretz
(sensitivity and respect toward others) than many of their Orthodox
counterparts.
They often confront me with questions regarding the Israeli
rabbinate’s inflexible nature and lack of consideration regarding the
interpretation of Jewish law, as well as its unwillingness to include them, let
alone engage in dialogue.
Upon reflection it is clear to me that
religious- Zionist rabbis experience similar frustrations. Granted, perhaps not
the same level of frustration because we are Orthodox like the chief rabbinate,
however frustration nonetheless; certain institutions of my Orthodox rabbinic
training, such as broad-mindedness (becoming increasingly scarce in the Orthodox
world) are not being advanced by its representative rabbinic
body.
Personally I do not have the answers to many of the questions posed
by my Conservative and Reform rabbinic counterparts, but I do know it is the
responsibility of the Chief Rabbinate as the religious representatives of all
members of the State of Israel to address or at the very least not to dismiss
these legitimate grievances.
Over the past 10 years little has been done
by the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbinate concerning the problem of defining and possibly
ratifying “who is a Jew.” Little has been proposed regarding conversions and
there has certainly been insufficient if any response by either chief rabbi
regarding the Conservative (Masorti) and Reform Rabbinate and movements, which
have aggressively demanded some sort of credibility.
While the Chief
Rabbinate must uphold the proper standards of the Halacha (Jewish law), it must
also recognize that it is a people’s institution and that the people in Israel
thirst for tolerance, patience, understanding and diplomacy, particularly from
their religious leadership. Once this is accomplished I believe the rabbinate
will be surprised to find how thirsty the secular population in Israel is for
knowledge, and for enlightenment as well.
We need to draw our attention
to the ideas expressed by the advertisement quoted above and to respond
accordingly in this election, in similar fashion to the general election,
particularly now as the religious-Zionist and haredi parties struggle to figure
out how to maintain strong yeshivot which promote consistent study of Torah
together with the lawful demands by many parties for all Israeli citizens to
fulfill their mandatory service in the army.
This issue may not be
resolved overnight, but it is certainly not going away, and strong rabbinic
leadership over the country could perhaps finally have the positive influence
which many are looking for.
In order for this to happen the person
elected to the post of chief rabbi must be a Zionist, which means that he served
in the army, his children serve in the army and he identifies with
religious-Zionist institutions. Secondly, and perhaps even more pressing, the
appointee must be someone who is scholarly and creative enough to make halachic
decisions.
He must be able to confront a haredi rabbinate which has
dictated many halachic policies to the current Chief Rabbinate.
RABBI
DOVID Stav has expressed his interest in serving as chief rabbi. Rabbi Stav is
not only a scholar and a Zionist but he brings something else to the table as
well, something which is often overlooked in the appointment of government
officials but should not be overlooked in the appointment of the rabbinate:
experience.
Rabbi Stav established the organization called Tzohar, an
organization which does everything to avoid coercion and which looks for
creative ways to engage in dialogue and cater to the larger Israeli public by
helping them feel more comfortable with their Judaism. The Talmud declares: “The
words of the wise are adhered to when they are said in a soft tone”; it would
appear that Rabbi Stav subscribes to this axiom. Consider his comments in a
recent interview on Israel radio: “We learn from Rav Nachman that anything that
has been broken by mortal man can also be fixed by man, and I am committed to
work to doing just that.
There must be zero tolerance for any compromise
in Halacha accompanied by 100 percent tolerance for dealing with people politely
and respectfully, reaching out to those who do not know how to turn to rabbis
and representing the rabbinate in a different light.
“What Halacha
dictates that a young couple seeking to get married must be treated harshly?
What Halacha compels a resident of Beersheba studying in Tel Aviv University to
register with the rabbinate in Beersheba when Tel Aviv is infinitely more
convenient for him/her? What Halacha prohibits accommodating the schedule of
young people seeking to register for marriage? What Halacha compels a young
couple to open their file exactly 90 days before the wedding instead of six
months if that better suits them? “Why can’t we assist the immigrants from the
former Soviet Union? Yes, many of them must prove their Jewish roots, but
instead of throwing a list of demands at them, why not use the Chief Rabbinate’s
vast resources and connections around the world to facilitate that process? It
would be in the interest of all.”
Rabbi Stav seems genuinely interested
in reintroducing consideration, a very basic institution which has somehow
become excluded from rabbinic liturgy.
At the end of their advertisement,
Kiruv Levavot suggests that “the rabbinate should bring hearts closer and not
promote hate.” It would appear that Rabbi Stav would like to facilitate an
approach in which rabbis demand less power and seek more influence.
The
writer teaches at Yeshiva Hesder Kiryat Gat and serves as a lecturer for the IDF
Rabbinate, as well as for the Menachem Begin Heritage Center Israel Government
Fellows. He is also an author and lecturer on Israel, religious Zionism and
Jewish education.
www.rabbihammer.com
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