2008 Woodie Awards
Solving the Wrong Problems; Creating Problems of Their Own
Young Israel Should Say What It Means
Issue date: 10/15/07 Section: Editorials
The National Council of Young Israel's recent decision to prescreen all rabbinic candidates, reported on Page 1, could be a sensible approach to ensure the quality of Young Israel's rabbis. Prescreening on a case-by-case basis allows NCYI to evaluate each rabbi without discrimination based on the candidate's particular institution. It would be unfair to generalize each rabbinic candidate's beliefs based solely on where they were ordained. Students with semikha from YCT or the internet can be well-qualified, whereas certain RIETS graduates may not meet Young Israel's standards. All should remember that these are Young Israel's synagogues, and they can protect their franchise.
However, in the article published in Viewpoint, NCYI do not clearly make the case as above. They maintain that rabbinic qualities are determined by semikha institutions, not by the individual. Meanwhile they refer to more local problems: calling into question the authenticity of internet and faxed semikhot, and damning new "institutions …that grant semikha where insufficient stress is placed on the student's actual knowledge of Talmud, Halacha, and Jewish Ethics and Hashkafa."
While these may be reasonable complaints, this rationale does not seem to demand a wholly new approach to certifying a rabbi's legitimacy. NCYI could create standards for evaluating graduates of the substandard internet semikhot. At the same time, they could mandate that every semikha program fulfill certain halakhic and hashkafic guidelines.
But this was not NCYI's proposed solution. Instead, they mandated that every graduate of every semikha program submit to an evaluation prior to being hired by a Young Israel. This is a solution to the problem that people can graduate from worthy institutions without being "Young Israel rabbis." While, as Rabbi Lerner noted, Rav Schachter and Moshe Rabbeinu cannot discern whether a rabbi will forever remain Orthodox, neither can Young Israel. Are they planning on inspecting their own rabbis' beliefs to guarantee that no Young Israel rabbi, assistant rabbi or rabbinic intern holds views that differ with NCYI's interpretation of "Traditional Torah-True Judaism?" Furthermore, when NCYI spent so much time and effort ensuring a thoughtful and carefully edited article- with input from over 50 well-credentialed rabbis, according to Rabbi Lerner- why doesn't Viewpoint define in any way to what "Traditional Torah-True Judaism" refers?
Their ambiguity of purpose confuses observers and leads to criticism. If the NCYI intends to winnow out graduates of YCT, they should say so. If NCYI wants to force internet semikha graduates to establish their bona fides, give them a bekhina. And if NCYI wants to introduce more quality control, let them do that, as well. But by founding their new policy of evaluating rabbinic candidates on nebulous rationales and anonymous aspersions, they leave themselves open to charges of intellectual dishonesty and leave their own Young Israel synagogues unsure of what to expect from their national leadership.
However, in the article published in Viewpoint, NCYI do not clearly make the case as above. They maintain that rabbinic qualities are determined by semikha institutions, not by the individual. Meanwhile they refer to more local problems: calling into question the authenticity of internet and faxed semikhot, and damning new "institutions …that grant semikha where insufficient stress is placed on the student's actual knowledge of Talmud, Halacha, and Jewish Ethics and Hashkafa."
While these may be reasonable complaints, this rationale does not seem to demand a wholly new approach to certifying a rabbi's legitimacy. NCYI could create standards for evaluating graduates of the substandard internet semikhot. At the same time, they could mandate that every semikha program fulfill certain halakhic and hashkafic guidelines.
But this was not NCYI's proposed solution. Instead, they mandated that every graduate of every semikha program submit to an evaluation prior to being hired by a Young Israel. This is a solution to the problem that people can graduate from worthy institutions without being "Young Israel rabbis." While, as Rabbi Lerner noted, Rav Schachter and Moshe Rabbeinu cannot discern whether a rabbi will forever remain Orthodox, neither can Young Israel. Are they planning on inspecting their own rabbis' beliefs to guarantee that no Young Israel rabbi, assistant rabbi or rabbinic intern holds views that differ with NCYI's interpretation of "Traditional Torah-True Judaism?" Furthermore, when NCYI spent so much time and effort ensuring a thoughtful and carefully edited article- with input from over 50 well-credentialed rabbis, according to Rabbi Lerner- why doesn't Viewpoint define in any way to what "Traditional Torah-True Judaism" refers?
Their ambiguity of purpose confuses observers and leads to criticism. If the NCYI intends to winnow out graduates of YCT, they should say so. If NCYI wants to force internet semikha graduates to establish their bona fides, give them a bekhina. And if NCYI wants to introduce more quality control, let them do that, as well. But by founding their new policy of evaluating rabbinic candidates on nebulous rationales and anonymous aspersions, they leave themselves open to charges of intellectual dishonesty and leave their own Young Israel synagogues unsure of what to expect from their national leadership.
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agenious
Dan Fried
posted 1/29/08 @ 8:12 AM EST
President Richard Joel himself said he wished YCT well. He said competition is good but not at the expense of bashing Yeshiva University. If any institution has to promote itself by trying to destroy its rival institution, what can we expect from their mushmachim? NCYI is trying to establish a criteria or a base line for a rabbi who leads its community. (Continued…)
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