Guest Post by Rabbi Eliyahu Safran
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| Rabbi Eliyahu Safran |
The trespass so clear, so disturbing, so defiling that no
caring member of the Jewish community can help but feel a deep sense of
humiliation and disgust. Whether in Los
Angeles or Jerusalem, the behavior of the Washington, D.C. rabbi, caused every
Jew to feel a physical revulsion, no less than if they had been members of his
particular congregation.
What was his trespass that it brings about such a harsh
reaction? A prominent rabbinic leader and
scholar desecrated the trust of young Jews and the holiness of the mikvah by
videotaping female congregants and converts as they prepared for and immersed
themselves in the mikvah.
A transgression of this nature would be profoundly troubling
no matter who was responsible. But to
discover that a rabbi undermined the trust in his office and his person in such
a fundamental way is almost beyond belief.
Sadly, as we have come to appreciate only too often when we’ve heard
stories of abusive priests and other predatory religious leaders, the damage
done to individuals and institutions when religious leaders behave so
atrociously is devastating.
By virtue of their learning and leadership, rabbis hold an
incredibly powerful position in shuls and Jewish communities. This rabbi acknowledged as much when he stated
arrogantly to one of his congregants in the context of a conversation about
establishing a mikvah, “I’m the rabbi!
You’re just a layman.” (As reported by a Washington Post column written
by Michelle Boorstein on November 8th).
Arrogant, yes. But
also true. A rabbi commands great
authority. He is the one who makes
determinations about religious behavior, answers questions about kashrut, and
helps congregants negotiate Jewish experience in a difficult, complex modern
world. His learning and, hopefully, his
modesty and caring, place him in a unique position in the Jewish
community. He is, indeed, the
“watchman”.
In almost every Jewish congregation and in almost every
instance rabbis have proven themselves exemplary stewards of Jewish life and
the personal needs of their congregation and community. It is because the earned trust is so deep
that a betrayal such as the one alleged in Washington D.C. sets of a seismic
shudder through the entire Jewish world.
For some, his behavior raises the question, When the watchman does err,
who watches the watchman?
Our discomfort with the unwanted media attention this story
has brought to the Jewish community is natural.
No one likes such a bright, unrelenting light shone on such an ugly
event. In the media’s sensationalizing,
it is hard to remember that the thing that makes it so “sensational” is that it
is such an ugly aberration. It is, in
fact, the story of one man’s behavior. Yet
there are those who would try to generalize from this man’s behavior to broad
brush the entire rabbinate! One recent
opinion piece even went so far as to say, “Mikvah Scandal Underscores Need to
Regulate Rabbinate.”
Need to regulate the rabbinate? While I feel the pain of
this man’s behavior as deeply as any, I do not understand why one would
generalize from one man’s disgusting behavior to sully an entire group of
people? In particular, rabbis. The perversion this man demonstrated is not
part of a rabbinic mindset or protocol. No
psychology or practice would encourage such behavior (as might be suggested
when celibate religious figures engage in sexual perversions). Such behavior is so far yotze min ha’klal –
outside community norms – that the community itself will quickly regulate and
enforce standards.
More particularly, the sanctity of the mikvah is held in
such regard that to defile any aspect of its practice or ritual is even more
anathema to rabbis. A headline like the
one that appeared in last week’s media: “Local
Rabbis Sweep the Mikvah for Bugs” is astonishing. To suggest that this man’s disgusting
trespass could possibly cast doubt on generations of administering mikvaot with
non-negotiable protocols of reverence, discretion, modesty and decency is
as great a transgression as that committed by the accused.
I think of the all rabbis who spent sleepless nights in
pursuit of perfecting mikvaot physically, esthetically and spiritually. Are their genuine and sacred acts simply
erased by the shameful act of one man?
I know of young
rabbis who have assumed positions in new communities who, before they even
settle into their own homes, ascertain that the mikvah in their synagogue or
town is properly administered with every last detail and nuance of modesty
adhered to from the minute the front door’s handle is turned until the woman is
well on her way home! Is that simply
ignored by this man’s behavior?
I recall contemporaries calling the most respected
Poskim in the middle of the night to review their mikvah’s protocols,
particularly as relating to issues of discretion and modesty. Are these spiritual priorities, so
determinedly adhered to, blithely overlooked because of one man?
And if there is an aberration? If a rabbi is so arrogant as to overstep, to
transgress, to defile?
It is true that synagogue boards and councils often defer to
rabbinic authority, but no rabbi is a priest or a pope; no rabbi commands
authority except by virtue of his teaching and adherence to Torah and Jewish
law. The authority in the Jewish community
is clear. The buck does not stop with
the rabbi, but with Torah.
And in this regard, rabbis are regulated far more thoroughly
than any civil board could ever dream to regulate. Every Jew with knowledge of Torah (which is,
hopefully, every Jew) constantly evaluates rabbis. King David did not need a “board of
regulators” to condemn his sinful behavior.
He needed only one man, Nathan, with knowledge of the Word of God.
* * *
When I served as a congregational rabbi in Pittsburgh, every
discussion and deliberation concerning any aspect relating to a prospective
convert was handled by a group of at least 3-4 rabbis, with genuine fear and
trembling, with the knowledge that we, the rabbis, bore the burden of
representing K’lal Yisrael. And when the
day finally arrived at the mikvah? My
God! The discretion, sensitivity, modesty and
respect displayed by all… recalled the experience at Har Sinai!
Each and every step of the way was handled with discretion
and respect, mentoring, motivating and serving.
Not just halacha but mentschlichkeit mapped our way forward! As it was then, so it is now.
When in Pittsburgh, I frequently called upon the sage,
sensitive, and loving advice of that humane Gadol, Moreinu Rav Dovid
Lifshitz zt’l, and mentor and rosh yeshiva at RIETS for close to 50 years.
Whenever I spoke with him, I jotted notes to
refer to. When consulting with him about
issues relating to a pending conversion, he responded in great detail, and
with his inimitable patience and love. After ascertaining that I was absolutely
certain that this woman was indeed worthy of becoming a Giyoret, he added the following
words, (we always conversed in Hebrew): rak tizkor ledaber b’nachas u’bekavod; remember
to speak calmly and respectfully; tamid tareh lah b’chol diburecha u’maaseicha
ad kama gedola v’kedosha Torateinu. Always demonstrate with all you say and do
how great and sacred our Torah is. Al
tishkach sh’im tatzliach az tuchal l’kayem mitzvat ahavat ha’ger b’chol prateia
v’dikdukeia. Ata meivin Reb Eliyahu – scharecha harbeh me’od. Don’t
forget that if you succeed you will then be able to observe the mitzvah of
Loving the Ger with all its ramifications. Do you understand Reb Eliyahu; your
reward will be great. And then he
reiterated, tomar es zeh gam l’chaveireich ha’rabanim ba’ir, share this with
your rabbinic colleagues in the city, as well.
We rabbis regulate ourselves, guided by our rebbeim and
mentors. And, when a rabbi acts as a rogue, any Jew can prove to be his
undoing. As the Post article makes
clear, the Washington D.C. rabbi’s undoing was the result of an observant
mikvah attendant (not a scholar, not a rabbi, not a macher in the community –
an attendant!) who took her concerns to the leaders of the mikvah and the
synagogue. And then, as the Post reports,
“A lawyer was called.”
As long as there is
Torah and Jews knowledgeable in Torah, no more regulation is needed.
