Israel’s chief rabbis who failed to inspire

The year was 1921, and Israel, then under the British Mandate, established a Chief Rabbinate, a post which was set up to fulfill the role of “the supreme rabbinic authority for Judaism in Israel. Composed of two chief rabbis – an Ashkenazi and a Sephardic one, elected to serve a ten-year term. 

For those who don’t know, their purview extends to issues of marriage, divorce, burial, conversion, kosher laws and immigration. In short, they serve as those whose guidelines and laws are heeded by their devotees, who see them as the “authoritative final word” on matters of the Jewish faith.

And yet, given what appears to be an important role, Israelis don’t seem to be lamenting the departure of Ashkenazi Rabbi David Lau and Sephardic Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, both of whom left their posts on June 30th.  One reason could be the bloated roster of religious council leaders, totaling 80 municipal, neighborhood, military and religious court rabbis, along with 70 elected officials and an additional 10 rabbis elected by these outgoing men. The glut of religious authorities almost makes it superfluous to replace these two men.

Sadly, although they were most needed to inspire, bring about unity, admonishing us that, despite our many differences, the one thing which we have in common, is our tribal membership, conferred upon us at birth, that was never their goal. Such a reminder would have gone a long way in encouraging us to galvanize rather than polarize sides, as they continually focused on how much we are not alike.

Zvika Klein, editor of the Jerusalem Post, in his article titled, “Chief rabbis retire but did anybody notice?” stated that “their opinions are about as relevant to most Israelis as a fax machine is in the age of email.” Part of that reason is due to the very uninspiring behavior that has come from this sector – everything from preferential treatment given to constituencies, to nepotism, to even “bribery, fraud, money laundering theft and breach of trust, all committed back in 2013 by the then Chief Rabbi, Yona Metzger.”

Often using their power and authority to further their own sphere of influence, a number of unsavory deeds or comments, by chief rabbis have been leaked, throughout the years, letting Israelis know that their black garments don’t necessarily qualify them for the title of holy men of God. 

In more recent years, it got to the point where we never knew what to expect anymore. The late Sephardi Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, for example, became renowned for his offensive comments, one in particular, stating that “the purpose of gentiles was to serve Jews. Other than that, they have no place in the world.” He also foolishly said that “soldiers were killed because of their non-observant lifestyle.” Apparently, he thinks no observant soldiers have ever lost their lives in the service of their country.

In his inartful attempt to justify the great respect that his ilk holds for women, he stated, “Everything we do is for a woman’s dignity. A woman is not an animal. She has to keep her dignity. To be modest [in her dress] is her dignity.”

Of course, any woman who prefers a more modern mode of dress (which exposes legs, arms or the area just below the neckline) is judged as undignified, drawing the conclusion that such women have reduced themselves to animals.

These two outgoing rabbis are, unfortunately not much different when it comes to controversial and offensive statements. Sephardi Yitzhak Yosef, in 2016, said that “non-Jews who don’t accept Judaism’s basic laws for humanity should be expelled from Israel and sent to Saudi Arabia.” His Ashkenazi counterpart, Rabbi David Lau also was quoted as saying that “it was unacceptable for Israel’s education minister to visit a Conservative Jewish day school,” opining: “To speak deliberately with a specific community and to recognize it and its path, when this path distances Jews from the path of the Jewish people is forbidden.” The prohibition came in response to then Minister of Education, Naftali Bennett who had visited such a school in N.Y. in 2015.

Rather than using their honored position to encourage and extol the benefits of faith, they chose to, instead, drive a wedge, even amongst the different streams within Judaism, alluding to their not being found worthy to be included in the Jewish faith. Non-Jews, or Jews, who do not adhere to Orthodox Judaism as prescribed by the rabbinate, are, consequently, seen as far more inferior having no value, short of serving righteous Jews.

Who would be inspired by such condescending viewpoints, clearly judgmental positions made by fallen men who are, in no way, themselves immune to error or fault? Such assessments have been largely responsible for the disinterest and turn-off when it comes to winning over the Israeli public to adopt an observant lifestyle.

It does not enhance the desire to sit under the instruction of men whose intense scrutiny is dependent upon following rules, to the letter of the law, while omitting the rendering of mercy and compassion, knowing that no one can ever attain perfection.

In his book, “Lessons in Leadership,” the late London Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, who, perhaps, understood this pitfall better than most, emphasizes the differences between power and influence, saying they are not identical. He says, “Power works by division while influence by multiplication. As he puts it, power is a zero-sum game; the more you share, the less you have. Influence is a non-sum game. The more you share, the more you have.” It is the latter, which he says was the mark of real leadership embraced by the scriptures. 

One of the best passages to illustrate this is found in the prophetic, biblical book of Micah, where the prophet describes what is required of man, “to do justice, to love and to walk humbly with your God.” (6:9) Leaders who are able to fulfill those directives will never lack for followers, because power is not part of their endgame. They understand their own fragile frame, the importance of honesty, fair dealing, mercy and, most of all, humility – all very attractive attributes which point the way to authentic faith!

Until Israel’s rabbinate can exemplify such godly character, their function might become more and more irrelevant. The rulings of chief rabbis must be influenced by their own recognition that they, too, fail to measure up to God’s standards and judgments. Something that’s always good to keep in mind when dealing with the shortcomings of others!