Judges in Our Day

This week, we read the Torah portion of Shoftim, judges.  We learn about the central role of the contemporary rabbinic personality, the judge in each time, who is the authoritative voice on all difficult questions.  (See Devarim, Chapter 17, verses 8-11 and Rashi’s commentary there.) 

Now, as a rabbi, this all sounds great.  At the same time, there are a number of troubling examples where today’s rabbis and judges are not handling things properly.

Let’s take conversion.  A few weeks ago, a group of respected modern, religious Zionist rabbis launched “Giyur Kehalacha,” a conversion court outside the auspices of the Israeli Chief Rabbinate to address the issue of Israelis from the former Soviet Union who are not halakhically Jewish.  There are hundreds of thousands of such cases, and this is a major issue that will only grow more serious over time.  There have been various attempts to deal with these conversions within the existing system, yet all have failed due to politics.  Finally, these rabbis (including my good friend and colleague, Rabbi Seth Farber of ITIM) acted.  They deserve the gratitude and encouragement of the entire community!

Instead, what was the reaction?  Condemnation.  The Chief Rabbis of Israel called those involved haters of Torah and Reform rabbis wearing kippahs.  (Why that is thrown out as an insult is wrong on all sorts of levels!)  It got so bad that the police needed to be called in after several of the rabbis were threatened.

There are legitimate differences of opinion in Jewish law.  There are some controversial issues out there that have received attention in the Jewish world recently.  (More on those another time).  But here we have respected religious leaders being called Torah haters by Chief Rabbis for doing just what the Torah expects of the “judges in each time:”  They are addressing a complex religious issue using Jewish law.  (Let’s leave aside that ultra-Orthodox rabbis have had conversion courts separate from the Chief Rabbinate for years, and no one says boo.)  This one is no-brainer!

It is time for a respectful, responsive religious approach to the issues of the day.  Let’s look to the sources and, if need be, respectfully disagree.  That is how to address the challenges of today.  I am glad some rabbis have started moving in this direction, and I am proud to support them.  I hope that, please God, we will see more and more of such efforts in the future.