This has been a difficult year to root for rabbis. One rabbi in Israel made national news when accused by several women of sexual harassment and inappropriate exploitation of his position as counselor and teacher. Another rabbi was filmed on national TV in what seemed like a highly inappropriate encounter. A yeshivahteacher of many years has been accused by several (now) men of past abuse. Yet another rabbi was charged with inappropriate sexual and financial dealings.
The rabbis come from all religious denominations within Jewry, and from both congregational and academic life. While it can immediately be stated that rabbis are human, it must still be asked whether that is a justification of sinful behavior, an explanation for it, or an excuse.
If rabbis are human, then shouldn’t rabbis be allowed the same indiscretions and errors that other people make routinely? Rabbis are often held to a higher standard, so that the offenses that others can get away with are more shocking (and more publicized) when committed by a Rabbi. Is that fair? Is that right?
Today’s Torah portion speaks of the importance of establishing courts of justice in which true justice is administered. What is the result of true justice? “Justice, justice shall you pursue, that you may thrive and occupy the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” A Tannaitic midrash, Sifrei Devarim, expands on that point: “The appointment of honorable judges (literally, “kosher judges”) are sufficient to keep Israel alive and to return them upon their land.”
Recall that in the time of the Bible, the judges were the sages and elders sufficiently learned in Torah law that they could apply it to the lives of ordinary Israelites. And by the time of the rabbis of antiquity, some two thousand years ago, “judges” was understood to represent those qualified to rule in cases involving halakhah (Jewish law)—in other words, the rabbis themselves.
Notice the significance, then, of “kosher” rabbis: their presence and activities sustain the Jewish people, forming a lifeline that connects our people with the eternal Source of Life. Not only that, but honorable rabbis justify and make possible our return to Zion. Rabbis who embody the values and practices of Torah in an upright and compassionate fashion, who practice what they teach, ensure that Jews will care enough about Judaism and the Jewish people to make Eretz Yisrael a continuing priority.
When any Jew sins, somebody suffers. When anyone commits a crime, or an ethical lapse, some victim is traumatized. That holds true for sinning rabbis too. But beyond the suffering that each rabbi’s victim endures—that is the consequence of any human failing—the rabbi’s act bears an additional consequence solely because that individual is also a rabbi. Sinning rabbis discredit the Torah and give other Jews an excuse for not taking Judaism seriously. Their sin severs the connection between many congregants and the Holy One of Israel, and it weakens the bonds needed to maintain Jewish community.
When a rabbi fails to embody the mitzvot, the commandments of God, by cheating on a spouse, by violating Judaism’s lofty standards of business ethics, or even in more subtle fashion—by engaging in gossip, or not setting aside time for regular Torah learning or following through on pledges to Tzedakah, then not only is that particular rabbi stripped of authenticity, but she or he discredits the Torah itself, and even God. In the mind of most Jews, rabbis represent Torah. They are the walking embodiments of the Jewish ideal and of the ideal Jew. When a rabbi falls short of that mark, or positively sins against it, Jews conclude that the Torah itself is fraudulent, that it cannot produce righteousness and integrity. Often, their response is not simply that Judaism has failed (in that one instance) but that Judaism is a failure.
Our Talmud wisely notes that the highest praise one can offer a rabbi (or any Jew) is that “one’s insides match ones outside,” or that one’s actions should match one’s words.”
Jews demonstrate their beliefs not by what they say but by how they act. A rabbi whose actions are abhorrent or criminal demonstrates a lack of faith in God, in Torah, and in Israel. Such a person is still a person, still needs teshuvah, can still bring good into the world. But that person is no longer qualified to hold a position of highest honor in the Jewish community.
Each of us has an obligation to embody the highest values of our tradition, to serve as ambassadors of Judaism to each other and to humanity. In that sacred task, we depend on the shepherds of Israel, our rabbis, to show us the way through their own example. Rabbis can help their fellow Jews aspire to righteousness by themselves living as tzaddikim. And all Jews can create an environment in which their rabbi’s efforts to act as role models can be facilitated by themselves embracing those very same goals.
In that eternal mission, we need each other.
Shabbat shalom.