Richard Feynman meets Rabbinical Students

Richard Feynman was possibly the greatest physicist of the second half of the 20th century. Although he was Jewish, he was very far removed from traditional Jewish learning and practice. But he was always keen to learn (and equally frustrated by others who did not want to learn).

I was rereading a biography of Feynman, entitled Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character (Counterpoint) and was struck (as I am every time I read it) by the following anecdote (p.284-7):

A footnote: While I was at the conference, I stayed at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where young rabbis - I think they were Orthodox - were studying. Since I have a Jewish background, I knew of some of the things they told me about the Talmud, but I had never seen the Talmud. It was very interesting. It's got big pages, and in a little square in the corner of the page is the original Talmud, and then in a sort of L-shaped margin, all around this square, are commentaries written by different people. The Talmud has evolved, and everything has been discussed again and again, all very carefully, in a medieval kind of reasoning. I think the commentaries were shut down around the thirteen or fourteen- or fifteen-hundreds - there hasn't been any modern commentary. The Talmud is a wonderful book, a great big potpourri of things: trivial questions, and difficult questions - for example problems of teachers, and how to teach - and then some trivia again, and so on. The students told me that the Talmud was never translated, something I thought was curious, since the book is so valuable.
One day, two or three of the young rabbis came to me and said, "We realize that we can't study to be rabbis in the modern world without knowing something about science, so we'd like to ask you some questions."
Of course there are thousands of places to find out about science, and Columbia University was right near there, but I wanted to know what kinds of questions they were interest in.
They said, "Well, for instance, is electricity fire?"
"No," I said, "but... what is the problem?"
They said, "In the Talmud it says that you're not supposed to make fire on a Saturday, so our question is, can we use electrical things on Saturdays?"
I was shocked. They weren't interested in science at all! The only way science was influencing their lives was so they might be able to interpret better the Talmud! They weren’t' interested in the world outside, in natural phenomena; they were only interested in resolving some question brought up in the Talmud.
And then one day - I guess it was a Saturday - I want to go up in the elevator, and there's a guy standing near the elevator. The elevator comes, I go in, and he goes in with me. I saw, "Which floor?" and my hand's ready to push one of the buttons.
"No, no!" he says, "I'm supposed to push one of the buttons for you.
"What?"
"Yes!" The boys here can't push the buttons on Saturday, so I have to do it for them. You see, I'm not Jewish, so it's all right for me to push the buttons. I stand near the elevator, and they tell me what floor, and I push the button for them."
Well this really bothered me, so I decided to trap the students in a logical discussion. I had been brought up in a Jewish home, so I knew the kind of nitpicking logic to use, and I thought "Here's fun!"
My plan went like this: I'd start off by asking, "Is the Jewish viewpoint a viewpoint that any man can have? Because if it is not, then it's certainly not something that is truly valuable for humanity... yak, yak, yak." And then they would have to say, "Yes, the Jewish viewpoint is good for any man."
Then I would steer them around a little more by asking, "Is it ethical for a man to hire another man to do something which is unethical for him to do? Would you hire a man to rob for you, for instance?" And I keep working them into the channel, very slowly, and very carefully, until I've got them - trapped!
And do you know what happened? They're rabbinical students, right? They were ten times better than I was! AS son as they saw I could put them in a hole, they went twist, turn, twist - I can't remember how - and they were free! I thought I had come up with an original idea - phooey! It had been discussed in the Talmud for ages! So they cleaned me up just as easy as pie - they got right out.
...
Something else happened at that time which is worth mentioning here. One of the questions the rabbinical students and I discussed at some length was why it is that in academic things, such as theoretical physics, there is a higher proportion of Jewish kids than their proportion in the general population. They rabbinical students thought the reason was that the Jews have a history of respecting learning: They respect their rabbis, who are really teachers, and they respect education. The Jews pass on this tradition in their families all the time, so that if a boy is a good student, it's as good as, if not better than, being a good football player.
It was the same afternoon that I was reminded how true it is. I was invited to one of the rabbinical students' home, and he introduced me to his mother, who had just come back from Washington, D.C. She clapped her hands together, in ecstasy, and said, "Oh! My day is complete. Today I met a general, and a professor!"
I realized that there are not many people who think it's just as important, and just as nice, to meet a professor as to meet a general. So I guess there's something in what they said.

What is the difference between Rabbi and Rebbi?

I came across this quote on the website of the Biala Rebbe of Bnei Brak

There are many differences but in short, a Rebbe listens to you from your soul and gives you guidance and answers from that level. Whereas a Rabbi, listens to you from a your mouth and gives you guidance and answers from what would be written in a book.

They actually refer you to a Chabad website which says a similar thing

I think their definition of a Rebbe is lovely. Giving guidance from the soul. Sometimes a person needs someone who can listen to them and advise them in ways which may be not strictly halachic (though of course Rebbes also answer halachic questions as well).

But I'm not sure that I like their definition of a Rabbi (though in many cases it may be (unfortunately) correct).

It sounds, in other words, as if a Rabbi only listens to the words of the questioner, and then opens a book which has the answer written in it (or knows the answer without having to read the book).

I know Rabbis who answer questions like this. Actually, they are better than the Rabbis who answer the question before it has been asked, or without listening to all of the words of the questioner (I know a few Rabbis like that too). And sometimes there is no alternative but to answer the question simply based on the words of the questioner. For example, a phone or e-mail question sometimes does not allow the Rabbi to fully understand the questioner - without seeing their body language and other critical information. Sometimes (for valid reasons) people ask questions anonymously, either through a friend, or on the internet, or in any other way. In such a case all a Rabbi can do is look up the answer in a book - the better the Rabbi the better the book!

BUT (to invoke the 'No True Scotsman' argument) in my opinion a REAL Rabbi (like a good doctor) will listen not only to the mouth, but also to the heart, psychology, emotions and history of the person asking the question. I know that if I have a serious halachic question I will first go to ask a Rabbi who knows me well, and who has known me for a while.

Even fairly 'simple' questions can have different answers depending on the person asking and the unspoken information they convey. In Kashrut for example, I know that some of the people who ask me questions won't believe me if I simply tell them that something is permitted (since they are convinced it is forbidden) and if I told them to do nothing they would go to get a second opinion. So I explain to them that there are some opinions that permit this, but there are also some stringent opinions, and I try to find a simple kashering action they can perform to give them the halachic answer they need.

In hilchot Nida, for example, if I know that there have been shalom bayit problems between the couple I will be more likely to rely on a lenient opinion (if I think that will alleviate the problem) that I wouldn't necessarily use for someone else.

I may give a different answer to a Shabbat question if I know the person has only just begun keeping Shabbat, or is struggling with dilemmas of work and Shabbat I will give them a different answer than to someone who has just come back from Yeshiva for bein hazemanim.

To be a Rabbi a person must know who the person is asking the question, and know what they are really asking (because often that is not included in the question, but must be clarified - sometimes the person themselves does not know what they are really trying to ask), and the more information the Rabbi has, the better will be the quality of the answer.

Unfortunately, it is very difficult to find a Rabbi who fits this description, and it can be hard to find ways of connecting to him and getting him to know you (and vice versa). Internet answers or book answers are easier. But not always correct.

So you wanna be a Rabbi??

(also posted on Torahlab.org)

Jack’s Shack
posted a question about what it takes to be a Rabbi.

I suspect that if you conducted a survey of traits required to become a rabbi piety and devotion might not even make the top of the list. Right up there at the top would be stories and story telling.

The following day I was asked to give a talk about what skills a Rabbi needs and what training or learning would be most effective to prepare people to go into the field of Rabbanus.

So I decided that I’d better put down some thoughts.

The first thing is to ask why someone would want to be a Rabbi? Rabbi Zeira fasted 100 times to pray that nothing happen to Rabbi Eliezer, who was the Gadol hador, Rabbi Zeira was concerned that if the yoke of leadership fell upon him he would not be able to learn Torah properly.
Similarly, Yosef HaTzadik died before all his brothers (though he was second to youngest) because he ruled over them.
The Mishna in Avos is explicit – ‘hate Rabbonus’ (I know it means leadership and authority, but it is the same word as ‘being a Rabbi’).

But, you’ve made your decision and I can’t convince you otherwise – OK, this is what I think you need:

Firstly, it (almost) goes without saying that you will need smicha. Generally this means passing a test in Yoreh Deah (kashrus). The quickest way to do this is through R’ Zalman Nechemiah Goldberg. I don’t believe this qualification will really help you practically with your Rabbanus, but, like every qualification, it is a necessary evil. The truth is that you also must know the laws of Shabbos, Nida and Aveilus, as well as be acquainted with every other area of Halacha. To do this (to a minimal standard) in my opinion would take at least 5 years of full time study. Not as much as a PhD, but more than most people are prepared to spend. In addition, it is essential that you know large sections of Talmud (I was going to say ‘all’ the Talmud, but unfortunately that is not going to happen), most of the Mishna, all of chumash with the major commentaries and the rest of the Bible.

All of those are just the (minimum) academic qualifications. But the real skills that a Rabbi needs are the following (some of which can be taught, some learnt, and some I think are more personality than anything else):

Basic counselling and therapy skills (and even more importantly, the resources to create a network of specialists that you can refer people to, or ask for advice)
This includes marriage counseling, depression counseling, drug awareness, awareness of abuse and how to deal with it, bereavement counseling and a general understanding of the human condition.

Public speaking and writing skills. As a Rabbi you will be judged firstly on your ability to speak in public, both in sermons and to the wider public. You will also be expected to write for the local media, Synagogue magazine, etc.

Teacher training – even if you are never in a classroom situation, you will always be a teacher. Perhaps a gemara shiur, a chumash/ parsha shiur, or just a quick Halacha between mincha and ma’ariv. You have to not only have something to say, but be able to present it clearly and in a way that will engage your students and encourage them to come and learn more from you.

Ability to lein (at least the first aliya of every parsha). When there is nobody else around you have to be able to step into the breach at very short notice.

Knowledge of hashkafa. You must know what is acceptable Jewish thought, what is heresy, and what is ‘what you are supposed to think’ even though it is ridiculous. Included in this is the requirement of ‘know how to answer a heretic’. Resorting to childish responses that you once heard in Yeshiva, or assuming that there is only one right answer to every question (and you know it) is embarrassing and will end in failure.

Political maneuvering. Many a Rabbi comes to his downfall because of bad political moves. Even though it is all ‘vanity’ and false, you must know who are the important players, how to speak to them, how to encourage others to get things done, and how to make sure that your viewpoint is heard and (often) accepted. Even more important, you have to remain strong and know how to say ‘no’ to people without creating enemies and without abusing or undermining your authority.

History – it is embarrassing when Rabbis have no concept of history. You must know at least a basic outline of what happened where and when. Did the story of Chanukah happen before or after the story of Purim? Was the Shulchan Aruch written before or after Shabbetai Tzvi? When was the famous argument between R’ Yaakov Emden and R’ Yonasan Eibeschitz?
Coupled with this, it would help if you have the ability to be a good story teller. Usually every speech or class is enhanced by the right story told well (and can be ruined by the wrong story told badly).

Sense of humour. Goes without saying.

Warm and caring personality. You have to genuinely care about your flock, and relate to their problems and issues as your own. However you also have to be able to leave those issues behind when you come home so that you can function without having a nervous breakdown.

Time management skills.

Stress management skills.

Motivation and desire to continue to learn. Without a passion for learning (both Talmudic texts, and if necessary secular ones) you will not be an effective teacher or communicator. Plus – your own sanity is at stake. If you can’t make time to learn each day you will fail.

Unending patience and understanding

Ability to play guitar (this is an optional extra – essential for all the Carlebach wannabes)

And the most important thing (which is why I left it to the end, so that only those who have the patience to read this far will qualify) – shimush. The Talmud is explicit that the most important thing that qualifies a person to be a Rabbi is serving other Rabbis. Elisha, who was one of the most successful prophets in history, is praised for having poured water on the hands of Eliyahu Hanavi.
You must spend time in the presence of other Rabbis, observing, learning, getting a feel for how to make a decision, how to ask the right questions, how to read between the lines of the question and what to do and where to look if you don’t know the answer. This is the real difference between a Rabbi and a library of books. Anyone can look things up in a book, or search the internet for information. Hopefully the Rabbi is the one who knows what to do with the information and how to understand the question.

This last thing is what is most sorely lacking today, and probably the most difficult thing to get (there is a shortage of Rabbis to apprentice to, and lack of time to do it). But it is this, I think more than anything else, which separates the ‘men’ from the ‘boys’. Any of the other things on this list can be compensated for. Shimush talmidei chachamim is the only thing that a Rabbi absolutely needs.

And of course piety and devotion. Essential. To quote R' Shraga Silverstein "Ideally, the teacher's subject should be himself, and he must do all he can to make the subject worthwhile". Or to quote Shlomo HaMelech "At the end of the day, when all is heard, fear G-d, for that is all there is for a person".

Good luck.

Rabbi David Sedley

Your thoughts please: