Last week, Justus Baird and Rachel Kahn-Troster answered your questions on ritual standards in religious seminaries. This week, they present their final arguments.
The Real Handbook
Justus Baird
In this series of Eilu v'Eilu, Rachel and I debated the question of what behaviors are regulated by our seminaries. We discussed two types of behavior: Jewish observance, such as personal prayer, keeping kosher and Shabbat; and what we might call "Jewish life practices," (surely there is a better phrase, but it escapes me at the moment) such as who one chooses to date or marry.
Not surprisingly, JTS and HUC-JIR have different approaches toward regulating the Jewish observance of their seminary students. JTS, as part of the Conservative movement, has a specific list of practices that are expected and required of each student. HUC, as part of the Reform movement, asks students to learn about, engage in, and adopt those practices in a more autonomous way. These different approaches are determined by each movement's approach to halakhah.
Regarding "Jewish life practices," we discussed the HUC policy of not admitting applicants who are in a committed relationship with a non-Jew. But HUC is not the only seminary struggling with how to set boundaries with regard to the Jewish life practices of its students.
Rachel and I did not discuss one of the "elephants" lurking in on our electronic discussion: the issue of the admitting gay and lesbian students. HUC openly admits gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students, and JTS does not. The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Rabbinical Assembly (of Conservative Rabbis) is meeting very soon to discuss this topic. Students at both HUC and JTS are eager to hear the outcome of this process. (For those interested in more information, see Chancellor-elect Eisen's letter to the JTS community at http://www.jtsa.edu/cjls/letter.shtml)
We also discussed the phenomenon of written versus oral regulations. Rachel shared her surprise at the lack of written regulations at HUC. To be fair, HUC has a written Student Handbook that governs the full range of academic policies and procedures. But this handbook does not have written policies regarding the type of behaviors that were implied by the original question. For practices regarding how we treat each other, how we learn, and how we behave, the real handbook is talmud Torah – the study of the Jewish tradition – as well as the culture created by the faculty and the students themselves.
A Challenge to Readers
Rachel Kahn-Troster
The rabbis wrote concerning the Torah: “Study it and review it—you will find everything in it.” The Jewish tradition is available to many people on many levels, and as we approach it at different stages in our lives, we see it with new eyes and in a new light. As some of us study to become rabbis, we develop and grow in our view of Judaism and Jewish practice. What was once peripheral to our Jewish identity might emerge as its core, and our hopes and dreams for our rabbinates change through learning and experience. A well-developed set of rabbinical school guidelines nurtures this development in a safe community, while still requiring the members of that community to agree to common guidelines. We share our understanding that Judaism continues to have meaning and relevance—that ultimately, everyone will find something in it.
I would also suggest that the diversity present in Judaism also allows many different types of people to become rabbis. At this time at JTS, my colleagues express many traits, goals, and passions that one might not have expected to find. There is no “typical” student. I would be wary of any rabbinical school that tries to fit its applicants into a mold, and I would hope that any current or future guidelines be used as part of an invitation to explore the rabbinate, rather than as an obstacle to Jewish leadership. This is not to say that we should hide what we expect of our students, but our admissions processes must be framed in ways to encourage people, not as gatekeepers. I also challenge the rabbinical schools to continually re-evaluate their guidelines, so that they continue to be an authentic representation of the core values of their respective institution. Students and administrators must be empowered to speak about those values and how they manifest themselves in Jewish practice. It is this dialogue that will be make the guidelines meaningful and relevant, since the conversation will allow the community to feel ownership of these shared concerns.
I have very much enjoyed participating in this discussion. Having the opportunity to consider what—if anything—we should expect of our rabbinical students forced me to re-evaluate my own views on the roles of guidelines in our movements’ seminaries. However, I would like to conclude by issuing a challenge to the lay community. Many of you probably have strong opinions about what rabbis should be learning and what rabbis should be like. It is also true that rabbis are often held up as model or token Jews, sometimes in a positive way, and often in a negative way. I ask you to think not only about what you think rabbis should learn, but also what challenges you set for yourselves based on those guidelines. If it is important to you that a rabbi is fluent in Hebrew, then Hebrew is of value to you—will you take the time to study it? If a rabbi should keep kosher, why do you feel that way and how can you make kashrut meaningful for yourself? The values which a rabbi embodies are meaningless if they are expected to stand alone. What we expect from our rabbis must be related to what we expect from ourselves. The conversation needs to start there.
Next week, Eilu V'Eilu will return with a discussion on conversion in the Reform Movement. In the meantime, stay involved by emailing your questions and comments to Eilu@urj.org. For more information on Justus Baird, Rachel Kahn-Troster, and ritual standards in religious seminaries, click on the links below.
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