The struggle in Israel concerning conversions is beset by all kinds of arcane nuances, currents and counter-currents, political plots, and generally confounded by confusion. But if we break down the arguments on both sides to their constituent essences, and seek out the fundamental values at issue, we will succeed in simplifying the issues without being simplistic. The heart of the matter is, to my mind, this, which should prevail – the wholeness of Torah or the unity of the people? The Right holds that we must maintain the hegemony of Torah even at the expense of the oneness of Israel. The Left believes we must strive to effect the unity of Israel even if it means chipping away at the Halakha.The conflict, as we have formulated it, is not a new one. One opinion in חז״ל proclaims, יקוב הדין את ההר, the law is preeminent. And the תדב״א replies that in a contest between אהבת ישראל and אהבת התורה, the former prevails. In the Middle Ages, R. Saadia Gaon declared that איו אומתנו אומה אלא בשביל התורה, while R. Yehuda Halevi considered Israel as the unchangeable pole, the element without which Torah could not and would not have been given.How, then, shall we decide our current issue? Which should predominate: the integrity of the Halakha or the unity of כלל ישראל? Do we insist upon a halakhic conversion with all its חומרות in order to keep it whole beyond challenge, even if we thereby alienate whole sections of American Jewry and hundreds of thousands of non-Jewish Russian immigrants to Israel? Or do we embrace all comers, within reason, even if that means compromising the essential Halakha?My answer is clear: the question is no question, because it is a false dichotomy[ The presumption that the two values are locked in mortal combat is the fruit of a lazy mind and is utterly misleading. We can and we must hold on to both elements for dear life. No Jew may cavalierly be מפקיר thousands upon thousands of his fellow Jews. And no Jew has the right to dispense with the integr…

The theme of leadership has long intrigued me both because of its innate character and because I personally wrestle with its problems – often more than I care to. I have spoken and written about it in different forums several times, and I am certain that the subject is far from exhausted. I therefore offer these ruminations in honor of my distinguished colleague and dear friend, Rabbi J.J. Schacter, as he prepares to bid us farewell this coming month in order to accept a challenging leadership position in Boston.I make no pretense to presenting a scientific study of the subject. I leave that to the professionals who have begun to treat leadership as a separate sub-specialty and have written large tomes about it. My remarks are subjective, and they issue from my own experience and mostly from what I think I have found in the traditional sources of Judaism. Hence, let me begin by stressing that I am talking about Jewish leadership, especially but not exclusively rabbinic leadership, and that my point of departure is the wisdom of the Jewish tradition. I therefore preface my remarks by one necessary comment on the distinguishing character of authentic Jewish leadership. Let me illustrate this from the life of Moses.Moses is bogged down in his work as a judge as the people come to him, in his desert tent, to adjudicate their conflicts and answer their questions. Yitro, his pagan father-in-law, warns him, נבל תבל גם אתה ג□ העם הזה אשר עמך כי כבד ממך הדבר לא תוכל עשהו לבדך. "You will wear yourself and your people out; the task is too great, the burden too heavy for you to bear all by yourself." He tells Moses how to organize the judiciary effectively and systematically—appoint others, a hierarchy of judges, and you attend to the most difficult cases, a one-man supreme court. Moses accepts and implements the advice. Yet later (in בהעלותך), Moses complains to God--in almost the identical language that Yitro used—that it's not working: לא אוכל אנכי לבדי !לשאת את כל העם הזה …

The theme of leadership has long intrigued me both because of its innate character and because I personally wrestle with its problems – often more than I care to. I have spoken and written about it in different forums several times, and I am certain that the subject is far from exhausted. I therefore offer these ruminations in honor of my distinguished colleague and dear friend, Rabbi J.J. Schacter, as he prepares to bid us farewell this coming month in order to accept a challenging leadership position in Boston. I make no pretense to presenting a scientific study of the subject – I leave that to the professionals who have begun to treat leadership as a separate sub-specialty and have written large tomes about it. My remarks are subjective, and they issue from my own experience and mostly from what I think I have found in the traditional sources of Judaism. Hence, let me begin by stressing that I am talking about Jewish leadership, especially but not exclusively rabbinic leadership, and that my point of departure is the wisdom of the Jewish tradition. I therefore preface my remarks by one necessary comment on the distinguishing character of authentic Jewish leadership. Let me illustrate this from the life of Moses.Ask ChatGPT There are two forms of leadership that must be distinguished from each other. Let me illustrate this from the life of Moses.Moses is bogged down in his work as a judge as the people come to him, in his desert tent, to adjudicate their conflicts and answer their questions. Yitro, his pagan father-in-law, warns him, נבל תבל גם אתה ג העם הזה אשר עמך כי כבד ממך הדבר לא תוכל עשהו לבדך. "You will wear yourself and your people out; the task is too great, the burden too heavy for you to bear all by yourself." He tells Moses how to organize the judiciary effectively and systematically—appoint others, a hierarchy of judges, and you attend to the most difficult cases, a one-man supreme court. Moses accepts and implements the advice. Yet later (in בהעלותך…