Though they don’t speak in the divine plural like the Pope, rabbis, like all clergy, speak In Loco Deus, in the name of God. Ultimately, their power derives from the same source as His, our belief in them.
Like Gary Rosenblatt and The Jewish Week’s editorial board (“The Lookstein Lockout,” Editorial, July 1), I believe in Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, res ipsa loquitur, a man whose empathic dedication is self-evident, not in some nameless Chief Rabbinate, whose arbitrary capriciousness is equally undeniable.
Chiefs are defined by their followers. While Rabbi Lookstein, in his humility, continues to distinguish himself, the chief rabbinate, in its hubris, threatens to extinguish itself.
Manhattan
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