The Chief Rabbinate

Very soon the elections for the chief rabbinate will be taking place. It is a source of great anguish for me. I like to be bi-simcha but I feel the Torah is being trampled upon. Think about it - Shouldn't the Cheif Rabbi be the person who is the greatest talmid chochom, biggest tzaddik, holiest person and greatest leader? I believe so. However, the people who decide on the appointment are not at all able to determine such a thing. Nobody is reading the chiddushim of Rabbi Dovid Lau [Sefer Maskil Li-david] and comparing them with the Shiurim Klalilim that Rav Yaakov Shapira gave in Mercaz HaRav on the huge migo sugyos in Bava Metzia. Here is the issue: Many of the voters never even heard of migo and certainly cannot intelligently discuss it. Some aren't even religious. Many are women who [with all of the tremendous respect and admiration I have for Jewish women] have never seriously studied Torah. So on what basis are the Chief Rabbis chosen?? Their degree of yiras shomayim? Their intensity of prayer?

Three words: Politics, politics, politics.

That does not mean that the candidates are not talmidei chachomim. It just means that they are not chosen on that basis.

Also, the entire race has led to so much lashon hara that all of the good that those elected will do might well not be worth all of the spiritual dross created in their road to the throne. Lashon hara is saddening.

Our job? Keep focused on the true "Chief Rabbis" of Klal Yisrael: Moshe Rabbeinu and Rebbe Akiva, the Rambam and the Chofetz Chaim, to name a few. Government appointed Chief Rabbis will come and go but our Torah remains forever:-).

One more point - For all intents and purposes most people don't really have much reverence for the position anyway. The Charedim have their own "Chief Rabbis" [such as Rav Shteinman Shlita and Rav Chaim Kniyevsky Shlita], the Religious Zionist world already has their own "Chief Rabbis" [such as Rav Aharon Lichtenstein Shlita for those who live in Gush Etzion and his other talmidim and Rav Tau Shlita for those who associate with the "Chardal" movement]. The non-religious jews don't really need a rabbi because, frankly, they don't keep many of the mitzvos... Who is left? So ultimately, the position is one that is more political and less spiritual in nature and garners few followers.

I yearn for the glory days when the light of Israel, Maran HaRav Kook was Chief Rabbi or the noble and distinguished man of letters who was a gaon olam and had a heart of gold - Rav Herzog ztz"l.

Of course I don't mean to belittle the present candidates. They are fine Jews and talmidei chachomim but they are involved in an endeavor that brings both glory [if they do it right] and disgrace [due to all of the surrounding brouhaha] to Toras Hashem.