Are Rabbanim geniuses?

theotherone1 ↓

Wed, Jan 04 2023, 12:39 am

I am not trying to be flippant with this post. There are many bad apples out there, but I am referring to the Rabbanim who have large congregations and are loved and respected by their communities.

They have to be geniuses.
Right? They have to know so many areas of halacha. They understand finances (well enough to be somewhat involved in fundraising and guiding the board in finances). They have to have counseling skills. They have to be able to mediate. They know about many physical and mental disabilities. They need an incredible memory to remember all their members. Many of them remember a lot of the shaylas they got. They have to be good speakers. They have to know how to keep things relevant and interesting but also have a serious message. My Rav specifically gets asked advice about all sorts of things non-Rabbinical. (I, for example spoke to him about an investment I was considering) Many of them are expected to daven from the amud and need good voices. I am sure there are many many more talents and information they need to have at their fingertips that I am not thinking about. (Feel free to name them). And yes, I know they also need to refer out and shouldn't be engaging in serious counseling or mediation. But they certainly know a lot about the issues anyway in order to make a good referral.

So back to my original question. If you are a really good Rav (B"H there are quite a few in my city) does that automatically mean you are a genius?

I am not being sarcastic and I am not looking for snarky responses.

↑ theotherone1

Wed, Jan 04 2023, 8:47 am

tichellady wrote:

yes. they are very talented. it also takes a lot to deal with a board and fundraise and balance all relationships while being a professional and a mentor and friend. a rabbi is also supported by the community but also supposed to push them ( but not too much).

So yes, I agree, they are very talented. It was more a question of their intelligence level. Can someone of above average intelligence do all of the above? Or is it a job that only a genius can effectively do?

↑ Reality ↓

Wed, Jan 04 2023, 8:51 am

theotherone1 wrote:

Of course, someone with above average intelligence can be a community Rabbi! I come from a large extended family of Rabbonim. Some are/were geniuses. Others are highly intelligent, diligent, warm and caring people.

You do not need to be a genius!

zaq ↓

Wed, Jan 04 2023, 3:00 pm

No. Some are, some are not. Most are obviously highly intelligent, at least in some areas. They are not all equally competent in all areas. Being a rav doesn't mean one is necessarily qualified to do marital counseling, able to balance a budget--most shuls have an executive director and a treasurer for that--successful at fundraising--again, some rabbanim may do this but most shuls rely on a board and/or a fundraising committee. Some have good voices, some don't. (and what does having a pleasant voice have to do with intelligence? A moron can have a good voice. Musical ability such as the ability to compose or play music is one form of intelligence according to the multiple-intelligences theory, and a decent voice can be enhanced through training, but the basic characteristic of a voice is a matter of luck at birth, like eye or hair color.)

Teachers need to have an incredible memory to remember all their students, who may well number as many as the membership of a good-size congregation, yet few people assume they are geniuses. IDK that all rabbanim know all their members by name. Not in a really large congregation, I wouldn't think.

Some rabbanim are geniuses, to be sure. Others have just worked very, very hard to learn everything that they have learned. And not all rabbanim have the answer to a shailah at their fingertips. Some have to look things up. That doesn't make them any less good as rabbanim. Some geniuses would do very poorly as community rabbis because they lack the social finesse or even the social interest. Some not-so-brilliant men are successful community rabbis because they know how to get along with people (or even, worst-case scenario, manipulate them.)

Cheiny

Wed, Jan 04 2023, 5:52 pm

theotherone1 wrote:

Daas Torah means that someone very learned has a better perspective on issues than the average person. Every issue must be considered through the lens of torah.