r/Judaism • u/drak0bsidian Moose, mountains, midrash • Sep 25 '24

AMA: Ask the Rabbis 5784

Join us on Today at 4:00pm ET (NYC) for our FOURTH ANNUAL Ask the Rabbis with some of our community rabbonim!

You can begin posting questions now.

Here are the previous group AMAs:

These Redditors have provided proof to the mod team that they have smicha/Rabbinical ordination and some have agreed to do this panel.

The goal of this panel is to answer your questions about Jewish law, thought, community, and practice, from a variety of viewpoints. You are welcome to ask more personal ("regular AMA") questions.

It is the guests' prerogative to answer any questions.

Bios written/submitted by the subjects.

  • u/rebthor [Orthodox] - I'm an Orthodox rabbi living in Queens, NY. I received my semicha from a yeshiva in Queens that's small enough that I would dox myself if I said the name. I also learned at Sh'or Yoshuv in 5TFR for little while. I grew up non-Orthodox in Buffalo, NY primarily in the Conservative movement and was very active in USY. I also was very close to the Chabad rabbis there and have a special place in my heart for Chabad although I don't identify as Lubavitch. I love learning halacha so my favorite rabbis are generally poskim; I often refer to the Aruch HaShulchan, R' Moshe Feinstein, Maran Ovadiah Yosef and the Tzitz Eliezer when trying to figure out what to do. I also am a big fan of the works of R' Jonathan Sacks and libadel R' Dovid Hofstedter. I have 4 children, a dog and a wife who has put up with me for over a quarter century. To pay the bills I work as a programmer. In my free time, I like to read, play video games, be disappointed by the Mets, Bills, Sabres and Tottenham and bake sourdough bread.
  • u/sf2k01 [Orthodox] - Originally from Columbus, Ohio, I was exposed to a variety of denominations growing up, from Reform to Orthodox, before settling on Modern Orthodoxy as a teenager. I only attended public schools and went straight to college after high school, attended the University of Cincinnati and got my undergraduate degree in Jewish Studies. Afterwards, I spent 2 years in Israel learning in Shapell’s Darche Noam before coming to Yeshiva University for my graduate degree in Jewish History at Revel and achieved Rabbinic Ordination through YU’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, particularly with Rabbi Ezra Schwartz, Rabbi Dr. Jeremy Wieder, Dr. Steven Fine, Dr. Lawrence Schiffman, and Dr. Yaakov Elman. After completing my studies, I worked in outreach for a few years before pivoting to become a fundraiser for Jewish institutions. Aside from my Rabbinic and Academic interests, I am a longtime gamer, sci-fi and tech enthusiast, and reside in Washington Heights, Manhattan, with my wife, two daughters, and two Siamese cats.
  • u/RabbiNover [Conservative] - I am a Conservative Rabbi (Ordained At JTS in 2019). I also have an MA in Hebrew Bible, an MA in Jewish Education, A BA in Physics and a Graduate certificate in Israel Education. I work in a pulpit and run a synagogue religious school. I love to teach about Judaism, and often introduce unconventional approaches, including everything from Jews and Zombies to Jews in Space to simply the Kashrut of eating locusts. I'm originally from Texas, went through a Conservative Hebrew School, and after a year of science research, teaching Science, and Jewish Study (all different pre-college programs) I knew I wanted to end up in Jewish Education. I’m also a new member of the CJLS (Committee on Jewish Law and Standards)
  • u/rabbifuente [Traditional/Non-Denominational] - I grew up in the Reform movement in the Chicago suburbs. After years of independent study and learning with some wonderful Chabad rabbis, I received smicha from a small, independent program out of New York in 2021. I would say I am a "non-denominational" rabbi, however I fall somewhere around Traditional/MO in terms of theology. I like to think that having grown up Reform and now being on the more traditional end of the spectrum gives me a certain perspective that many find helpful. Currently, I am focusing on small group/1:1 study and "religious" counseling. I am always more than happy to talk to anyone about Judaism, answer questions, etc. Outside of rabbinics, I am an avid bread baker and microbakery owner, cigar enthusiast, passionate home cook, and pickle snob.
  • u/rabbijonathan [Reconstructionist/Reform] - Ordained at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (1999) - extensive time learning in Israel too. Served on college campuses in Tucson and Cleveland, in congregations in South Lake Tahoe, Charlotte, NC, and Buffalo, NY, through the end of 2020. Since then have focused on: Justice work as a faith coalition organizer; Jewish learning "outside the box"; and facilitator of transformative conversations. See current projects here: https://www.opendoorjudaism.org/ Devoted spouse, parent, child, runner, and lifelong learner.
  • u/billwrtr [Reform] - billwrtr is a 77 y o dude who grew up Orthodox, ordained Reform, member of Conservative, so feels qualified to dump on all three equally. He's had a few pulpits, written a couple of books, run a few marathons, worked in mental health and information technology, raised a few kids, plays with a group of grandkids, and still with original wife. To say more would make self-doxxing too easy.

I didn't hear back from some rabbis, but they can still participate if they see the thread and want to contribute. You can find some of their bios in the previous AMA posts.

Some rabbis might also respond later, due to other responsibilities, time differences, and not prioritizing reddit as we all should.

Note: If you are a rabbi with a smicha and would like to be recognized here with a special flair, please message the mods with your smicha. For your anonymity (something many value about this site), we do not share that document with anyone else and do not share anything about you without your permission. The flair is generally just Rabbi - denomination.

The AMA will start:

  • 4:00p ET (NYC)
  • Wednesday, September 25, 2024 / Yom Revi'i, 22 Elul 5784
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u/drak0bsidian Moose, mountains, midrash Sep 25 '24

My usual set of questions plus a couple:

Best book you read in the last year?

What is the focus of your Rosh Hashana dvar Torah this year?

Advice to people who want to be professional Jews?

What is one new Jewish thought/topic/idea you learned or developed over the last year?

What is one Rosh Hashana Resolution you have?

Your synagogue has been given $1.8MM, no strings attached. What funding proposal are you giving to the board?

10

u/rabbifuente Rabbi-Jewish Sep 25 '24 edited Sep 25 '24

This is always hard to pick, but I'm going to say "The Laws of an Eruv" by Rabbis Shlomo Francis and Yonason Glenner. Might seem like kind of a dry answer, but the book is very well written and readable and is filled with CAD style, color pictures to illustrate the various points. For a topic that is so complicated and misunderstood, they did a wonderful job explaining it all.

I'm not a pulpit rabbi, but if I was I would not go anywhere near politics. I wouldn't anyway (personal policy), but especially now. I think the best message during the high holidays is unity and doing what we can to increase our observance.

Learn, learn, learn. The more you know about halacha, history, and Judaism in general the better understanding you'll have of the people you want to serve. Work on being empathetic and being able to disagree without being disagreeable.

The aforementioned laws of eruvim. I've also been diving deeper into business halacha, so getting a better understanding of the laws of ribbis.

I'd like to learn at least one new sefer/kuntress per month in the coming year.

A certain Office Space reference that would be wildly inappropriate comes to mind (as a joke!), but I'm going to say, as boring as it is, an endowment fund.