Oseh Lekha Rav: Finding a Rabbi

“Make for yourself a Rabbi” -Mishnah Avot 1:2

A good Yid named Yosef Aleksander Zusha told a story about how there was a man that was a Hasidic Jew who said that he had no rebbe. The response to that was: “So you’re just doing whatever you want”. And in truth, this is correct! A man without a rabbi is, in fact, doing whatever he wants. And that’s what we’re seeing in certain communities where people are obsessed with Gashmiut (materialism) and Khashivut (perceived importance). Many Rabbanim have already wrote against having these overly expensive weddings that are, in my humble opinion, fake and superficial. And in many cases, these people are paying large sums of money for delicacies which aren’t really that good…B’kitzur, it’s all nonsense.

Upon getting a ride to a certain Jewish community, I was told no one listens to the Rabbanim. And yes, that’s a problem. Why? Because the Rabbanim have preserved the Torah from generation to generation and thus know what is ideal. There are different types of Rabbanim that serve different types of people, but to not have a rabbi is akin to just being your own king.

The Yehudim, that choose to have a kesher (connection) with a rabbi, are doing more to help preserve the holiness and authenticity of the Mesorah (Jewish tradition) more than the average Yehudi. This is praiseworthy. A rabbi can tell you how to balance Gashmiut with Rukhniut (spirituality). A rabbi knows how to live a simple life because he knows how to prioritize what does and doesn’t matter.

Now, none of this means that you have to become a Hasidic Jew, and being in a “Khassidus” that’s very large means that you might have less time to connect with your rebbe. This is also why it’s important to find the right community.

But if someone does not have a rav, then what? Well, you shouldn’t expect to learn anything special from that person. In fact, all Yehudim have to be in the right community in order to function well. You have to find what is right for your Neshamah.