And I can tell you: I don’t know a single rabbi, including the ones with thriving, successful congregations, who doesn’t feel overworked, overstressed and under-supported. Some are struggling with substance abuse or with challenging relationships. Many more are just plain tired. To be sure, few rabbis act as unethically as Freundel is alleged to have done. But almost all face the stress that causes men and women to break. So while I was shocked by the Freundel revelations, I was not surprised. In my unscientific opinion, the American rabbinate is a powder keg. I think he makes important observations about the rabbinate but does a terrible disservice by connected the pressures of the rabbinate with the recent scandal. The alleged perpetrators behavior cannot be explained by being under immense pressure. There are countless people in varying professions who find vices and outlets to decompress that dont do the damage, harm, or cause the abuse that he did. We should stop trying to explain or understand his behavior. To understand it would mean to be capable of it, something we hope and trust we are not.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 02:04:55 +0000
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