Fay Dicker
Lakewood, NJ
Rabbis And Sermons (I)
I read with distress reader Harold Marks’s comments (Letters, July 4) in response to Rabbi Moshe Meir Weiss’s June 13 column on rabbis’ weekly sermons.
I know neither Mr. Marks nor Rabbi Weiss. After reading the letter, I was grateful to Hashem that I live in a community where we do not have the luxury of ten shuls at our doorstep and must treasure the contribution of every individual in sustaining the shul, not the least of which are the words of Torah from a rav on Shabbos – when we are commanded to disconnect from the hustle and bustle of our weekday lives.
To walk out of shul prior to a Shabbos drasha would be unthinkable, irrespective of whether the rav was sufficiently entertaining for one’s taste and irrespective of the availability of gems of Torah from today’s technology sources.
I urge Mr. Marks to reconsider his position in light of the impact this approach will invariably have on a child’s view of the rav and ultimately, no doubt, the parent.
Jeffrey Bernstein
North Bergen, NJ
Rabbis And Sermons (II)
Reader Harold Marks questions whether rabbis should give speeches on Shabbos and if they do, whether they should take into consideration the congregation’s personal or political disposition.
I and some people I know are actually disappointed when the rabbi is away for Shabbos and there’s no speech. To view the same speech in an e-mail or on the shul’s website, as Marks suggests, would be like reading a book instead of going to a play or listening to a CD instead of going to a concert.
As far as making sermons more palatable to the congregation’s tastes and inclinations, that defeats the whole purpose of having a rabbi. Sometimes it’s necessary for a rabbi to tell a congregation what it needs to hear, not necessarily what it wants to hear.
When I want to hear only things that make me feel good, I read out loud all the e-mails I get telling me how many millions I won in Krakatoa.
Josh Greenberger
Brooklyn, NY