By COLlive reporter
American syndicated radio talk show host and author Dennis Prager is calling to end the lists that ranks rabbis and spiritual leaders, such as Newsweek-The Daily Beast’s “America’s Top 50 Rabbis” list.
“The list actually accomplishes something very rare: it has no redeeming values, yet does great damage. It weakens an already somewhat fragile institution: the rabbinate. And it applies Hollywood values to a profession that least needs them — religion. Rabbis should not be regarded as stars,” he wrote in the Jewish Journal.
While noting the a few of his Los Angeles friends were listed, Prager says that “as much as some of the rabbis on the list deserve being so honored, the list is degrading to the rabbinate. It is nothing more than a function of the contemporary preoccupation with celebrity over substance, of fame over significance.”
He said that the list also places a premium on “social activism” and on “innovation” — rather than on doing the far less glamorous things that rabbis should be doing.
“Will there be a list of the rabbis who visited the greatest numbers of sick Jews in hospitals? Who sat the longest with grieving widows? Who brought the most joy to Jews in nursing homes? Who blew shofar on Rosh Hashanah in the most homes of Jews shut in by illness? Or, for that matter, gotten the most Jews to take God and Torah seriously?”
Prager noted that one of the list’s compilers acknowledged that some rabbis lobby to get on it. “Isn’t that enough proof of the list’s insidiousness?” he asked.
A case in point for Prager is Chabad-Lubavitch which he calls “the most dynamic movement in Judaism today.”
“Other than the movement’s head, not one of the thousands of Chabad rabbis (or their equally important wives) who live their entire lives far away from every one of their relatives and friends to serve Jews and on behalf of Jews (often as the only representative of Judaism to non-Jews in a city or even a country) is on the list.
“If you visit Cambodia, as I did a couple of years ago, you won’t find any famous activist rabbi in the capital, Phnom Penh. But you will find a Chabad rabbi. As you will in Katmandu, Nepal; Kinshasa, Congo; Lagos, Nigeria; not to mention Madison, Ala.; Bozeman, Mont., and hundreds of other cities in every one of the other U.S. states.
“But not one rabbi running a Chabad House anywhere in the world made the Newsweek list. Why would they? They are neither “social activists” nor sufficiently “innovative” to make the list,” he points out.
In closing, Prager wrote: “The damage having been done, it is now time to end this list. It would be a Kiddush Hashem, a loving act to fellow rabbis, and a lesson to young Jews about what matters, if every rabbi on the list publicly demanded that the list no longer be compiled.”
And to the many rabbis who didn’t make the list and “who have done more good than many of the rabbis on the list,” Prager offered a rule of life derived from a lifetime in public life: The famous are rarely significant, and the significant are rarely famous.
this list idea is ridiculious i say Mr.Prager is %100 right
That’s ridiculous.
Please let’s not make this article about Anyones personal opinions. It has nothing to do with anything that was said or mentioned in the article.
Well done Mr. Prager. You have done so much good for telling us how you feel about that list. We are more enlightend as to never forget all the quiet, daily good the Chabad and other Rabbi;s do each day for Jews and all others. Thank You.
I love your bottom line! it’s so so true!!
Since Boteach stopped making the list several years running he encouraged Prager to come out with this cause if I can’t have it nobody can. Or something like that. Allegedly.
About man of the year ; if he really is why wasn’t he last year the year before and the year after shows he’s not a reall man of the year etc see yud alph Nissan lamed beis
Denis Prager I agree so much very deep and true values expressed
I agree . It is wonderful to point out great work and accomplishments, but spiritualism is not showmanship. Only the congregant can grade their Rabbis unless the Rabbi goes out and does something to benefit all the Jews
B”H It sees to me that the correct thing to do would be to fix the selection process and end the lobbying so that the ones the article mentions are chosen, To discard a good idea because it has flaws is not the answer either. The world would not have been invented had that been the case
While Rabbi Kotlarksy does work for the benefit of the Shluchim when mentioning HQ it only makes sense to list the “yoshev rosh”.
CEO’s hire capable VPs but they are still the ones responsible for everything
The credit is the Rebbe’s. Naturally, Newsweek cannot credit the Rebbe. Rabbi Krinsky is symbolic of the movement on whole.
Rabbi Kotlarsky has his role which he does magnificently. He is a great roving ambassador for chabad. He has put in tons of kochos, time and energy. But credit for the shluchim’s success goes to the Rebbe.
Way to go Denis for saying the EMES!!
Rabbi krinsky being on the list is a kovod for the rebbe and all the shluchim. They can’t write down every individual but they want to acknowledge and pay respect to the work of chabad hence the one to place on the list is rabbi krinsky
If HQ “has anything to do with the success of the Shluchim” I think it would be fitting to list Rabbi Kotlarsky. As he plays a pivotal roll in the establishment AND in many cases the survival & function of the Shluchim. He deserve much more credit than many of us even realize.
rabbi brook roxxxx
…because i’m not on it…
But wrong when discussing Chabad. all chabad and all the work they do is included in the fact that Rabbi Krinsky is there as “representative” of sorts for all good work of the movement and of the shluchim perpetuating the Rebbe’s legacy.
Truth is all shluchim should be on it. But than it wouldn’t be 50.
Agree!
religion is less and less respected in this world les keep what we have
In the beginning when I saw the headline I thought he’s wrong after reading it he’s completly right seemingly the rebbe would agree to this
It’s distorded and dishonest!
I agree.
And speaking out in ways such as this is inspirational.
I whole heartedly agree!