A rabbi doesn’t retire, he is a rabbi for life…

NICOLA MILTZ

For the past several years, the organisation has prepared the way for Kurtstag’s retirement from office. After 30 years at the helm of the institution, he continues his affairs from abroad via WhatsApp and Skype.

At what point does a rabbi – whether they are an important office bearer or the spiritual head of a shul – retire? And when does a rabbi actually step down and hand over the mantle?

The niggling question of when a rabbi should take a back seat is multifaceted, and is almost always highly controversial.

“As a general rule, rabbis do not, or should not, retire,” said Rabbi Gidon Fox, chairman of the SA Rabbinical Association. “We are in G-d’s service and only He retires the rabbi in the fullness of time.”

When it comes to rabbis of congregations, he said, many communities abide by the halachic ruling, which grants a rabbi tenure. In other words, the job is for life. Firing is out of the question unless there has been a grave transgression, and retrenchment is unlikely to merit discussion.

The longstanding and much loved Rabbi Zadok Suchard, of the Beth Hamedrash Hagadol (Sandton Shul), will be retiring from his position at the end of April after 46 years of dedicated service. He will take up a ceremonial role as Rabbi Emeritus.

His retirement did not happen overnight. It was a protracted affair with every effort made to ensure that his exit was dignified and appropriate.

“It was a taxing process to work out the best way to ensure that the rabbi would be well looked after,” said one congregant, who wishes to remain anonymous.

The world over, it is not easy to retrench a rabbi, especially given the halachic considerations. In many cases, the rabbi wants to stay on indefinitely and have some say in who will be their successor. Inevitably, it becomes a financial issue and the problem is, shuls don’t have the money”.

“Shuls don’t sit on that kind of money; they basically spend what they raise and it’s hard to put money away,” said the congregant.

And as a rule, shuls don’t rely on a compulsory retirement age, as set out in an employment contract. 

“All too often, shuls make no accommodation for retirement planning for their rabbi,” said Fox. “A rabbi literally gives his life – and that of his family – for his community, only to be bade farewell with a dinner held in his honour by a loving and adoring community. But with no retirement plan in place, the rabbi has no means of supporting himself in his twilight years.”

So, it becomes tricky when rabbis reach a certain stage. Many of them take great pains not to leave the pulpit. Some even refuse to step aside while others see it as a lifetime appointment, despite the ever-changing needs of the community.

The South Head & District Synagogue in Sydney, Australia was plunged into an unimagineable drama last year when the shul attempted to fire its rabbi of 32 years, saying it could no longer afford him and that he was unpopular. The rabbi refused to stand down, saying that he had “hazakah” – a guarantee of life tenure – and therefore could not have his contract terminated except by agreement or the decision of a Din Torah.

Eventually, after a lengthy legal quagmire, the New South Wales Supreme Court stopped administrators from wrongfully firing him.

This followed a similar case several years earlier, also in Australia, in which a court ruled the firing of another rabbi was wrongful. 

The Sandton Shul committee has learned a few lessons from the imminent departure of Rabbi Suchard, and has gone to great lengths in appointing its new spiritual leader.

In a letter to the congregation, shul president Warren Strauss announced Rabbi David Shaw as the new acting head rabbi, following a “very methodical and rigorous recruitment process”.

The shul committee recommended that Shaw be offered a 12-month, fixed-term contract starting on May 1. The so-called “trial period” would give Shaw the opportunity to “implement the necessary strategic changes required to steer the shul into a new and exciting chapter”.

The committee expressed excitement at the new appointment, and took steps to make sure it was also subject to the approval of the Johannesburg Beth Din.

“I think it is necessary for the Beth Din to set some parameters for shuls and rabbis so that when the time comes, systems are in place,” said a Sandton Shul member.

But this is not the norm, said Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein, adding that there is no official retirement age or official financial retirement plan. “Each shul and its rabbi should work this out together by having conversations in the spirit of mutual respect, care and concern.”

It can be tremendously varied as shuls have different needs, he said.

According to Fox, a spiritual leader cannot be seen in the same light as other professions. “Apart from it being a calling, the spiritual leader… develops a close and intimate bond of care and concern with families. He shares in the most joyous events of their lives and grieves with them during their greatest challenges and losses.”

Simply requiring a rabbi to retire, based purely on an arbitrary age, “is neither sound pastoral care nor appropriate communal governance”, added Fox.

Furthermore, he said, with the passage of time the rabbi hopefully becomes more skilled in all areas of the rabbinate. “Consequently, his skills and value, especially regarding counselling and support, are increased.”

Fox pointed out that communities that wished to grow with their rabbi and wished for their rabbi to grow with them, should have a strategy to supply and fund their rabbi’s perpetual growth. “In this manner, the rabbi can remain upskilled and relevant in changing times,” he said.

However, added Fox, it was unreasonable to expect an older rabbi to be savvy and “with it” in the eyes of the younger generation.

“Therefore, a healthy partnership between a younger rabbi for the younger members and a senior rabbi for pastoral continuity and experience is an ideal set-up for a robust community.”

However, not all shuls are able to afford this.

According to Rabbi David Lapin, there is a halachic principle which prohibits taking a salary for rabbinic leadership and teaching Torah. Rabbis are therefore not paid per se for services rendered. Rather, they are remunerated for “loss of income” from what they could have otherwise been doing.

A “successful” rabbi, then, is someone whose skills and talents would enable him to get a very lucrative job in the broader marketplace.

He should therefore be cared for by his community accordingly, advised Fox.