Comments on: Op-Ed: Who Is A ‘Jewish leader’? How Does One Apply For The Job?

By: apushatayid

apushatayid — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 18:56:51 +0000

I’m not sure who foretold that or where it was foretold, but the gemara in sanhedrin states that the dor before the coming of moshiach will be like dogs. the chofetz chaim explains that just like a dog likes to run ahead, but from time to time looks back to see if his master is still there, so to this dor, the people will run ahead and every so often check to see that the leaders are still there.

By: michali

michali — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 16:01:36 +0000

Don’t you get it? There are no true Jewish leaders today. We are a lost generation. It has been foretold that before Moshiach comes there will be many people with the title rabbi and they, c’v, will impede his coming.

By: apushatayid

apushatayid — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 15:03:54 +0000

Re: # 10. I’d like to add. Some people confuse “askanus” with askanus.

By: minyan gal

minyan gal — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 14:03:30 +0000

Community leaders (Jewish or not) must earn this position. The person that donates a million dollars to a campaign but does nothing else is not a leader. The person who gives of his/her time to chair major projects such as a capital fundraiser for a shul, Combined Jewish Appeal, JNF, etc is a leader. I am not talking about the paid employees of these organizations, but the volunteers. In my community it seems that the same people continually give of their time. One year they will chair CJA and the next some other almost equally large project. They also seem to contribute financially to the best of their abilities to many organizations. Being active in the community is a time consuming and often, thankless, task that takes away from time spent with family and business. Yet these leaders were obviously raised in homes where tzedakeh and giving of ones self were considered important. If not for people of this caliber, where would our Jewish communities be? Having said this, I don’t feel that having experience as community leader neccessarily means that these people are qualified to comment or influence the outcome of elections.

By: Your Sister

Your Sister — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 13:12:23 +0000

If I shmear everyone’s palms, can I become a leader too?

By: apushatayid

apushatayid — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 10:24:17 +0000

People tend to confuse “askanus” with “leadership”.

By: apushatayid

apushatayid — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 10:23:10 +0000

A question similar to the one of this editorial was once asked of R’ Moshe Z’l by a court representative from the state of Washington (the background and additional details are found in Artscrolls biography of R’ Moshe).

By: mark levin

mark levin — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 06:42:18 +0000

Foxworthy once said, “If you have to jump up and down to be noticed, you are NOT a leader!!”

“If you have to say to everyone, ‘hey look at me, I’m a leader,’ you are NOT a leader!”

By: FrummyMcFrum

FrummyMcFrum — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 06:10:41 +0000

You put on a tallis and give a speech on the steps of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral.

Oh, wait, he forgot the tallis this time.

Nebach, it used to be the gedolim were the leaders.

השיבנו יהו-ה אליך ונשובה חדש ימינו כקדם

By: Ofcourse

Ofcourse — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 01:04:05 +0000

Wow, I thought only Brooklyn politics worked like that.