Ingredients of Rabbinic Leadership

TorahWeb once again produces a relevant and significant statement by a respected scholar from the ranks of Yeshiva University-RIETS roshei yeshivah. This week, R. Dr. Michael Rosensweig discusses the elements that make a successful rabbinic leader:

The need for breadth of vision in halachic leadership obviously extends to single rabbinic authorities striving to emulate the model of Moshe and the zekenim to the best of their ability. At the same time, the prospects of achieving that vision is daunting and the ability to apply it is significantly more challenging. Halachic leadership demands more than a careful reading of texts and a discerning eye toward application. Many halachic issues defy easy classification and assessment. In the complex world which we inhabit this is particularly true, as we struggle to incorporate and integrate the halachic ramifications of technological innovation and thorny social and ethical conundrums. Moreover, much of halachic-decision making revolves around broader halachic value and policy issues that require both vision and clarity. Halachists are obligated to be roeh et ha-nolad, to assess the likely long-term impact of their decisions. Their responsibility is a dual one: to the matter at hand and its immediate constituency, as well as to future generations. These considerations are sometimes misconstrued and inaccurately portrayed as either peripheral or political. In fact, these factors have always been an integral component of halachic leadership and in many respects their proper integration into the halachic process distinguishes the truly great poskim.

In other words, there is more to pesak than "just" analyzing texts. One must also apply halakhah properly, which involves assessing potential reactions in the present and the future.

R. Rosensweig raises other issues, such as the definition of semikhah and upon whom may such honor and responsibility be conferred, but I defer that discussion for a later date. In his last paragraph, he makes the important point that a true leader must be infused with the proper values and, if not, is a dangerous figure.