Learning with a Rabbi

My first hevruta (study partner) tried out four different yeshivot before finding the right one. In each case, the learning approach of the rosh yeshiva was the determinative factor. The learning approach that most suited my hevruta was a very deliberative and careful working through the gemara, not moving on until the material had been thoroughly grasped.

It was no accident that he and I learned together the same way. We didn't cover a lot of ground, but the ground we covered was really covered.

I wonder what would have happened to my hevruta if he had never found that rosh yeshiva? More relevant for us now, what about Messianic Jews who wish to learn seriously in a traditional setting or privately from a rabbi? How do MJs find a rabbi whose approach to learning is compatible with theirs?

As I read MJ books and blogs, I notice that there is rarely any mention of rabbis as mentors in our own stories. Most seem to have learned from a pastiche of formal and informal leaning and, especially, through reading.

In a very real sense, Yeshua is our Rebbe, our mentor. No one can take his place. However, it's also clear that very few Yeshua-followers are discipled directly by the Messiah. I.e., Shaul was the exception, not the rule.

This lack of Messianic Jewish rabbinic mentors—men and women who are saturated with the Tradition and an able to transmit it with chesed and with no strings attached—has been a major weakness in our formation and reformation as a distinct Jewish sub-community. Even now, few ordained MJ rabbis have the depth of learning and the chesed necessary to transmit the Tradition, which includes going "back to the sources" and teaching the words of Hazal, in gemara and midrash, as the foundational words and thought of Judaism, and then to build on that foundation with later Jewish halakhah and hashkafah.

So, many Messianic Jews who want to learn look elsewhere, to Orthodox Judaism or to books and digital media. Books and recorded teachings are a rich source of knowledge and encouragement. But they aren't a fit substitute for human teaching and mentoring. As for Orthodox rabbis as mentors, both the benefits and the problems are obvious. 

I'd like to suggest a partial solution. Although there are few MJ rabbis who are capable of transmitting the full Tradition, there may be a number who have a very solid grasp on a portion of the tradition. As long as that portion is foundational, he or she may effectively transmit it (in a 4 generations process). 

Humility is an extreme necessity in this particular situation. First, rabbis and other mentors who are not masters of the full Tradition need to be honest about it. Second, they need to be aware that their approach to learning may not be a good match for everyone—they need to be able to refer students to other teachers. Third, they should fervently desire that their students surpass them in their grasp of the Tradition.

At the same time, those they teach must be humble. First, recognize the state of MJ and be willing to own that you are part of it and not simply a critic of it. Second, be deferential to your mentor even though you are aware of his or her shortcomings. Finally, don't assume that you will surpass your mentor. If you are fortunate, you will learn how to stand on their shoulders and see a bit farther than they do.