Rav Menachem Leibtag - "Religious Growth"

 

Rav Menachem Leibtag, founder of the Tanach Study Center www.tanach.org, is an internationally acclaimed bible scholar and pioneer of Jewish Education on the internet. His essays on Parshat ha’Shavua reflect his vibrant thematic-analytical approach, blending the methods of modern scholarship with traditional approaches. As a faculty member at Yeshivat Har Etzion in Israel, he is best known for his ability to teach students how to study Tanach. Rabbi Leibtag also teaches at Matan, Midreshet Lindenbaum, & Yeshivat Shaalavim; and routinely lectures around the globe, primarily as a Scholar in Residence in communities in North America.

 1.       What was a place, person or event that transformed your ideas, thinking, or perspective?

The year of the Yom Kippur war was my second year in Israel at Machon Lev. This was the event that influenced me to stay in Israel, do hesder and make Aliyah.

2.    What Jewish message does the world need to hear?

My message to the Jewish world: we were chosen not because we are better, but so that we will become better. It is a responsibility rather than a privilege.
My universal message to the world: respect others. The fact you know you are right doesn’t mean everybody else is wrong.

3. If you were to give advice to your younger self, what would it be?

Don’t neglect important things for what is urgent. For example, in the Yeshiva it is important to learn, but it is urgent to help people in need or go to demonstrations for various causes. It is possible to spend all day on urgent matters and not get to the important things.

4.       What is one way that you spoil yourself a little?

I like to occasionally watch the highlights of sports games – basketball or football.

5.       How do you get back on track if you have had an unproductive or distracted period?

Re-consider goals – it is important to set goals that are achievable – not too high, not too low.

6.       What do you consider as your biggest achievement in the last 5-10 years?

My influence on Tanach study in modern orthodox schools in the English-speaking world through my site Tanach.org. 

7.       What area do you see that people in your profession do not stress enough?

It is possible to be spiritual also outside shul.

8.   What part of Jewish learning is your main focus or favourite? How would you recommend people to get more deeply into it?

Tanach is something to study not to read. The best way to study it is to teach it.

9.   I have often thought that we in the modern orthodox community are walking a tightrope between different worlds both of which we want to belong to and be active in which may detract from our full attention to one or the other particularly to the Jewish side. Can you give some ideas or direction how to connect more deeply to the Torah and Hashem? (Books, ideas, programmes, activities)

Realize that the tightrope is really a highway. What appears as hard, in order to get balance, is really the way to grow and the essence of life. Apparent tension between conflicting values builds religious strength. For instance, a person may see a conflict between serving in the army and religious values. Once they see that serving in the army is important and part of religion, it will no longer seem like a tightrope. (Rav Soloveitchik refers to this dialectic in Lonely Man of Faith and other places.)