A confident Jewish future begins when students become teachers.

I once heard the Bostoner Rebbe speak to a group of college students. One student, just beginning to explore his Jewish roots, raised his hand and asked a simple question: “How do I become a rabbi?” Those of us in yeshiva, deep in Torah study, smirked. We were thinking about the years of study, ordination, credentials needed to become a rabbi. The Rebbe didn’t hesitate.“Anyone who teaches another person Torah is a rabbi.” We stopped smirking. The rebbe was not just speaking to that student, he cleverly speaking to all of us.

That answer wasn’t about lowering the bar. It was about redefining it. The goal isn’t to produce more professionals. It’s to empower people who feel capable of carrying and sharing Jewish life. Because the real issue isn’t how much someone knows. It’s whether they feel comfortable leading, whether they value what they’ve learned enough to step forward and use it.

You see this play out all the time. Someone is asked to lead a ritual, host a Shabbat dinner, say a blessing, and instead of stepping in, they call a rabbi. Not because the information is inaccessible. It’s all........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)