Jan 03, 2012 |  Filed in: Scholar In Residence

Reflections on Rabbi Jack Riemer

It may be that every Jewish book published in the world goes through one set of hands for review, the hands of Rabbi Jack Riemer. Not only every Jewish book, perhaps every Jewish newsletter and congregational bulletin. All of this is somehow absorbed and processed. So what does he do with it?

For one thing, since he knows about everything, those of us who know somewhat less consult him from time to time for advice and direction.

And, when he was a congregational rabbi in La Jolla or Miami (Beth David), or presenting at rabbinic gatherings and conferences, when he was traveling regularly as scholar for a Shabbat in any number of communities, that wealth of intake would be refined into ingots of golden sermons and teachings.

Jack’s not a pulpit rabbi at the moment. He still travels, not as often. The books keep coming to him, and the newsletters, and the bulletins. What comes from him now are internet communications, words of Torah that are at once readily available and profound. So Jack still travels weekly, if not from community to community, then through community to community at the speed of light.

We’re fortunate each year that he manages to descend from his home in Boca Raton and visit with us, in person. This year will be Wednesday, January 18th, during our noontime learning.

Wednesday noontime learning has been a practice for me for about 30 years, my ten years here at Temple Israel, and the two decades before when I was with the Havurah of South Florida. Wednesday is sometimes called “hump day,” the day one has to get over before the weekend arrives. I consider it the opposite, the lowest point in the week, the descent from the past Shabbat bottoming before one ascends to the coming Shabbat. I like to have an hour of learning to provide a bounce, to push me forward.

The Havurah used to learn in corporate board rooms, comfortable settings for 15 – 20 people. One year we were learning Abraham Joshua Heschel’s masterpiece, God in Search of Man. Jack was in Miami then. He heard of what we were doing and asked if he might sit in. He did so, quietly, not speaking until one particular issue was raised.
Heschel quoted a rabbinic midrash, a teaching well known among those with some learning, but not easy for novices to understand. So, I explained it. “You know,” one of the participants said, “Heschel should have had some readers go through his manuscript to pick things like this up. Another paragraph or two of explanation would have been welcome.”

That’s when Jack spoke. He said, “Would you be kind enough to turn to page 427?” is the last page of the book, titled Acknowledgment. Heschel writes, “For valuable suggestions, the author is grateful to Professor Maurice Friedman, to Professor Fritz Kaufmann, and to Rabbi Jacob Riemer who have read all or parts of the manuscript.”

We had an editor of God in Search of Man at the table and didn’t even know it. We know it now. Rabbi Riemer will be with us again January 18th at noon.