My Credo as a Religious Professional - December 1, 1980 - Human Relations Practicum - Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion - Cincinnati, OH

 I just found this while going through my files before our upcoming move.    Here is how I expressed my credo six months before I was ordained as a rabbi nearly 40 years ago. 

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 MY CREDO AS A RELIGIOUS PROFESSIONAL 

Larry Karol 

Human Relations Practicum 

12/1/80 

I have studied Bible, Rabbinic literature, Jewish history, and other subjects in preparation for the rabbinate. There is a saying l have encountered which, I believe, expresses my credo: a basis for my career as a Reform rabbi. It is stated in Sayings of the Rabbi (Pirkei Avot) 1:6: "Find yourself a teacher and get you a colleague." By applying this maxim to myself and my congregants, I am confident that my years in the active rabbinate will be fruitful and rewarding. 

1. "Find yourself a teacher"--In my experiences as a student rabbi, I have discovered that every person has something to offer and teach. Congregants at my bi-weekly pulpit have given me insights into my own personality, my effectiveness as a preacher and pastor, and into life in general. I have visited Jews in hospitals, senior centers and private homes and discussed history, education, politics and current events. I hope to continue to learn, in the future, from members of the congregations in which I serve.
2.   "Get you a colleague”- Should I serve as an assistant rabbi, I will look upon my senior rabbi as a "teacher" and colleague.”  I recognize the importance of exchanging ideas and discussing problems with other rabbis. I hope to develop enriching relationships with my colleagues so that I may learn from and, hopefully, instruct them in return. 
3. "Find yourself a teacher”--It will be my task to be a teacher of Jews of all ages. I will study all Judaism my life, and I believe that all Jews should make Jewish education a lifelong endeavor. I see programs in Youth Education and Adult Study as equally important.  A religious school can provide Jewish young people with a firm background. Religious learning, however, should go beyond that point. Rabbis, teachers and parents should constantly seek Jewish knowledge, for their own edification and for passing on that knowledge to the next generations. 
4. "Get you a colleague"--I would understand “colleague" 1n the sense of "friend." Rabbis are “people who care.” They serve their congregants in times of joy and in times of crisis and need. Rabbis are pastors and counselors.  People seek their guidance and understanding. Many Jews also look to rabbis as exemplars of ethical behavior and human concern. I do feel that rabbis should set such an example so that others will follow and maintain for themselves to a high level of concern and morality.  I will treat congregants with respect and honesty--as “colleagues, “ my equals--in the.hope that my behavior will engender respect and honesty in return. 
5. "Get you a colleague”—I would take "colleague" to imply, also, friendship outside the congregation and outside the Jewish community. Interfaith programming and dialogue can lead to such fellowship, and dispel the ignorance of Judaism which is rampant in some sectors of our society. I would try to form relationships with Christian clergy and lay persons to share with them with insights about our faiths  and engender cooperation within the community-at-large. 
6. "Find yourself a RAV"--Judaism is a religion of deed, and while I will serve my congregants as a teacher, pastor and religious functionary, I will try to train them to be doers of Judaism. Like the rabbis of old, I would be their RAV, providing guidance on the religious aspects of their lives. I would be a facilitator, seeking to raise congregants to a higher level of knowledge, participation and self-sufficiency in Judaism and Jewish life. This is being achieved now through adult education and chavurot programming, and I wholeheartedly believe in involving members of congregations more fully in religious worship, ceremonies and study. 
7. "Find yourself a RAV and get you a friend"-A RAV not only teaches and studies. A RAV should strive to guide Jews spiritually. A rabbi must be in tune with the Jewish soul. I have always considered music to be a vital expression of the soul of our people. It can unify a congregation in worship and serve as a tool for education.  The Psalms, the cantillation of the Torah, Haftarah and the Scrolls, and many musical pieces composed inside and outside of the synagogue setting speak to us of our heritage and our faith.  I am am committed to the task of maintaining music as an integral part of worship and celebration, through choral singing and congregational participation.  I would support, and, if necessary, involve myself in the music program of any congregation which I serve as rabbi. 

 "Find yourself a teacher, and get you a colleague.” This statement, in all of its interpretations, will be my credo as a religious professional, as I become a leader in the American Jewish community.