Writing Responsa: A Personal Journey

A major problem for any writer is our modern impatience. Our inquirers want instant answers. How fortunate were the gaonim in Baghdad who received an inquiry from hundreds or thousands of miles away and had months, till the departure of the next caravan, to prepare a reply. Many questions come to me through urgent telephone calls. For example, a colleague calls about a minhag which has led to a dispute among mourners as a funeral is about to start; an immediate response is necessary and there is no time for research. I have always provided a tentative answer and indicated that it may need to be changed. My later detailed answer often demanded some modification, but at least the service could proceed peacefully. Even if the matters are not quite so urgent, a timely answer not one produced with academic leisure, is usually needed. This means that a committee process is a luxury for many questions, if we wish to truly help our colleagues. As both colleagues and lay individuals need guidance more or less immediately, I often have to place the background material into a later responsum to a related question.

There have been specific American considerations, such as the American Jew’s emphasis on individualism and personal autonomy. We have created unique organizational structures that have led to new types of questions concerning charity, social aid, and education. Jewish religious bodies, both lay and rabbinic with their resolutions and takanot, are different from those of the past. The nature of the rabbinate has been redefined several times during the last two centuries. It has become professionalized, so that the traditional view needed adjustment.

It was not always easy to balance the task of writing responsa with the responsibilities of a large congregation with its numerous religious services, educational programs, pastoral duties, family crises, and communal tasks alongside a growing family and other interests. Only long evenings and early mornings of study along with tight personal organization has made it possible.