There is an instructive comment in the Talmud that one should not profit materially from imparting Torah. Torah was given freely by the Eternal, and therefore one cannot charge for what was given at no cost. Hence, we rabbis cannot be paid to be teachers of Torah! If that is the case, then what are rabbis paid for?
In my forty years as an active rabbi, I found out. I had the opportunity to work in small, midsized, and large congregations, direct Hillel Foundations and a region of the URJ, and teach a number of university courses. My favorite story regarding how a rabbi earns a living arose when I spent a morning at the Hillel House at the University of Buffalo fixing a stubborn leak in one of the bathroom sinks. As I went outside to get some lunch, I bumped into a professor I knew who was walking his dog. We chatted a bit, then the professor commented, “I always have wanted to know just what a rabbi does.” At that point, all I could think of was some light plumbing.
There are numerous activities and events of those years for which I am proud—and quite a number I regret. Focusing on the positive, let me mention two particular highlights:
As the URJ regional director in Canada in the late 1990s, I had a significant role in establishing Camp George in Ontario, culminating an effort that had been in place for over a decade. The need for a Reform Movement camp in Canada was reflected by having all its beds filled in that first summer of 1999. Further, it posted a first-year operating budget in the black. I had been a camper, counselor, and faculty member at Union camps since 1959. Almost nothing in all those experiences compare to getting a successful camp off the ground.
From 2013 to 2018, I had the honor of being the editor-in-chief of the Reform Jewish Quarterly. With the withdrawal to digital-only format or outright disappearance of many publications, the RJQ remains a critical outlet for modern liberal Jewish scholarship and expression. I am delighted to have had a part in producing and promoting so many thoughtful essays, poems, and reviews.
My fifty years as a rabbi (plus four as student at HUC-JIR) would have been greatly diminished without the love and care of my wife, Debbie. She has been my severest critic and my steadfast support. Any success I have had is at least in part due to her. Although she had a legal career as a litigator and mediator, she served—as do most rabbi spouses—as an unpaid employee of the congregation; a task that can be as socially and emotionally demanding as any profession. As I achieve honorary status in the CCAR, I extend all my honor and love to Deborah Grand Golomb.
Rabbi Paul Golomb is senior scholar at Vassar Temple in Poughkeepsie, New York and is celebrating 50 years as a Reform rabbi. We look forward to celebrating him and all of the CCAR’s 50-year rabbis when we come together at CCAR Convention 2025.
