Sulam Yaakov believes that Jewish Leadership today needs be nurtured in three areas: Access, Perspective, and Wisdom.
Access
The acquisition of learning skills and knowledge are the building blocks of a path towards becoming a Talmid Chacham. These are imparted with a clear stress on breath of knowledge (Bekiut), supported by a methodological study of traditional and academic analysis of text (iyun).
Perspective
A profound appreciation of the social and historical realities of our people is crucial for any kind of significant leadership ability to emerge. Sulam Yaakov nurtures this through meaningful exposure to a spectrum of perspectives and experiences representing the diverse perspectives on Judaism and Torah today.
Wisdom
We believe that wisdom is attained through a personal process that includes developing a capacity for contemplation, providing opportunities for acquiring deep self knowledge, and building an environment that encourages and supports this process. This is addressed through personal assignments, group dynamics, and meditative/contemplative techniques.
Leadership for Today
A Rabbi today must possess the ability to relate to and inspire a broad spectrum of people with different interests and needs.
A Rabbi must command sufficient Torah knowledge to justify recognition as a Rabbinic and Halachic authority.
To relate to the complete spectrum of Jews, a Rabbi’s teaching must be sophisticated and intellectually sound, meaningful to an academically educated public.
A Rabbi must inspire the heart and serve as a spiritual resource in the personal dimension of people’s lives. Training in pastoral counseling as well as specific tools for spiritual counseling is included in our training.
A Rabbi must demonstrate through his behavior that people matter, radiating warmth, and demonstrating an authentic interest in their lives and needs.
