Rabbi Ezra Labaton: A Revolutionary Life

Over These Things We Weep

Which Rabbi Labaton shall we eulogize? Should we lament the disappearance of the world-class academic mind from our midst?  The rabbi was certainly an erudite scholar – a man who spent decades steeped in the study of subtle philosophical writings and concepts.  As a holder of a Doctorate degree, he possessed knowledge and understanding that few of us could lay claim to.

Or perhaps we should wail the passing of an educator whose wit and energy kindled countless minds?  As a pedagogue to students old and young he consistently, over generations, demonstrated a singular capacity for simultaneously informing and inspiring – a combination that only elite educators may call their own.

Instead, we could bemoan the loss of our faithful and constant shepherd who suffered many a ‘cold night’ on our behalf.  As a pastor he offered limitless time and heart-felt attention upon those who sought his guidance.

Alternatively, we could pine over the decades of penetrating oratory that our ears shall never hear.

The Rabbi was all of these and much more.  Anyone who spent time basking in the Rabbi’s light could not but be filled with the certainty that the Rabbi reached heights surpassed by none in our generation.  The fact is that Rabbi Ezra Labaton, עליו השלום, could be the subject of a dozen different eulogies and, were they combined into one, they would barely scratch the surface of the life so painfully cut short.

One thing, however, is certain: when we look at the 63 years of the Rabbi’s life, it is clear that he understood, internalized and then embodied what is most important and precious about God’s expectations and about life itself?

L’taqen ‘Olam – To Improve our world

It comes down to this:  while there is little we are capable of judging, there is one thing that only we, as individuals, can judge.  Only we know who makes us feel loved, appreciated, understood, cared for, valued and cherished.  When it comes to fundamental and affirmative unconditional love, we are each uniquely and solely qualified to issue judgment on who has passed that test.

In the last weeks (if not the last several decades) hundreds and hundreds of community members have issued their unanimous verdict: Rabbi Ezra Labaton loved, guided, embraced and affirmed them in ways that reached the very core of their beings.  Such love (and the word is woefully inadequate to capture the effusive outpouring of light and joy that we felt in his presence) disappeared too soon and our souls ache when we contemplate the gaping chasm that he left behind.

Created in the Image

One of the problems of our generation is that we have trouble finding God.  It isn’t that we don’t want to find Him – we do, desperately.  But with all of our blessings of wealth and peace, we cannot seem to perceive beyond the day-to-day and grasp any of His essence – we cannot find a toehold on the mountain of God that we know surely stands before us.  But what we now realize, in looking backwards, is that Rabbi Labaton gave us, in some difficult-to-define way, access to the Divine.  I don’t mean that he spoke to God for us or that he intermediated with Him on our behalf (although he certainly did so).  I mean, instead, that he was so pure a reflection of what God wants from each of us that, through his actions and, ultimately, through the person that he became, we got a clear glimpse of what God had in mind when He told us that man was made “b’selem elokim”.

It’s not irony that we sense when we reflect on how closely the Rabbi was identified with that phrase – it’s a strong sense of congruence and correspondence – a feeling that there could be nothing more fitting than for our generation’s spokesman for ‘selem elokim’ to be the most sublime paradigm of the very phrase.  And if we are right, all of us, that the Rabbi was a person who most closely reflects (to the extent possible) the Divine ‘selem’, then, in fact, what better way for us to understand and grasp the Divine than to understand who and what he was.

A Quiet Revolution

Rabbi Labaton fooled us.

Because he operated via a very gentle ‘user-friendly’ “interface”, we may have been lulled into thinking he was merely a soft-spoken and simple man naively in love with all that surrounded him.  But what is clear upon reflection is that he was a revolutionary.  What is so absolutely revolutionary about him is that his passing has confirmed a principle that could only be guessed at during his life: seemingly naive goodness, for its own sake, can do what hard-nosed, political, take-no-prisoners power can never do.

What a lesson for any thinking and sensitive person!  The Rabbi’s life taught us that there really is a viable alternative when faced with the good/difficult vs. the expedient/less good choice.  Anyone who observes life is troubled by the success of the powerful, harsh and ruthless characters that we all know.  When we are able to eke out a few truly good moments in life we feel that we are paying the heaviest price for doing so.  R. Labaton showed that by living the purest of lives with what we might call “naive” joy and wonder, you can have it ‘all’.  And he did it under the most difficult of circumstances which include severe health problems. This lesson is not be lost or buried along with him.

We loved him for how he treated us and what he gave to us as a leader, teacher, pastor and scholar, but I am in awe of him for how he lived.  I stand silent before his absolute refusal to give in to what the rest of us compromise with all the time.  He was simply a Man in the highest and best sense of the word – a Man in the way that God designed men to be.  A Man who lived life as an image of God.

 Once in a Generation

Let me close with a description of a once-in-a-generation luminary:

“What made him so attractive …..? His unique blend of intellectual accomplishment, sincere pious conviction, and dynamic, forceful, humane and humble leadership.

“(He) deeply impressed all those with whom he came in contact. His personal sense of piety and integrity, his devotion to the religious ideals that characterized all of his work, and his humane, forceful and clearly articulated vision of leadership brought (those who he interacted with) to a profound sense of appreciation for this devoted and committed (leader).….The reasons for his impact are very clear. (His) personal demeanor, charisma, depth of heart, brilliance of mind, total involvement in community life and transmitter of the Maimonidean heritage …. A man of this stature comes along once in a generation“

These words, now prophetic, were written by R. Ezra Labaton years ago and reflect his views of the 13th century luminary, R. Abraham ben HaRambam (the subject of his Doctoral dissertation).  How fitting is it that the very words penned by the Rabbi himself concerning the subject of 30 years of PhD. study should so aptly describe the Rabbi himself?  And how instructive is it for us that he would never have recognized himself in those words?

Rabbi, I will sorely miss you and I know there is no one who can stand where you stood.

May we merit to emulate Rabbi Ezra Labaton and, in doing so, sharpen the reflection of our Divine image and thereby hasten the tikun ‘olam he so diligently sought. Amen

By Ricky Rudy