“I had the usual anxieties when I was younger. Making...

“I had the usual anxieties when I was younger.  Making good grades.  Keeping my parents happy.  So there were elements of my personality that were drawn to being a rabbi.  I thought it would give me a platform to guide people and make them happy.  Pleasing people in exchange for adoration was a very convenient arrangement for me.  But I forgot that if you’re in a position to please people, you’re also in a position to disappoint.  In many ways the rabbi is a symbol.  People see you as a symbol of how God thinks.  Or feels towards them.  Or acts toward them.  And that’s a lot of pressure.  There’s pressure to be fully present for everyone, even at the supermarket or Sunday soccer games.  You always want to give comfort.  Or a thoughtful response. Or at the very least your undivided attention.  And that can be exhausting.  Especially in the age of the iPhone.  I had a wild dream one night that all eight hundred families at my synagogue were lined up outside my office.  And everyone needed me at the exact same time.”