"What makes a "great" 21st-century rabbi?
She may comfort a dying man or mentor a struggling student or give a Rosh Hashanah sermon that sticks with her congregants throughout the year.
A "great" rabbi in the context of this list does these things, too. But they are also influencers on a grand scale, because they are effective at bringing ideas, innovations, and inspiration to large numbers of American Jews.
In crafting this list, we take into consideration a rabbi's public profile and constituency size and the magnitude with which their ideas are shaping the Jewish landscape. Special attention is paid to their work over the past 12 months. As is the case for just about every "top" or "best of" list, there is an element of subjectivity to how the list makers evaluate the criteria."
Continue reading "America's Top 50 Rabbis for 2013" in The Daily Beast.