The heroes
of this book are the rabbis of small and medium-sized communities in Eastern
Europe. Who were these rabbis? What were their training processes? Did they get
their jobs on account of their scholastic or rhetorical skills, their family
ties, or because they had the capital to buy these positions? Were their
positions permanent or was the threat of dismissal constantly hovering over
their heads? How were their terms of employment and wages determined, and what
was their economic situation? Were they perceived as spiritual leaders? What
were their relationships with the community's power centers? How did they
navigate between their duties as halakhic authorities and their desire to
engage in learning and teaching? The book attempts to answer these questions
based on an examination of a world of over one thousand rabbis.