In the past few days I have begun to atone for my private failings with my friends and my religious community. The remorse I feel will always be with me. Words cannot describe how grateful I am for the love and compassion they have shown me. From those to whom much is given, much is expected. I have been given much: the love of my family, the faith and trust of Orthodox Jews everywhere, and the chance to be Your Moral Leader. I am deeply sorry that I did not live up to what was expected of me. To every Torah Jew, and to all those who believed in what I tried to stand for, I sincerely apologize.
I look at my time as Your Moral Leader with a sense of what might have been, but I also know that as a public servant I, and the remarkable people with whom I worked, have accomplished a great deal. There is much more to be done, and I cannot allow my private failings to disrupt the people’s work. Over the course of my public life, I have insisted, I believe correctly, that people, regardless of their position or power, take responsibility for their conduct. I can and will ask no less of myself. For this reason, I am resigning from the office of Your Moral Leader. At Rabbi Steven Weil’s request, the resignation will be effective Monday, March 17, a date that he believes will permit an orderly transition.
I go forward with the belief, as others have said, that as human beings, our greatest glory consists not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. As I leave public life, I will first do what I need to do to help and heal myself and my family. Then I will try once again, outside of religion, to serve the common good and to move toward the ideals and solutions which I believe can build a future of hope and opportunity for us and for our children. I hope all Jews will join my prayers for my friend, Rabbi Weil, as he embarks on his new mission, and I thank the public once again for the privilege of service.
