In his second lecture on R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinksi for Torah in Motion, history professor Marc B. Shapiro says: Rabbi Yitzkak Rubenstein serves as the spiritual rav of Vilna. He served as spiritual rav in Chaim Ozer’s place for four years (around WWI). Many people were impressed by him.
“Gershon Bacon, a professor of history at Bar Ilan, has written an article on the dispute over the rabbinate of Vilna. It brings to the fore a new definition of the rabbi that you’ve never seen before. The rabbi that you want most is no longer the greatest scholar but one who is of service to the community.
“Rabbi Yitzkak Rubenstein comes on the scene when Chaim Ozer isn’t there and shows that he’s not just a Torah scholar but is one who serves the community as Chaim Ozer never did. All Chaim Ozer did was what all rabbonim did — posken shailas (answers questions about Jewish law) and give shiurim (Torah lectures). Very different from Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik (the Brisker Rav), who thought the most important task of the rav was to help widows and orphans. Rav Chaim did not give shiurim in Brisk. He did not give Shabbos Teshuva drasha or posken shailas. He was involved in people’s personal lives. He helped them with their problems. He took care of children born out of wedlock.”
“That the community voted for Rabbi Yitzkak Rubenstein is the new model of the rabbi and the model we see today. Particularly in Modern Orthodox synagogues, how often is scholarship the deciding factor? How you preach a sermon was irrelevant in Europe. I think all of our shuls veto Torah scholars because they don’t have people skills or the like. I don’t know if being a Torah scholar is even a desire for most shuls.”
