Most Orthodox rabbis like to keep their distance. They love their gravitas. “It’s for the honor of the Torah,” they think.
I just heard from some people who chose Bnai David-Judea because its rav, Yosef Kanefsky, is unpretentious and approachable.
Rabbi Kanefsky is usually addressed as “Rav Yosef.” I could never do that. I could never call my rabbi by his first name.
Ironically, I recall a couple of talks Rabbi Kanefsky gave where he said, “Most people have friends…” He was alluding to the lonely nature of the rabbi’s job. One year in his big talk before Rosh Hashanah, he said he had resolved to look less burdened.
A few years later, he underwent angioplasty.
