Code of Conduct

The RCA Code of Conduct sets out basic guidelines for the ethical and professional conduct of rabbis. While no code of this sort can be all inclusive, this Code establishes clear parameters that will guide the members of the Rabbinical Council of America. This Code will serve as a framework for rabbinic comportment and as a resource for rabbis to provide clarity when they face questions and challenges. It will be helpful for rabbis to study this code before entering the rabbinate and to review it during their professional tenures so as to avoid both actual impropriety and the appearance thereof.

The Halakhah and the Mussar tradition provide us with rules, guidelines, and advice, legal and aspirational, regarding proper behavior, both personal and professional. This Code of Conduct is intended to clarify the application of those traditions, supplemented with details that have particular relevance to the contemporary rabbinate.

The Code’s goals are three-fold:

1. To contribute to the professionalism and responsible conduct of the rabbinate in the modern world.
2. To further the mandates of Kiddush HaShem and avoidance of Hillul HaShem as expressed in Yoma 86a, in the statement of R. Yitzhak – “If one’s colleagues are shamed by his actions, that constitutes a Hillul HaShem.”
3. It is intended to support rabbis in their efforts to fulfill the biblical mandate to “be blameless before God and Israel” (Num. 32:22).

In general, a rabbi must aspire to uphold the highest ethical standards, and, to the best of his ability, avoid even the appearance of impropriety. Tokho ke-baro (personal integrity) should be his ethical lodestar. He should conduct himself with humility, be aware of his own shortcomings, seek counsel and advice when appropriate, admit failings when relevant, and engage in teshuvah when necessary.