Ed

The readership was split about 50/50 on my response to poor, old Ed yesterday. Some thought I over-reacted, and read his remarks uncharitably. Others thought I was spot on, and encouraged me privately to go even further. At least two of you asked me to ban him outright.

I've asked Ed to write a guest post which will clarfiy his position to his critics. As even Ed's supporters noted, his reading of the Open Letter was not sophisticated, and his response was inappropriate. Generous readers gave him the benefit of the doubt, and gave great weight to his subsequent explanations. Less generous readers did not. I urge Ed to satisfy his critics by writing a guest post which sets the record straight.

To those who think I mistreated Ed, I have this to say: I know Ed, and in general, I believe his intentions are good, but his priorities are screwed up. Though it is true that I over-reacted, it's hard to read the Open Letter without boiling over and Ed, by being Ed, blundered into the line of fire. That's not an excuse for my reaction and I apologize. However, Ed needs to understand that when the whole thread --indeed the whole blogosphere-- is talking about saving children, and all he wants to talk about is the glory and honor of the rabbinate, he comes across --at best-- like a heartless jerk.