Question
Must the son of a rabbi be given the job of shul rabbi upon the death of his father or may a shul search for the best candidate that may or may not include a rabbi who is the son of its now deceased rabbi?
Answer
There is great rabbinic dispute regrding this matter. The Chatam Sofer himself has two different answers to the dilemma in his teshuvot. I think that the prevailing opinion is that all things being equal a son should be able to take over his father's rabbinic position. The problem is that rarely are all things equal. Thanks for writing.
Rabbi Wein
