★☆ WHY DO ELECTIONS MATTER? ☆★ RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF A JEW AS A CITIZEN Imagine a country where Jews are prevented the right to vote, where they are held back from serving as lawyers, where men must swear on the New Testament should they wish to enter public office. This is how America looked in the late 1700s, a picture rather different from what we experience today. Even a republic founded with liberty as one of its core principles lacked true freedom… until Washington. George Washington’s Letter to Jews of Touro Synagogue
Gentlemen: While I received with much satisfaction your address replete with expressions of esteem, I rejoice in the opportunity of assuring you that I shall always retain grateful remembrance of the cordial welcome I experienced on my visit to Newport from all classes of citizens. The reflection on the days of difficulty and danger which are past is rendered the more sweet from a consciousness that they are succeeded by days of uncommon prosperity and security. If we have wisdom to make the best use of the advantages with which we are now favored, we cannot fail, under the just administration of a good government, to become a great and happy people. The citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy—a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of as if it were the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights, for, happily, the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual support. It would be inconsistent with the frankness of my character not to avow that I am pleased with your favorable opinion of my administration and fervent wishes for my felicity. May the children of the stock of Abraham who dwell in this land continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants—while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree and there shall be none to make him afraid. May the father of all mercies scatter light, and not darkness, upon our paths, and make us all in our several vocations useful here, and in His own due time and way everlastingly happy. G. Washington
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Government has always related to religion. The Constitution has different laws and allowances to accommodate religious practice. But, does our religion demand our reciprocal involvement in government? PRAYER: KEEPING THE GOVERNMENT IN OUR MINDS, IN OUR HEARTS
משנה מסכת אבות פרק ג משנה ב רבי חנינא סגן הכהנים אומר הוי מתפלל בשלומה של מלכות שאלמלא מוראה איש את רעהו חיים בלעו
Rabbi Chanina, deputy to the kohanim, would say: Pray for the integrity of the monarchy; for were it not for the fear of its authority, a man would swallow his neighbor alive
How does this text understand the role of government?
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT . . .
Does this statement apply specifically to Jewish governments? Why does the Mishna say to pray for the peace of the “”מלכות, a plural word meaning “kingship”, rather than for the “”מלך, the king?
אות, יכין מסכת אבות פרק ג משנה ב- תפארת ישראל Praying for the peace of the government applies even to non-Jewish governments, but note it does not say the peace of the “king”, but rather includes governments that are led by many, like the elders in Rome in the early days or like governments in our times… the term “kingship” includes this kind of leadership, as well. Be careful about this (to pray for the welfare of the government), because the peace of the leader determines each person’s success… and not just kingship alone, but any leader with his city and his congregation is called by the title “king”. Pray for their peace in order that they should have rest, which ultimately will ensure the welfare of all.
Why Do Elections Matter?
, אפילו של אומות העולם.בשלומה של מלכות מדיש מדינות,אולם לא קאמר בשלום המלך כהזקנים שברומי בימים,שהמנהיגים רבים וכמדינת בזמנינו… והשם מלכות כולל,הקדמונים משום שבשלום,גם זאת ההנהגה ולכן הזהיר על זה ,המנהיג תלוי הצלחת כל אדם… ולא לבד מלכות אלא גם כל מנהיג בעירו ועדתו נקרא בשם מלך והוה מתפלל בשלומם כדי שיהיה להם מנוח לפקח על טובת הכלל
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ברטנורא "would swallow alive:" As it is written (Habakkuk 1:14) "And you make man like the fish of the sea" - just like the fish of the sea, each one that is bigger than his fellow swallows his fellow; so too people, were it not for the fear of the government, each one who is bigger than his fellow would swallow his fellow (Avodah Zarah 54b).
,חיים בלעו דכתיב (חבקוק א') ותעשה אדם כדגי הים אף,מה דגים שבים כל הגדול מחבירו בולע את חבירו בני אדם אלמלא מוראה של מלכות כל הגדול מחברו :]בולע את חבירו [עבודה זרה דף נד ע''ב
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:
Has government brought our country closer to upholding the sense of morality the Torah encourages? How many people in America who uphold basic morals truly fear God vs. only behave as they do because of the constraints of civilized society?
Prayer for the Welfare of the Government One who grants salvation to kings and rulership to princes, His reign is eternal, the One who saved Dovid His servant from the evil sword, the One who gives the sea direction and the strong waters a path, He will bless the president and the deputy ministers and all types of government officials. King, the King of kings, in His mercy He will sustain them and safeguard them, from all trouble and anguish and damage He will save them. He will put it in their hearts and in the heart of each of their advisers and their ministers to do good with us and with all of our brothers in Israel. In their days and in our days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely and the redeemer will come to Zion. And so may it be God’s will, and let us say: Amen.
Why Do Elections Matter?
מלכותו,הנותן תשועה למלכים וממשלה לנסיכים , הפוצה את דוד עבדו מחרב רעה,מלכות כל עולמים הוא יברך את,הנותן בים דרך ובמים עזים נתיבה .הנשיא ואת משנהו ואת כל מיני שרי המדינות האלו ומכל צרה, ברחמיו יחים וישמרם,מלך מלכי המלכים ויתן בלבם ובלב כל יועציהם.ויגון ונזק יצילם .ושריהם לעשות טובות עמנו ועם כל ישראל אחינו . וישראל ישכון לבטח,בימיהם ובימינו תושע יהודה . אמן: ונומר. וכן יהי רצון.ובא לציון גואל
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VOTING: DOES A GOOD JEW CAST THE VOTE? Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, Letter - October 3, 1982
MEET REB MOSHE Rav Moshe Feinstein (March 3, 1895 – March 23, 1986) was a Lithuanian Orthodox rabbi, scholar, and posek (an authoritative adjudicator of questions related to Jewish law), who was world-renowned for his expertise in Halakha and was regarded by many as the de facto supreme halakhic authority for Orthodox Jewry of North America. He is widely referred to simply as "Reb Moshe", and his halakhic rulings are often referenced in contemporary rabbinic literature.
QUESTION TO CONSIDER: Has government ever helped or hurt your religious identity? How?
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CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY: SUPPORTING COMMUNITY, CIVIC ACTION, & SETTING A POSITIVE EXAMPLE What role does our religion play in fostering civic responsibility in contemporary times? Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks:
“Civility and civil society look like different things. One is a personal matter of manners, sensitivity, politeness, tact. The other is a social phenomenon: associations, congregations, communities of commitment. What connects them is concern for the welfare of others, a refusal to let everything be determined by politics or economics, an insistence that human beings owe one another a respect that is not coerced or paid for, but simply because they are human beings. Civility and civil society represent the power of the personal in a world of impersonal forces. They create friendships in societies where we are thrown together as strangers. They are oases of togetherness in the anonymity of urban life and the lonely crowd. They cut across conflict and competition. If we lose civility, and if civil society becomes politicized, the future of freedom is in danger.”
“Rights are noble things, essential to human dignity, but without the widespread diffusion of responsibility they are undeliverable.”
“One of Judaism’s most distinctive and challenging ideas is its ethics of responsibility, the idea that God invites us to become, in the rabbinic phrase, his ‘partners in the world of creation’. The God who created the world in love calls on us to create in love. The God who gave us the gift of freedom asks us to use it to honour and enhance the freedom of others.”
"Rights are things we claim. Duties are things we perform. Duties, in other words, are rights translated from the passive to the active mode.”
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A TORAH PERSPECTIVE ON SELECTING A LEADE R What kind of person does the Torah identify as a good leader?
List three of the most essential qualities of a leader. How would you arrange these qualities in order of importance?
In Shemot 31, God elects Bezalel to construct the Mishkan, the holy Temple the Jews used while wandering in the Wilderness, and its vessels. When He tells Moshe that Bezalel has been chosen for the job, He mentions the special qualities divinely imbued in Bezalel to help him fulfill this prestigious, but challenging leadership role.
ג-ב:שמות לא The Lord spoke to Moshe, saying: "See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have imbued him with the spirit of God, with wisdom, with insight, with knowledge, and with [talent for] all manner of craftsmanship
:(א) ַוי ְדַ בֵּר י ְקֹוָק אֶ למ ֹשֶ ה לֵּאמ ֹר ֶןאּורי בֶןחּור לְמַ טֵּה ִ (ב) ְראֵּה קָ ָראתִ י בְשֵּ ם ְב ַצלְאֵּ ל ב :י ְהּודָ ה (ג) וָאֲ מַ לֵּא א ֹתֹו רּו ַח אֱ ֹלהִים ְּב ָחכְּמָה ּובִתְּ בּונָה ּובְּדַ עַת ּו ְּבכָל מְּ לָאכָה
Rav Kook, Ein Ayah This will be the way for future generations, to know that the best way to choose a community leader is for the virtues of justice, wisdom and grace to follow this order one after the other. This order is binding, and it is forbidden to change from this order. First he must be a G-d fearing person possessing many virtues, and only then wisdom and talent, and finally outward appearance and proper speech before the public.
MEET RAV KOOK Abraham Isaac Kook (1865–1935) was the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of the British Mandatory Palestine, the founder of Yeshiva Mercaz HaRav Kook (The Central Universal Yeshiva), Jewish thinker, Halakhist, Kabbalist and a renowned Torah scholar. He is known as HaRav Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook, and by the acronym HaRaAYaH, or simply as "HaRav." He was one of the most celebrated and influential rabbis of the 20th century.
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Rav Mordechai Greenberg, Rosh HaYeshiva Kerem B’Yavneh - “The Source for Elections in the Torah” A leader needs three qualities: First, he needs inner character – sanctity, purity and morality. Second, he needs pragmatic ability to lead the people. Third, he needs external impression – ability of speech, etc. (what we call charisma). However, the three are not equal. The first and most important quality, only G-d knows. The second quality, people can judge, but not everyone. The third, and least important, everyone can tell. Therefore, first G-d gave His approval, indicating the first quality, then Moshe, and then the people. Unfortunately, nowadays the order is reversed, and people focus on external qualities first. Before making Bezalel’s job official, God seeks approval from Moshe and then from the Jewish people.
.תלמוד בבלי מסכת ברכות נה A leader should not be appointed over the community without consulting the community [first], as it says: "See Hashem has proclaimed by name, Bezalel." They said to him: "If he is worthy before Hashem and before you, then certainly before us!" G-d said to Moshe: Moshe, is Bezalel acceptable to you? [Moshe] said to Him: Master of the Universe! If he is acceptable to you – certainly to me! [G-d] said to him: Even so, go and tell them. He went and said to Israel: Is Bezalel acceptable to you? They said to him: If he is acceptable to G-d and to you – certainly to us!
אין מעמידין פרנס על הצבור:אמר רבי יצחק ' שנאמר יבראו קרא ה,אלא אם כן נמלכים בצבור .בשם בצלאל הגון עליך, משה:אמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא למשה - אם לפניך הגון, רבונו של עולם:בצלאל? אמר לו לך אמור, אף על פי כן:לפני לא כל שכן? אמר לו הגון עליכם: הלך ואמר להם לישראל.להם אם לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא:בצלאל? אמרו לו ? לפנינו לא כל שכן- ולפניך הוא הגון
QUESTION TO CONSIDER: Why might a public leader have to appear worthy in the eyes of Moshe and the nation, if he already has been deemed worthy by G-d?
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CHOOSING BASED ON PARTY AFFILIATION – IS IT OK TO BE A ONE ISSUE VOTER? Should I vote for a candidate based solely on his support for Israel? His stance on religious freedom? His past efforts supporting the Jewish community? How do I make the best decision possible selecting a leader? Rabbi Meir was a great Torah scholar and loyal student of Rabbi Elisha ben Abuya, a once respected leader who later abandoned the Jewish way, lost his rabbinic title, and became known simply as “Acher”, or “Other”. Much to the surprise of the public, even once Rabbi Elisha ben Abuya had strayed from the path of righteousness, his student Rabbi Meir continued to follow after him.
:תלמוד בבלי מסכת חגיגה טו Rabbi Meir Rabba bar Shila said to Elijah: "What is God doing?" He replied, "He is quoting novel Torah insights of the sages, but not the insights of Rabbi Meir." "Why not Rabbi Meir?" Rabba asked. "Because he learned Torah from Elisha ben Abuya," said Elijah. Raba said, "Rabbi Meir found a pomegranate. He ate its fruit and threw out its peel!" (i.e., he knew what to learn from him and what not). Elijah said, "Now the Almighty blessed be He also quotes the novel Torah insights of Rabbi Meir, and with particular fondness."
מאי קא: אמר ליה,שכחיה רבה בר שילא לאליהו קאמר שמעתא:עביד הקדוש ברוך הוא? אמר ליה ומפומיה דרבי מאיר לא,מפומייהו דכולהו רבנן משום דקא גמר- ? אמאי: אמר ליה.קאמר אמאי? רבי: אמר ליה.שמעתא מפומיה דאחר קליפתו זרק! אמר, תוכו אכל,מאיר רמון מצא בזמן שאדם: מאיר בני אומר: השתא קאמר:ליה , קלני מראשי- מצטער שכינהמה לשון אומרת אם כך הקדוש ברוך הוא מצטער על.קלני מזרועי קל וחומר על דמן של צדיקים- דמן של רשעים .שנשפך
The above text discusses how Rabbi Meir uniquely followed after a Jewish leader. Do you think the text can apply to how we elect a political leader, regardless of his religious association? Remember that Rabbi Meir was not the average man, rather one of the most esteemed Jewish figures of his time. Rabbi Meir learned from Elisha ben Abuya, but he knew how to distinguish between the desirable and undesirable portions. Do you think we can also follow after leaders who contain both the “fruit” and its “peel”, hopeful to properly select the good from the bad?
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In Europe during the era of the Rishonim (1050-1500), Jewish leaders were chosen by majority rule of the tax-paying members of the community. Their voting process was unique because each voter had to vow his vote was cast with pure intentions and for the sake of heaven, not with his own personal interests in mind.
1# . חושן משפט קסג,רמ"א When a legal matter would arise in the community upon which unanimity could not be reach, the taxpaying lay leaders would gather together and they accepted upon themselves that each one would voice his opinion for the sake of heaven, and they went by the majority.
יש,כל צרכי צבור שאינן יכולין להשוות עצמן להושיב כל בעלי בתים הנותנים מס ויקבלו עליהם וילכו אחר,שכל אחד יאמר דעתו לשם שמים .הרוב
QUESTION TO CONSIDER: Is voting for whoever is seemingly best for the Jewish people, but not for society as a whole considered voting “for the sake of heaven”?
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