Why Do Elections Matter? Page 1

★☆ W H Y D O E L E C T I O N S M A T T E R ? ☆★

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

הוי מתפלל בשלומה רבי חנינא סגן הכהנים אומר

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?

יכין מסכת אבות פרק ג משנה ב, אות -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.

, אפילו של אומות העולם בשלומה של מלכות.

אולם לא קאמר בשלום המלך, מדיש מדינות

קנים שברומי בימים שהמנהיגים רבים, כהז

והשם מלכות כולל … הקדמונים, וכמדינת בזמנינו

גם זאת ההנהגה ולכן הזהיר על זה, משום שבשלום

ולא לבד מלכות, … המנהיג תלוי הצלחת כל אדם

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).

דכתיב )חבקוק א'( ותעשה אדם כדגי הים, חיים בלעו

מה דגים שבים כל הגדול מחבירו בולע את חבירו, אף

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.

הנותן תשועה למלכים וממשלה לנסיכים, מלכותו

רעה, מלכות כל עולמים, הפוצה את דוד עבדו מחרב

הנותן בים דרך ובמים עזים נתיבה, הוא יברך את

הנשיא ואת משנהו ואת כל מיני שרי המדינות האלו.

מלך מלכי המלכים, ברחמיו יחים וישמרם, ומכל צרה

ויגון ונזק יצילם. ויתן בלבם ובלב כל יועציהם

ושריהם לעשות טובות עמנו ועם כל ישראל אחינו.

וישראל ישכון לבטח. בימיהם ובימינו תושע יהודה,

ובא לציון גואל. וכן יהי רצון. ונומר: אמן.

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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 LEADER

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-שמות לא:ב

א( וידבר יקוק אלמשה לאמר:)

ה ) ל בןאורי בןחור למט ם בצלא ה קראתי בש ב( רא

יהודה:

א אתו רוח ג() בונה ואמל חכמה ובת אלהים ב

לאכה כל מ דעת וב וב

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

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.

בבלי מסכת ברכות נה.תלמוד

אין מעמידין פרנס על הצבור מר רבי יצחק:א

שנאמר יבראו קרא ה' , אלא אם כן נמלכים בצבור

בשם בצלאל.

אמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא למשה: משה, הגון עליך

-בצלאל? אמר לו: רבונו של עולם, אם לפניך הגון

אמר לו: אף על פי כן, לך אמור לפני לא כל שכן?

ואמר להם לישראל: הגון עליכם הלך להם.

בצלאל? אמרו לו: אם לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא

לפנינו לא כל שכן? -ולפניך הוא הגון

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!

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."

שכחיה רבה בר שילא לאליהו, אמר ליה: מאי קא

עביד הקדוש ברוך הוא? אמר ליה: קאמר שמעתא

מפומייהו דכולהו רבנן, ומפומיה דרבי מאיר לא

משום דקא גמר -קאמר. אמר ליה: אמאי?

רבי שמעתא מפומיה דאחר. אמר ליה: אמאי?

אמר מאיר רמון מצא, תוכו אכל, קליפתו זרק!

ליה: השתא קאמר: מאיר בני אומר: בזמן שאדם

קלני מראשי, -מצטער שכינהמה לשון אומרת

קלני מזרועי. אם כך הקדוש ברוך הוא מצטער על

וחומר על דמן של צדיקים קל -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?

Why Do Elections Matter? Page 9

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 א, חושן משפט קסג."רמ

יש כל צרכי צבור שאינן יכולין להשוות עצמן,

הם ויקבלו עלילהושיב כל בעלי בתים הנותנים מס

וילכו אחר שכל אחד יאמר דעתו לשם שמים,

הרוב.

When a legal matter would arise in the community

upon which unanimity could not be reach, the tax-

paying 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.

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”?