On One Foot
HOW SHOULD YOUR JEWISH VALUES AFFECT YOUR VOTE?
Just like Hillel’s student, we all have complex questions that we want answered as simply as possible. Here, we consider a question of contemporary relevance and consider how sources, both classical and modern, address it. by AVI FINEGOLD
SAMSON RAPHAEL HIRSCH, NINETEEN LETTERS (1836) To be pushed back and limited upon the path of life is … not an essential con- dition of the Galuth, Israel’s exile state among the nations, but, on the con- trary, it is our duty to join ourselves as closely as possible to the state which receives us into its midst, to promote its welfare and not to consider our well-being as in any way separate from that of the state to which we belong. 1 RABBI MOSHE FEINSTEIN IN AN OPEN LETTER TO THE JEWISH COMMUNITY (1984) A fundamental principle of Judaism is hakaras hatov — recognizing bene- fits afforded us and giving expression to our appreciation. Therefore, it is in- cumbent upon each Jewish citizen to participate in the democratic system which guards the freedoms we enjoy. The most fundamental responsibility of each individual is to register and to vote. Therefore, I urge all members of the Jewish community to fulfill their obliga- tions by registering as soon as possible, and by voting. By this, we can express our appreciation and contribute to the continued security of our community. 2 The king by justice establisheth the land, but the man who sets himself apart overthroweth it (Proverbs 29:4). The Torah’s king rules through justice and thereby causes the earth to endure, but the man who sets himself apart overthrows it. This implies that if a man acts as though he were separate by secluding himself in the corner of his home and declaring: “What concern are the problems of the community to me? What does their judgment mean to me? Why should I listen to them? I will do well (without them),” he helps to destroy the world. 3 MIDRASH TANCHUMA, MISHPATIM 2:1 (SEVENTH-TENTH CENTURY CE)
JEWS have always had interactions with governing bodies. Consider the shtad- lan — a term that refers to a Jewish leader who lobbied on behalf of the communi- ty to the local government. The shtadlan as a mainstay of Jewish communities rose to prominence in Europe in the seventeenth century, but the name and concept go back via Christian and Muslim Spain all the way to tenth century Baghdad, and just about anywhere else the Jews governed them- selves but still had to inter- act with whatever civic authorities were in charge. Historically, this lobby- ing tended to be exclusively regarding affairs that mat- tered to the Jewish commu- nity specifically — which generally meant trying to avoid blood libels or inquisitions — but was not a mechanism for trying to influence policies more broadly. By the twentieth
30 SPRING 2025
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