The Torah of Voting

  

Yes, I am a registered Democrat.

(I’ll let you guess who I voted for.)

The 2016 Presidential election feels more real with New York’s primary today.

I prefer not to say too much.  I’ll only note that, throughout the campaign, various candidates in both parties (some more than others) have said things that really disturb me greatly and go against my Jewish and American values. 

As we stand on the cusp of the Jewish Festival of Freedom, it is appropriate to reflect on the religious significance of voting.  Spoiler alert: I think it is a mitzvah to vote and be engaged in the political process.

In Jeremiah 29:6-7, we read:

קְחוּ נָשִׁים וְהוֹלִידוּ בָּנִים וּבָנוֹת וּקְחוּ לִבְנֵיכֶם נָשִׁים וְאֶת בְּנוֹתֵיכֶם תְּנוּ לַאֲנָשִׁים וְתֵלַדְנָה בָּנִים וּבָנוֹת וּרְבוּ שָׁם וְאַל תִּמְעָטוּ: וְדִרְשׁוּ אֶת שְׁלוֹם הָעִיר אֲשֶׁר הִגְלֵיתִי אֶתְכֶם שָׁמָּה וְהִתְפַּלְלוּ בַעֲדָהּ אֶל יְקֹוָק כִּי בִשְׁלוֹמָהּ יִהְיֶה לָכֶם שָׁלוֹם:

Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons and give your daughters to men, and they shall have sons and daughters; and you shall become greater there, and not smaller.  Seek the peace of the city to which you have been exiled, and pray on its behalf to God, for through its peace you shall have peace.

Already during the Babylonian exile, we are instructed that the path to success involves support for the government.  If our country of residence thrives, so do the Jews living there.

Throughout much of the Jewish experience, we had little reason to think favorably of those in power.  America was the game-changer.  While Jews had more opportunities and greater freedom with the onset of the Enlightenment, the United States provided more religious freedom and a fuller engagement with civic responsibility than ever before.  And the rabbis took notice.

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein famously praised the American system of government on several occasions.  In 1984, he signed a letter encouraging Jews to vote.  

The rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights have allowed us the freedom to practice our religion in safety…A fundamental principle in Judaism is Hakarat HaTov (gratitude)…Therefore it is incumbent upon each Jewish citizen to participate in the democratic system which guards the freedoms we enjoy.

These are not sentiments that would ever have been expressed in other stops along the exile.

How should we vote?

Jews should vote for the candidate who is best for the country.  This includes all sorts of variable – including Israel and the needs of the Jewish community.  Which candidate is best?  That is a longer discussion.

I do think, however, that all citizens need to seriously consider who is best.  It is not an arbitrary decision.  I think we need to own our votes.

Rabbi Menashe Klein, a prominent halakhic decisor, was asked about voting.  He said that the voter does not bear responsibility for the actions of his candidate.  One should choose the candidate that he views as most favorable among those running.  He recalled that in prewar Hungary everyone would vote.  In America, everyone should vote and try to choose the best candidate even if it seems that none are all that promising.

I agree with Rabbi Klein that we should always vote.  I think, however, that we should take some responsibility for our candidates.  We should vote for the person whose views and values most align with our own.  We may not be able to influence their views, but when we pull that lever or scan that ballot or punch those chads (remember those?), we should view it as a sacred responsibility.

That’s freedom.