Avraham, Lot & the Election

The day after an election can be a fraught time.

There are winners and losers. That’s the nature of an election. In recent elections, as the temperature and tone have risen, the “day after” has been particularly tense. This year is no exception, and emotions have ranged from elation to devastation to everything in between.

One synagogue sat shiva.

That was the headline for an article about a gathering in Manhattan billed as “A Time of Prayer for the Neshamah [Soul] of Our Nation.” The mood was pretty grim. “We’re sitting shiva,” the rabbi told the approximately 100 participants.

Some Jews celebrated.

Participants in a Manhattan office Mincha minyan were greeted with chocolate cake with “Trump” written on it in white frosting. One posted on X, “It felt weird saying tachanun [penitential prayer skipped on festive occasions] given the jubilant mood.”

While I rarely say no to cake, neither of the above reactions resonates with me. I appreciated the line a colleague posted: It's neither time for mourning nor for the celebration of Moshiach’s arrival.

In the Jewish community, it is even more important to remember we’re all on the same side – regardless of how vehemently we disagree or how we reacted to Donald Trump’s victory. We can analyze forever how good/bad each candidate is and how/why they lost. That’s important. More important is to recognize we are all Jews. As one Jewish communal leader put it, “We don't have time for disunity. We don't have time for a postelection period to further divide us.”

How can we move forward when there is so much dividing us? Is there really unity when some Jews are sitting shiva while other Jews eat cake?

Let’s look at Avraham and Lot.

Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik sees an important communal lesson in how Avraham and Lot parted ways. (Abraham’s Journey, pp. 122-125)

Avraham was extraordinarily dedicated to his nephew, Lot. He essentially adopted him, and, for a time, it even looked as if Lot could be his heir. As both men prospered, a rift emerged.

“There was riv, controversy, between the herdsmen of Abram's cattle and the herdsmen of Lot's cattle" (Gen. 13:7).

Avraham tries to contain the damage. “Abram said to Lot: Let there be no merivah, strife, I beg you, between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, ki anashim achim anachnu, for we are brothers" (Gen. 13:8).

There was a riv, controversy between the shepherds. They had a dispute, an argument. Avraham wants to make sure this does not turn into a merivah, a full-blown rift between himself and Lot as they are kinsmen. It is one thing to argue, but it is entirely unacceptable for family to fracture. Riv “does not mean that the people hate or resent each other; even two friends can litigate. Merivah, however, means hatred, resentment, complete alienation.”

Ultimately, Avraham suggests that they separate. “If you will go left, then I will go to the right; or if you depart to the right, then I will go to the left” (Gen. 13:9). If they remain together, the relationship could devolve further, and the disagreement grow and be more public. Nevertheless, Avraham is never far away, and he immediately leaps into action to save Lot when he is taken captive. Ki anashim achim anchnu.

I find it very telling and timely that Avraham and Lot separate based on going left or right. That split exists today. We find ourselves very divided on a host of issues. Like Avraham, we should distance ourselves from the disagreements that may lead to full-blown fracture. Regardless of who we voted for or which party we support, we can’t let that riv turn into merivah. We can talk about politics less – especially with others who we know do not share our views. We cannot allow politics to create permanent alienation. As with Avraham and Lot, we must always be there to support our fellow Jew.

After an election, both the winners and losers should get back to making our world a better place to live for everyone. We should absolutely remain committed to our principles and our candidates. At the same time, we all win when we remember there is another side. We win when we tune out the noise and the anger and the disappointment. We win when we want the best for ourselves as well as for those with whom we disagree. We win when we prevent riv from becoming merivah.

Ki anashim achim anachnu – for we are all brothers and sisters.