It is often stated that it is not the job of a rabbi to comment on politics. Stick to religion, we are told: rabbis should keep out of politics. Clearly, many people think that religious leaders should be apolitical. To be sure, rabbis should not use their pulpit to further a political agenda or to further their own political desires or party affiliation. However, simultaneously this does not mean that rabbis should be afraid of commenting or opining on issues that have political ramifications.
In the Bible Moses struck the correct balance. God appears to Moses in the form of a burning bush and tells him to go on a political mission. ‘Come now and I will send you to Pharaoh so that you may bring my nation, the children of Israel, out of Egypt ‘ says God to Moses. And Moses answers, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh? ‘
What type of question is that? The fact that God had chosen him for the mission shows clearly that he was the right person for the task. God convinces Moses of this, and assures him that He will be with him. However Moses remains skeptical: ‘They [the children of Israel] will not believe me nor will they listen to me for they will say God did not appear to you. ‘ This reveals Moses’ true concern: he was worried that since the children of Israel would not believe that God involves Himself in politics they would conclude that a man of God who claimed to have a message with political implications should be ignored.
To counter this God allowed Moses to perform miracles that proved he was indeed the carrier of an authentically divine message.
I was asked recently whether I was pro-choice or pro-life. Often the answer to this question will depend on which side of the political spectrum one comes from. My answer however, although related to a political question, has nothing to do with politics itself. The Bible sees human life as being of infinite value. So according to biblical law, with the exception of cases where the mother’s health, both physical and psychological, may be at risk, abortion is forbidden. According to the Bible, this is simply not a choice that God allows humans to make. At the same time however, this does not mean that I want politicians to regulate human morality.
We seem to forget that the Bible is more than just a roadmap to spiritual enlightenment: it is a divine manual for humanity which deals with almost every ethical issue that confronts humankind.
Here in the United States the job of a judge is to interpret, but not make, the law. In judgment, all personal opinions and biases need to be put aside to ensure that an objective interpretation of the law is made. During her confirmation hearing for the US Supreme Court, Justice Sotomayor said, ‘Judges can’t rely on what’s in their heart. They don’t determine the law. Congress makes the laws. The job of a judge is to apply the law.”
Similarly when a religious leader comments on a hot political issue they must set aside personal political biases and give an opinion based on an honest and objective interpretation of Biblical law viewed through the prism of thousands of years of tradition. When a rabbi fails to do this they are not only failing to do their duty they also tend to be uninspiring and unspiritual and people complain.
To be sure, Judaism is not a political religion, however, ever since Moses was called upon by God to become politically active for the betterment of his people (and only for this purpose), religious leaders have the obligation to spread the word of God without fear of what people may say. Whatever the issue – the peace process in the Middle-East, Iranian nuclear ambitions or ethical and moral issues at home – rabbis and religious leaders are charged with the responsibility of speaking out and sharing the views they have garnered from intense absorption in divinely inspired texts.
I am not advocating a theocratic type of government. Indeed the separation of church and state is vital and must be defended at all costs. Neither should religious leaders become politicians _ history tells us that giving individuals the power to impose their religious views on others is fatally dangerous. However, since the Bible has so much to say on almost every issue, it is the obligation of every responsible religious leader to share that view with a public, which is then free to accept or reject it.