Religious leaders need to set aside any personal political bias, give opinion based on honest, objective interpretation of Biblical law
As a rabbi who at times writes about current events and politics people often write to me saying that rabbis should keep out of politics and stick exclusively to religion. Clearly, many people think that religious leaders should be apolitical.
In the Hebrew Bible we find a similar situation. In Exodus 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 a startling response. 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.” I suggest that 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.
Pro what?
Someone recently asked me 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 Torah sees human life as being of infinite value. So according to biblical law, with few exceptions, abortion is forbidden. According to the Hebrew Bible, this is simply not a choice that God allows humans to make.
We seem to forget that the Torah is more than just a roadmap to spiritual enlightenment: It is a divine manual for humanity which deals with almost every ethical and political issue that confronts humankind.
Last year the United States the Senate approved the appointment of two new Supreme Court judges, Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito. During the questioning one major theme came out: Judges are supposed 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.
Religious leaders commenting on moral and political issues are similar to this, they need to set aside any personal political bias and give an opinion based on an honest and objective interpretation of Biblical law viewed through the prism of thousands of years of tradition.
Religious obligation
Ever since Moses was called upon by God to get involved in politics for the betterment of his people, 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 fearlessly and sharing the views they have garnered from intense absorption in divinely inspired texts.
I am not advocating a theocratic type of government and religious leaders should not be put in positions of real political power – history tells us that giving individuals the power to impose their religious views on others is fatally dangerous and thus must be avoided at all costs.
However, since the Torah 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.