The Talmud relates a famous story of a Roman who comes to the great sage Hillel, known for being calm and difficult to anger. Seeking to prove he can upset Hillel, he asks him to teach him all of Judaism while he stood on one foot. Unperturbed, Hillel came up with the famous response: What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. The rest is commentary: go and study.  In the end, through his patience, Hillel persuaded the Roman to study and become Jewish.

The question posed to Hillel still resonates for us today. If someone were to ask you the essence of Judaism, how might you answer?

For example, if you had to base your vote in the upcoming presidential election on a Jewish perspective, what would drive your decision? In other words, what does it mean to be a Jewish voter?

The general wisdom might suggest that the single most important issue for a Jewish voter is a candidate’s position on Israel. Some of us might be concerned with other issues that affect the Jewish community, like separation of church and state, prayer in schools, or even vouchers for parents who send their children to Jewish schools. Others might insist that Jews are overwhelmingly liberal. But I am not satisfied with any of these answers. What should we be thinking about, as Jews, as we prepare for the presidential election?

Surprisingly, rabbinic tradition acknowledges that the Torah itself is only one source of law. In the medieval period, Rabbi Nissim Gerondi (the Ran), admitted that the political order is simply not within the realm of the commandments of our Torah. That means that, not only is our Torah limited in its scope, but that politics has a separate and significant role to play. Menachem Lorberbaum points out, in the first volume of the collection, The Jewish Political Tradition:

”Politics is recognized as a non-theocratic, this-worldly activity geared to the better ordering of human society,  and human beings are recognized as competent political agents. Both gentile and Jew are equal in their need for politics and their capacity for it.”    (Menachem Lorberbaum, p.162)

Unlike what I hear so often among voters, the rabbis respected the importance of politics, and they valued Jews and non-Jews as competent to serve the people. But if political systems exist outside the Torah, how can we claim that Jewish teaching has any bearing on how we vote? The Ran has a simple answer. Torah law is meant to bring divinity into the world. When we participate, as Jews, in the political system, we have the capacity to add that ingredient to the political debate. That is what I would call the mitzvah of voting—an obligation to make our voices heard, to protest injustice, to uphold community, to speak with integrity, and to make room for godliness in the political arena. Not God. Not religious dogma, but godliness, the essence of what god calls us to do and to be.  This year’s election calls for a major decision about the direction of our country, about what we stand for, about our place in the global economy and the community of nations.  Above all, this year’s election demands moral clarity. It calls for a choice for each of us about what we consider good and just and a time to protest what is wrong and unjust.

If you’d like to know the “top ten Jewish values” that we should be voting on, I’m afraid you won’t be hearing that from me. Take a look in the mahzor, read the Torah portion, decide for yourself what our tradition has to say about the poor and the homeless, about war and diplomacy. Read the confession of sins on Yom Kippur and you’ll get a pretty good idea of what’s right and wrong. I am not about to endorse any candidate from the pulpit.

What I do want is to consider the complexity of the issues at hand. The rabbis of the Talmud tried to distill Jewish teaching into a single idea. But Hillel’s story demonstrates the failure of that approach. Because truly, “the rest is commentary”—commentary that we need to go and study if we are to live by Hillel’s words. Despite our deepest-held principles, voting in a Jewish way is not about pinning all one’s hopes and dreams on any single issue. Judaism is distinguished among western religions by having no dogma, no credo. What we do is more important than what we believe.

There is no single issue that represents the end all and be all of Judaism. Not abortion. Not gay rights. Not even Israel. Yes, Jews have obligations to take positions on all those issues. Yes, Israel has always been central to the American Jewish vote. Yet, support for Israel can take many forms.  I believe that the complexity of Jewish tradition calls us to weigh all the issues together. As Kohelet wisely taught “there is a time for every purpose under heaven.” A time to stand on principle and a time to seek compromise. Now is a time to hear a higher calling, a moral code that serves the common good. And in the process, our most beloved principles will likely be served as well.

The Jewish community should be asking, what is the moral basis for this campaign? What moral standards does each candidate uphold?  How will each candidate increase blessing or reduce suffering in our world?

Jews, who tend to be progressive (especially in this congregation), prefer to avoid moral and religious language in political campaigns. We worry whenever words of faith come from the candidates. As a consequence, we have abandoned our most fundamental moral claims to the religious fundamentalists. It is time for us to reclaim the ethics of good government, a government of the people, by the people and for the people. It is in the realm of raising the level of political discourse above polls and predictions, winners and losers that I believe Judaism has the most to contribute.  I believe that if we did return to reasoned discussion and respectful disagreement, that our country would be better equipped to solve its mounting problems, because our ultimate goals would be nothing less than Truth and Peace.

Truth

We pride ourselves on Jewish arguing. The Talmud is a centuries-long tome that illustrates our exquisite ability to disagree. But what makes the Talmud different from the old joke with the punch line: “2 Jews, 3 opinions”?  Because the Talmud actually records all three opinions.

Majority rule is an important principle of Jewish law. However, the Talmudic tradition preserves the opinion of the minority, even if the minority is one individual.

“Rabbi Yehudah says: The opinions of the individual were recorded among those of the majority because an hour may come when they are needed and they will be relied upon.” (Tosefta Eduyot 1:4) When you’re in the majority, respect the minority, because someday the tables will turn and that’s where you will be. As seekers of truth, not power, the rabbis humbly accepted that the majority might someday be overturned.

The most famous example of Talmudic dispute is found in the records of Bet Hillel and Bet Shammai, two schools of thought that were as different as Democrats and Republicans. Yet Hillel and Shammai were as friendly and respectful as our own Senator Ted Kennedy and his Republican ally, Orin Hatch. The two schools of thought disagreed on over 300 rulings, as recorded in the Talmud, and in all but a few, Hillel’s school prevailed. Yet the tradition also records that in the World to Come all the rulings will be reversed, and Shammai’s position will prevail.

As we find in the mishna (Eduyot 1:4-5) “Why are the opinions of both Shammai and Hillel recorded in vain? So as to teach generations to come that a person should not hold fast to his opinion, for the fathers of the world did not hold fast to their opinions.” In today’s world, this might be called a “flip-flop.”  Sadly, we have lost the ability to distinguish between changing one’s rhetoric and changing one’s mind. This Talmudic statement comes from a culture where people listened to opposing arguments, and were willing to admit when they were wrong.  As David Shatz summarizes it in The Jewish Political Tradition, (vol 1, p. 342) “openness and self-criticism promote truth.”

The Talmud is less interested in who wins than in who makes the best argument. For the rabbinic tradition, the goal of debate is to get to the truth, not to obscure it. Ideally, our democratic system should also be founded on a pursuit of truth.

Peace

In a godly debate, there is no place for belligerent attacks on one’s opponent. The rabbis of the Talmud did not always get along, and they didn’t always like each other. But in the words that were recorded about their disagreements it was clear that they respected one another.

“For three years, Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel disagreed. These said, “The law should be according to us, while those said,: the law should be according to us.” (Imagine elections going on for 3 years! But imagine how different they would be if they were argued on content!) Then a divine voice was pronounced: Elu v’elu divrei elohim hayim. These and those are both the words of the living God; and the law is according to Bet Hillel.”

This is one of the most radical statements of the Talmud. Elu v’elu divrei elohim hayim. That is, both sides are expressing God’s will. Both sides are correct! And yet, one side prevails.  The Talmud asks, how can that be?

“But since these and those are the words of the living God, why was it granted to Bet Hillel that the law be established according to them? Because they (the disciples of Hillel) were tolerant and meek, and related both their own words and Bet Shammai’s words. Moreover, they placed Bet Shammai’s words before their own. This teaches you that whoever humbles himself is exalted by the Holy One, while whoever exalts himself is humbled by the Holy One.” (BT Eruvin 13b)

In Talmudic debate, it was necessary, but not sufficient, to present persuasive arguments. How one treats one’s adversary carries moral weight as well. By respecting the opposition, the school of Hillel sought to unite, while Shammai’s disciples sought to divide.  In a tie between two schools of thought, the Talmud says that nice guys finish first.

One last tale of these opposing schools of thought:  “Even though Bet Hillel and Bet Shammai disagreed regarding [certain marriages that could be permitted], Bet Shammai did not avoid taking wives from Bet Hillel, nor Bet Hillel from Bet Shammai.  Instead, they acted with truth and peace between them, as written, “Love truth and peace” (Zech. 8:19, from Tosefta Yevamot 1:10-11)

Two opposites, two adversaries, each seeking to set policy. Despite their deep differences, even about fundamental issues, Bet Hillel and Bet Shammai held two values supreme above all: truth and peace. If these were our supreme values as well, our country would benefit from reasoned debate and respectful dialogue. Pursuit of Truth and Pursuit of Peace would serve everyone, uniting us in building a future together.  

In these final days of the campaign, there is a great deal we can do to make this election an expression of our moral will. First of all, Jews should never lose sight of the great privilege of living in a democratic country, or of the great responsibility that come with the right to vote.  Voting is also a form of tikkun olam, it is the most basic tool for changing the world. And just as we take our children to homeless shelters and teach them to contribute to tsedaka, we should all be taking our children and grandchildren into the voting booth. They should become so practiced in participating in our democracy that it becomes yet another ritual and social obligation.

Second, this is a year to engage in vigorous debate. Talk to your friends and family. And then go out and support your candidates. Brian, Yonah and I will be campaigning in Illinois on election eve in support of a congressional candidate our daughter, Aviva, is working for in the suburbs of Chicago. (I’ll be happy to give you the candidates name privately.) Many of you will be campaigning between now and Election Day in so-called swing states. As you go out to speak to others, don’t be afraid of disagreement, but be respectful listeners. Model for your children how to discuss an issue openly and honestly and set an example for humility in debate. Infuse your conversation with integrity and respectful dialogue as well as moral outrage.   That is a Jewish way to approach an election. We pray that this New Year brings our country back to its moral greatness, in pursuit of Truth and Peace.