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Jewish World Review Nov. 1, 2000 / 3 Mar-Cheshvan, 5761
http://www.jewishworldreview.com --
WITH THE presidential election almost upon us, Americans lament that
their democratic process has once again left them with a disappointing choice
between uninspiring candidates. How easily we forget that up until two
centuries ago democracy was a virtually unknown and almost unimagined
phenomenon.
Political historians generally consider John Locke the father of
contemporary democratic theory. But about two hundred years before Locke
formulated his moral contract, the question of a democratically elected
executive officer was posed by a lesser known figure: Rabbi Don Yitzchok
Abarbanel.
In addition to ranking among the greatest of the medieval Torah
commentators, Rabbi Abarbanel was also King Ferdinand of Spain's Finance
Minister and most trusted vizier during the years of the Inquisition. This
was a time when the Jews of Spain lived in terror for their lives and their
souls; even so, the king granted Rabbi Abarbanel permission to remain in the
country with his own personal prayer quorum when 200,000 Jews were exiled in
1492. The rabbi declined the offer, choosing instead to lead a group of Jews
out of Spain in search of a new home.
In his commentary on the book of Samuel, Rabbi Abarbanel ponders the
selection of the Jewish people's first king according to the word of the
prophet. Wouldn't it have been better, the rabbi asks, to allow the people
elect a leader of their own choosing rather than have one appointed over
them? Rabbi Abarbanel then answers his own question, offering three reasons
for the divine appointment of the Jewish king.
FACTIONALISM.
(And no, Rabbi Abarbanel was not a prophet.)
RECIPROCITY. A ruler elected by the people might easily feel, or be made
to feel, a certain indebtedness to the people who voted him into office. He
might bestow political favors upon those who worked to see him elected; he
might make decisions which, although popular, would not be in the best
interests of the country.
(Readers are invited to suggest contemporary examples.)
CHARACTER.
Only the Almighty knows what is truly in the hearts of men.
The people might believe they are electing a leader of great integrity and
moral fiber, but they can never know with certainty what they are getting
until the new leader assumes office.
What Rabbi Abarbanel never imagined, however, was that the day would come
when people would not care about the integrity of their leaders, when
conventional wisdom would assert that personal integrity was not a necessary
credential for leadership.
On the surface, the case supporting this notion may seem reasonable.
After all, if a president can keep the economy running steady, pass effective
legislation, appoint experienced judges, and formulate an operable foreign
policy, why should we care what goes on behind the closed doors of
president's private study?
A more reflective analysis, however, compels us to consider the risk of
placing the reigns of power in the hands of a man who has demonstrated an
inability, or unwillingness, to harness his own impulses and subjugate his
own self-interest and desire for personal gain. The potential for abuse of
power on both a personal and a national scale should strike us as far too
dangerous to chance.
Still further contemplation leads inevitably to the conclusion that a
president (and, indeed, any visible public figure) is much more than just a
political office manager. He is not only the representative but the
representation of the nation's beliefs, of its values, and of the level of
integrity to which it's population aspires. Every leader reflects his
constituents' standards of morality; every ruler demonstrates through his own
behavior the measure of his people's commitment to honesty and respect for
the law.
Just as children take cues from their parents, so do citizens from
their leaders. The leaders that we choose will influence the moral quality
of our lives far more profoundly than they will effect our standard of living
or world peace. And although we have neither prophets to guide us in
choosing our leaders nor magic windows to see into our candidates' hearts, we
are able to search for evidence of good character and soundly reject any
candidate who tries to deceive us. We may not influence the election
results, but we will impress upon ourselves and upon our children the value
of
On choosing a leader
By Rabbi Yonason Goldson
JWR contributor Rabbi Yonason Goldson teaches at Block Yeshiva High School and Aish HaTorah
in St. Louis, and writes a regular column for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Send your comments by clicking here.
Making Judgment Day tailor-made