Politics and Religion

Our country is more divided than ever. A former president narrowly escaped assassination—a horrific event that, in any other time, would have united the country. Instead, it spurred conspiracy theories and mutual accusations on both sides, deepening our divide. Sadly, the same thing is true in Israel. The unity of the country after October 7 was beautiful and inspiring and short-lived; the country is now deeply divided over the war, over the Haredi draft, and many other issues. How did we arrive at this point, where even tragedy fails to bring us together?

In Pirkei Avot, the Mishna contrasts Avraham and Bilam as polar opposites:

כָּל מִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ בְּיָדוֹ שְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים הַלָּלוּ, מִתַּלְמִידָיו שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ. וּשְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים אֲחֵרִים, מִתַּלְמִידָיו שֶׁל בִּלְעָם הָרָשָׁע. עַיִן טוֹבָה, וְרוּחַ נְמוּכָה, וְנֶפֶשׁ שְׁפָלָה, מִתַּלְמִידָיו שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ. עַיִן רָעָה, וְרוּחַ גְּבוֹהָה, וְנֶפֶשׁ רְחָבָה, מִתַּלְמִידָיו שֶׁל בִּלְעָם הָרָשָׁע

Whoever possesses these three things, he is of the disciples of Abraham, our father; and [whoever possesses] three other things, he is of the disciples of Balaam, the wicked. A good eye, a humble spirit and a moderate appetite he is of the disciples of Abraham, our father. An evil eye, a haughty spirit and a limitless appetite he is of the disciples of Balaam, the wicked.

The Mishna lists their respective traits that were different, but what lies at the root of these differences? The Rambam provides insight into Avraham's journey:

The world before Avraham was full of idolatry. The wise men would think that there is no God other than the stars and spheres for whose sake, and in resemblance of which, they had made these images. The Eternal Rock was not recognized or known by anyone in the world, with the exception of a [few] individuals... The world continued in this fashion until …Abraham - was born. 

After this mighty man was weaned, he began to explore and think. Though he was a child, he began to think [incessantly] throughout the day and night, wondering: How is it possible for the sphere to continue to revolve without having anyone controlling it? …Surely, it does not cause itself to revolve.

He had no teacher, nor was there anyone to inform him. Rather, he was mired in Ur Kasdim among the foolish idolaters. His father, mother, and all the people [around him] were idol worshipers, and he would worship with them. [However,] his heart was exploring and [gaining] understanding.

Ultimately, he appreciated the way of truth and understood the path of righteousness through his accurate comprehension. He realized that there was one God who controlled the sphere, that He created everything, and that there is no other God among all the other entities.  

Avraham embraced new ideas when he recognized their truth, and when He heard God’s calling, he left Ur Kasdim, everything he knew, to follow God. He was flexible in his allegiance to uphold what was true and good.

In contrast, Bilam clung to his positions. To summarize, Balak, the king of Moab, called upon a seer named Bilam to curse the people of Israel. Bilam attempted to curse the Israelites, but God did not allow it to happen. One would think that Bilam would give up at this point, as it was clear that God was not interested in allowing him to curse the Jewish people. However, Bilam persisted, trying again and then a third time. Despite the clear signs from God, Bilam remained obstinate.

Rabbi Samson Rafael Hirsch elaborated on his stubbornness. After two failed attempts to curse the Jewish people, Balak suggested that Bilam change his angle and approach, hoping that a different viewpoint might yield success. That’s why, Rav Hirsch wrote, Bilam moved to a different location and looked out at the desert. How futile! Even though it was evident that God did not want the Jewish people cursed, Bilam clung to Balak's orders.

This marks the fundamental difference: Avraham recognized and followed truth; Bilam saw truth and ignored it; he was a seer who did not see and instead clung blindly to his allegiance.

Sadly, our world is filled with students of Bilam. We usually define “religion” as a system of beliefs and practices that form one’s values and lead to transcendence and meaning in life. Today, there is a new "religion:” political extremes. For so many, it seems their political allegiance is their identity and their religion. If someone is a person of the right and the right believes X, she surely believes X, and if someone else is a person of the left and the left believes Y, he surely believes Y. You can almost predict people’s opinions on everything based on who they voted for in a recent election. This is despite the fact that many issues are independent of each other. It is quite possible that someone, for example, supports private school vouchers and also supports expanded requirements for maternity leave. I'm not taking sides on either issue or sharing my opinions; I am simply pointing out that they are issues that are independent of each other in principle and yet so many Americans have become so identified with their parties that they can't see them as separate. 

We must reject this notion. Our truth comes from God. Much like Avraham, we discover truth from our tradition and through thoughtful analysis and reflection. We may hold strong political views and be staunch in them, but we must remember where our commitments lie. We are devout Jews, not devout Republicans or Democrats. Our political choices should reflect our values and truths, not unwavering loyalty to any ideology.

Last week, many of us saw Shabbos Kestenbaum’s speech on television. He is the young Harvard student suing Harvard for their failure to address antisemitism on campus, and he spoke at the Republican National Convention. I want to make clear that I am not sharing my own political views or suggesting to anyone what their views should be; I am simply highlighting something he said that holds true for everyone on any side of any issue. Shabbos Kestenbaum’s opinions are generally very progressive—he voted for Bernie Sanders in the 2020 primary. Before his appearance at the Republican National Convention, our very own Rebecca Massel interviewed him for The Forward. She asked, “How would you respond to those who say Republicans are using you to get Jewish votes?” He answered, “If people think I’m a token Jew for speaking about the plight of Jewish students and the plight of hostages, then I don’t think I’m the problem.”

Regardless of anyone’s political opinions, the essential point Kestenbaum made is right: it is our values, truths, and ideals that matter—not which party or politician said them. As Maimonides put it in his commentary on Pirkei Avot, קבל את האמת ממי שאמרה—we should accept truth from whoever says it, regardless of our past allegiances or prejudices.

Lord Palmerston, the 19th-century British prime minister, famously remarked about his country: “We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow.” We might say the same about our Jewish values. 

Our current climate of unwavering political allegiance is fundamentally flawed. Political parties are coalitions of ideas, coalitions that are transient. Yet many cannot see issues independently of their party. We should absolutely mix religion and politics: our religious values, what we believe to be true, should affect whom we vote for.  It is incumbent upon each of us to figure out what those values are, place them on a hierarchy, balance them against each other, and vote for a candidate that most closely aligns with the ones we think are most important, recognizing the unlikelihood that any one candidate will match all of them. 

Yes, we should mix religion and politics. However, we must never confuse politics for religion. Our devotion lies with our faith and its values. Let us strive to be students of Avraham, and not students of Bilam. Let us seek and embrace truth and goodness, wherever it may be found. If we are all seekers of truth and goodness, then we can all talk to each other, live together civilly in society, and thus foster unity in our divided world.