Q&A: Jerusalem Municipality Elections – Question
Jerusalem Municipality Elections – Question
Question
Hello Rabbi Michael,
We spoke in the past, both by email and by phone; Your Honor probably won’t remember me.
I’m a resident of Jerusalem and define myself as an observant person.
I attached to the email a letter that was published shortly before the Jerusalem municipal elections (between the secular Ofer Berkovitch and the religious Moshe Lion) by the rabbi of the Old City, Rabbi Nebenzahl (a very highly regarded and respected figure religiously among many people), in which he wrote what he wrote.
…and I’m very confused: “that anyone who received spiritual benefit from me… should go and recommend Moshe Lion….”
I feel this categorization a lot here—that a religious person votes for a religious candidate and a secular person votes for a secular one—and it seems completely absurd to me, in principle. Maybe there are many reasons I haven’t been exposed to, and therefore I can’t judge Rabbi Nebenzahl’s action through my own eyes, but I really can’t think positive things about it when the rabbi uses his “rights” from the faith / halakhic perspective (“anyone who received from me,” etc.) and appeals to the broader public in order to increase the number of votes so that a certain person will be elected. I find this very difficult.
And it’s very important to me to know what Your Honor thinks about the content of the letter. How can an observant person be patient with a letter of this kind, even if he is a Torah scholar (at least that’s what people say; I have no personal acquaintance with the rabbi)?
Thank you in advance for reading my letter, even if you won’t have time to answer (I know that Your Honor is very busy).
Have a good day,
Answer
Hello A.,
First, I prefer inquiries through the website. It’s more convenient for me.
Second, I definitely remember our conversation, and I hope you are well.
Third, regarding your actual claim: I agree that a rabbi should not give halakhic instructions on matters like these, and that even if he does, they are not binding. But I do not see any principled problem with a rabbi asking those whom he has helped to vote for someone, so long as it is not presented as a binding halakhic instruction. It is a request for a favor (not for his own personal benefit, but for what he considers a good outcome) or advice, and you can accept it or not. How is that different from any other piece of advice or opinion? Why is a politician allowed to ask you to vote for a certain person, but a rabbi is not? On the contrary, the rabbi did something for you, so you owe him gratitude. Here there is actually more justification for asking something of you.
Rabbi Nebenzahl is indeed an outstanding Torah scholar. Of course, that does not mean that everyone has to agree with everything he does.