Q&A: A Rabbi Expressing Political Opinions
A Rabbi Expressing Political Opinions
Question
A new rabbi was chosen, a Torah scholar.
And he writes a weekly Torah thought for the communities in whose name he was chosen, serves in office, and receives a salary.
He inserts political opinions into the Torah thought.
This greatly upsets part of the community (apparently a minority): it really upsets those who think the opposite, it upsets those who agree with him but think this is not supposed to be part of his role—to express political opinions, certainly not to insert them into an official weekly Torah thought. It also upsets some people who are on his political side but see it as too extreme and too harsh.
There are also those who are upset by the very fact that he connects our war with our enemies who rise against us to internal arguments.
Still, it is possible that all those who are upset with the new rabbi, for all the various reasons regarding the political Torah thought, are not the majority.
How and what is one supposed to do about this?
When I asked him, he played innocent and claimed that he had raised the issue but had not taken a side…
He probably believes what he says; he is not a liar, but it seems disingenuous.
Answer
I don’t see what can be done other than protesting and asking him not to do it, or mobilizing a majority to replace him.