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Voting: A Jewish Obligation?

Voting: A Jewish Obligation?

Last updated on: November 5, 2024 at 9:07 am by Rabbi David Feder

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Voting: A Jewish Obligation? 2024-11-05T09:07:39-05:00 Rabbi David Feder

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A Jewish Obligation to Vote?

Is there a Jewish Commandment to Vote?

The election is upon us. God-willing this will mean it is once again safe to watch television and listen to the radio without the endless stream of campaign ads and that the spam levels in our inboxes will return to a normal, almost manageable level. For the cynics among us, election season calls to mind the lyrics of Pete Townsend:

“There’s nothing in the street
Looks any different to me
And the slogans are effaced, by-the-bye
And the parting on the left
Is now parting on the right
And the beards have all grown longer overnight

…….

Then I’ll get on my knees and pray
We don’t get fooled again.”

The bright-eyed optimists in our midst are filled with the hope and expectation of change and echo the sentiments of Little Orphan Annie:

“The sun’ll come out
Tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar
That tomorrow
There’ll be sun!”

But is there a Jewish perspective on voting?

I don’t mean is there a stance on significant issues such as support for Israel, providing for those in most need of assistance, healthcare and dozens of other issues. I mean is there an obligation to vote?

Democracy was not really a concept in Biblical times. The priesthood and monarchy were privileged and everyone else, not so much. Throughout succeeding centuries, the situation was relatively unchanged, whether one was living in Roman Italy, Sassanian Persia, the mellahs of Casablanca or the courts of Vienna. An absolute ruler fashioned the rules under which you lived.

Sometimes there was greater tolerance, sometimes greater oppression, but the individual had no control over his or her fate. Within the Jewish community, sometimes the titular head was appointed, sometimes chosen by community elites, and in some circumstances, the entire population voiced their opinion. By and large, however, people were forced to accept what fate dealt them.

Requirements for an appointed leader?

That doesn’t mean that there aren’t Jewish sources on voting or civic responsibilities. Tractate Berachot in the Talmud has one of the earliest sources that touches on the consent of the governed. According to Rabbi Yitzchak, when Bezalel was appointed as the chief artisan for the construction of the Tabernacle in the wilderness, God asked Moses if Bezalel was acceptable to Moses, and then told him to go consult with the community. The lesson derived here is that one may only appoint a leader if he consults with the community and they agree to the appointment.

Civic Responsibility?

Moving forward about a thousand years after the compilation of the Talmud. Yoseph Karo in 16th century Safed, created the Shulchan Aruch as a code of Jewish law. Rabbi Moses Isserles, the Rema, provided glosses to the text to make it applicable for Ashkenazi Jews. In Choshen Mishpat 163:1, he writes,

“For any community matter on which they cannot find common ground, they should convene all taxpayers, and they should agree that each will voice his view altruistically, and they will follow the majority.”

Beyond needing the consent of the governed, we have progressed to how to settle conflicts over public spending and utilization of public resources. You gather the people together and vote. Now this was not entirely democratic. Those who didn’t pay taxes (the poor and women, most notably) were excluded from voicing their opinion. But the opinion of the majority, so long as it didn’t deviate from established Jewish or civil law, held sway.

Gratitude Requires Engagement

The other major concept supporting the obligation to vote is that of hakarat hatov, recognizing the benefits that we have and expressing gratitude and appreciation. Because of all the benefits we have gained from society: education, roads, sanitation, public health, security, and more, our recognition of that benefit compels us to determine the future direction of those benefits to ourselves and those who follow us.

Consequences of Not Being Involved

Jewish tradition clearly says that it is a good thing to vote, demonstrating both enlightened self-interest and regard for communal welfare. What if one decides not to vote? Midrash Tachuma provides a response:

“If a person of learning participates in public affairs and serves as judge or arbiter, that person gives stability to the land… But if a person sits in their home and says to themselves, “What have the affairs of society to do with me?… Why should I trouble myself with the people’s voices of protest? Let my soul dwell in peace!”—if one does this, they overthrow the world.”

The candidates running for your local, state, or national office might not be ideal. You might have reservations about supporting either candidate for a particular race. You might even feel forced to ask which is the lesser of the two evils and still be unsure, but that doesn’t release us from the obligation to have a voice in consenting to our leaders and determining what is best for our community.

May we choose wisely and may they be granted wisdom.

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