Eternal Lessons, Moral GPS

As the handwriting is on the wall and the obituaries for the Olmert government are being contemplated the most important question is not who is the next Prime Minister? Rather, the better question is what should the public look for in their next set of leaders?

To form an opinion one needs to look inward to what our heritage has to say about government. The Torah warns Devarim 17:14-20 that a king keep a Torah scroll with him to learn the fear of G-D and prevent the king thinking himself above G-D and his law.

Shemuel the Prophet warns the nation, Shemuel I 8:11-18 that maintaining the apparatus of a central government will be costly. A monarchy has an insatiable appetite, invading one’s money, produce, property and even person for its service.

Similarly, the Mishna in Perkei Avoth, Ethics of the Fathers 2:3 to be wary of government officials as they are opportunists currying the people’s favor when it is to their personal advantage but will abandon them when it is not in their self-interest.

Further, in Avoth 3:3 the role government is to maintain a civil society. Otherwise one would swallow their neighbor alive.

Additionally, Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch ZT'L commenting on Nimord's agenda behind building the Tower of Babel lambasts the state's promoting personal fulfillment through national service. Similarly, Korach,it becomes clear from Rashi Z'L as an exemplar of when a personal agenda is marketed as a movement for social justice and equality.

While this seems overly pessimistic it is realistic. Temptation to abuse power and to think only about oneself are so seductive that their destructive effects are all but inescapable.

Only with the overlay of a constant fear of Heaven can there be any chance of competent governance and societal civility. Does this mean only an observant Jew can rule? It would be insincere for someone like the writer to say otherwise but at a minimum the next government should recognize Jewry has a heritage that spans millennia and not just 59 years. Jewry has a heritage of values which has endured and thrives to this day and not a passing fad of Western pop culture and conventional wisdom.

The Jewish heritage is not of the moment but of eternity. The Jewish Heritage is from G-D and not man. Even if one is not yet mitzvah observant without these fundamental values what fills the resulting moral void? Unfortunately, recent history shows what can result.