Unexpected Emissary

Our engagement in the political arena, according to my understanding of the approach of gedolei Torah, is based on several overarching principles:

We’re loyal only to Torah, which provides the sole lens through which we evaluate our policy positions and political preferences. Never ought we to embrace any one party or politico too tightly nor identify with them or their values, which are never those of our unique, G-d-given mesorah.

Nothing is all-or-nothing. We can and do work with politicians on both sides of the aisle on any given issue even if we can’t on others. We value what politicians do for us over what they say and how they make us feel. We must be realistic about who holds the power to help us and on which issues, and national politics should not distract from achieving goals on the often far more relevant state and local level. Blue is often the better color in areas like government benefits, immigration and criminal justice; red is often more favorable on religious freedom, private school aid, and societal values.

We reserve our idealism for Yiddishkeit, which is truth, and use our cynicism for politics, which is transactional. Most politicians live for votes and expediently change or temper their positions accordingly. The balance of power, too, is constantly changing between parties. We must avoid being manipulated by those, whether politicians or talk-show hosts, who profit off of drumming up hyper-partisan frenzies over issues that for us are irrelevant distractions, potentially alienating us from the politicians we need on issues that truly matter.