The Good Inclination

By Rabbi Shalom Kantor
KOACH Rabbi
Binghamton University

Government, and the politics that are a part of government, are like the Yetzer HaRa and the Yetzer HaTov (the evil and good inclinations of the human soul) of any given society. Human beings are not capable of existing without both inclinations, to help us reach a balance in life. The ancient rabbis teach us that it is the evil inclination that drives us to try and achieve power and greater things in life. They teach us that it is the good inclination that helps direct or channel the evil inclination, so our desire to progress and achieve new things is done in a way that is beneficial to ourselves and to the larger world we live in.  Without the evil inclination we would never "want" or be motivated to work, yet without the good inclination we would all be purely self motivated without any concern for anybody or anything else in the world.

When it comes to government in any society, and specifically Jewish involvement in the government, we can draw a similar analogy that cautions us against being both overly involved and overly distant from the government. As we all can imagine, a society without government would be a lawless, dangerous place, yet history has taught us that total rule by a dictatorial regime can also lead to frightening situations of total abuse.

So we get a picture, as the framers of the original constitution of the United States understood, that there must exist a system of checks and balances within the government. These would be to make sure that the government is continuing to improve the nation and provide for its citizens, yet at the same time, not become so self absorbed that it functions only to serve those in positions of power.

Then the question arises, what role or level of interaction should the Jewish community have with the ruling government. To examine this question I turn to Pirkei Avot (The Chapters of the Fathers, ethical teachings of the rabbis of the Mishnaic period). In Chapter 2 Mishnah 3 we read, "Be cautious with the authorities, for they do not befriend a man except for their own advantage; they appear as friends when it is to their benefit, but they do not stand by a man in his time of distress."

This mishnah is attributed to Rabban Gamliel, the son of Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi (the leader of the Jewish community at the time of the Roman Rule over Israel). We know that these rabbis had contact and interaction with the ruling powers and often interacted with them on a high level. This mishnah is seen as a tempering of an earlier statement in Mishnah 1:10 where we are told "…do not seek (any) familiarity with the ruling authorities."

Rabban Gamliel acknowledged that he could not totally avoid interactions with the ruling government. The Jewish community had to be represented, or they would be trampled and totally ignored. Yet, he had learned though watching his father that one must be careful with the ruling powers, for they may not have your best interests at hand.

As Jews it is our duty and obligation to be involved in the politics and government of our country, but we must be aware of the dangers that come with such associations. We must be involved both to stand up for the Jewish community and to stand up for the values that we all believe in. Yet, we also need to be wary of allowing ourselves to be brought so far into the political system that we lose sight of who we are and what we stand for outside of the system. We must remember to act in ways that complement our eternal mission of partnering with God in making the world a better place for all of humanity.

[Posted 11/16/09]