By Rabbi Carl M. Perkins:

Our Duty in the Wake of the Election of 2004
Parashat Hayei Sarah - November 6, 2004

Did you wake up feeling blue? Did you “see red” on Wednesday morning? We have just completed a long and arduous campaign in this country. Following the election, one thing, which we may have wondered about before hand, was confirmed:

Many voters identified VALUES, more particularly, MORAL VALUES as the most important factor in their choice of a candidate: more than terrorism, Iraq, the economy.

Now, many have greeted this news with dismay. They see “values” or “moral values” as code words for religious values, which raises the fear—the concern at least—about the injection of religion into our public square.

I spoke about this two weeks ago: the dangers of a holier-than-thou mentality, the danger of breaching the wall between Church and State.

But today I’d like to push the discussion further. Recognizing the danger of the erosion of the separation of Church and State, shouldn’t moral values be front and center in our political discourse?

Here we are in synagogue, studying Torah. Torah is a source of values to us. Surely, our hope is that they will inform our behavior—in our homes, in the workplace, in the market. Shouldn’t they inform our political judgments as well? What’s wrong with that?

Our faith, our foundational stories, our way of life does, or should, influence how we feel about public policy. So why shouldn’t we be up front about that?

What are the gains, what are the risks? How, and under what circumstances, should religious values inform politics in this country?

(Talking Points for Discussion)

Jews have a nuanced approach to:

Abortion—neither “pro-life” nor “pro-choice.” Actually, both!

Stem Cell Research

And there is a multiplicity of Jewish approaches to the entire topic of gay marriage—all of which are grounded in values. Shouldn’t that discussion inform our politics?

Ruth Messinger of the AJWS has said:

U. S. politics focuses on rights. Jewish law focuses on responsibilities. But they really are two sides of the same coin.

What are some relevant Jewish Values?

2. Treating the “other”, the stranger, as you would be treated. (Equal rights)

3. Pursuing justice for all.

4. Pursuing peace.

[I would add: Respecting the environment (bal tashkhit), caring for the poor, etc.

Conclusion: In Jewish terms, the election has made no difference. Our responsibility today is the same as it was on the day before the election:

Any person who is able to protest the behavior of the members of his household and fails to do so, is held responsible for their behavior.

Anyone who is able to protest the behavior of the citizens of his city and fails to do so is held accountable for their behavior.

Anyone who is able to protest the behavior of the entire world and fails to do so—he is accountable for the behavior of the world.

(See also M. T. Hilchot De’ot 6 : 7)

We live in an interdependent, interconnected world where Poverty, Pollution and Intolerance know no borders.

We must not keep our values to ourselves. Our role here in America must not merely be to protect everyone’s right to be left alone—as worthy as that might sound.

Our role is to live out our (Jewish) values and to work hard to help make our society a worthy exemplification of our people’s highest ideals.

Let’s not be silent!