Do the elections results really matter?
Isn’t achieving the task of achdus among Jews something in our hands?
Do the politicians effect our Torah, Teshuva and Tefillah?
Does our distraction by the externals take away from our needed work on the internals?
The blog moderator said:
“Do the elections results really matter?â€
ANSWER:
Only if you care about the USA or Israel.
Check out the following related article:
http://www.aish.com/ci/s/The-Hearts-of-Kings.html
The Mishnah in Avos tells us that we should pray for the welfare of the State.We know that Rabbeinu HaKadosh interacted with Roman emperors and that we have always have had rabanim and communal leaders who have represented our communities both in Europe and the US on a wide variety of issues. To the extent that our votes have an impact on federal , state and local services and policies that have an impact on our communities, there is no qiuestion IMO that being aware of such issues , lobbying for our interests as a community with relation to the same and for support of Israel are as important as working on inner growth as well.
Today’s Shir shel Yom is very timely.
I’m very concerned about Obama’s position on Israel. As a second-term President, he no longer fears losing the Jewish vote. Don’t forget that the number of Muslims in the U.S.A. has been steadily growing even as the number of Jews here has bee slowly declining. There may already be more Muslims than Jews in America. And the Muslims in places like Dearborn, Michigan and Paterson, New Jersey have been flexing their political muscles. They will be aggressively pushing the U.S.A. to pressure Israel and to internationalize / divide Jerusalem. It’s no secret that Obama and Netanyahu dislike each other, and the State Dept has traditionally been pro-Arab and anti-Israel. That maniac Ahmadinejad is still threatening to nuke Israel, and the Palestinians will try once again to do an end run around the negotiations and get recognition as a state at the United Nations. Meanwhile, Israel will find itself even more friendless as Obama seeks to put “daylight” between the two countries.
I’m wondering if we can maintain ourselves within this larger society. Changing it may not be an option. Escaping it may be one. Ignoring it may be impossible.
I think we’ll have more success if we focus on our own behavior rather than trying to change the larger society we live in.
That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t lodge our protests and votes where appropriate, but our major focus should be on our own improvement.
I think we fall into the trap of focusing on them, whoever they may be, because it’s easier than the hard work of change.
Let’s suppose we lived in a country of declining morals and declining adherence to the rule of law in general, extending even to sectors of our own people. Is this external to our lives as Torah Jews or is it a major impediment to leading such lives? Look around.