Age and experience vs. youth and idealism

Rabbi Irwin Wiener, D.D.

Politics has no place in religion. Yet we learn from the Prophets that leadership depends on morality and where do we learn about such things but from Scripture. So while politics and religion don’t mix and our founding fathers were rightly concerned about this blending of fundamentalism and legislation, we are duty bound to explore how they fit rather than how they should remain separate.

We are engaged in a struggle to fill the vacuum that seems to have permeated our national conscience. There are those on the right who tell us that strict adherence and religious fervor will be our salvation. There are those on the left who emphasis that freedom is uncompromising and therefore sacrosanct – nothing but true enfranchisement will suffice for free people to fulfill their inherent destiny.

Both see no grey only black and white, right and wrong, and nothing short of their goals will achieve the true essence of American democracy.

Presently we are involved in a national election for the presidency of the United States, indisputably the most grueling and demanding job ever created by man. We are witnessing a test between age and experience and youth and idealism. Never in our history has this been so defined by the selection of the two candidates choosing to attain this high office.

It has been a grueling primary season. Recriminations, sexism, racism, they all reared their ugly heads and for sure will be ever more present in the contest yet to be. And this is where religion and politics could and should share a common ground:

To begin we only have to refer to the Prophet Jeremiah, 29:7 that you should seek the welfare of the land in which you find yourself, and pray to God on this land’s behalf, for in its welfare shall you find your welfare. While Jeremiah was originally talking to the exiles of Israel, his words ring true today for all peoples in all lands whether native or immigrant.

How do we accomplish this and still remain true to our feelings and philosophies so that we don’t feel as though we have betrayed either? We must understand that there are certain realities, certain things that cannot be changed because to do so would require a complete overhaul of a system that has survived revolution and civil war and are part of the weave called America. Our political system has worked and will work for howeverlong we allow it to flourish. We cannot make promises that we know are impossible to fulfill, we cannot offer changes that will never materialize for whatever reason and we must be honest in describing our wants and needs and how they can be achieved as a nation, not a democrat or republican.

One of the greatest introductions into freedom was the advent of voting; the ability to put into action the efforts of our collective decisions. We seem to take this for granted and the numbers of those going to the polls reflects this lack of democratic exercising. We condemn the decisions but take no part in the process. We claim to know what is needed but refuse to speak to the need by participating in the conduct of democracy in action. We are like the travelers who stand on the platform and watch the train go by instead of boarding and reaching that ultimate destination of accomplishment.

We all have ideas, we all have differences, we all tend to be oblivious to the other person’s needs, we yell rather than listen and when we do listen we don’t hear what is being said because we don’t agree. It all sounds negative but it is the beauty of our system.

So we have choices. Again we go to Scripture for the answer. The Talmud teaches us that we must not appoint a leader over the community (the people) before consulting these people. That is what elections are all about, consulting the people as to how and who will govern with the consent of the people. But this can never be realized unless we exercise the right to vote.

This election gives us clear choices: age and experience vs. youth and idealism. Whichever you choose, you can only do so if you vote. That is what the Prophets told us ages ago and it is an obligation, not only to our faith, but to our country. This is one instance where religion and politics do mesh for the common good.