The Duty To Vote

Noach, 5785

You may have noticed the very fancy “I voted” sticker that I am sporting today. Now, I didn’t actually vote today-considering that this coming Tuesday I have both Shira’s first day of daycare and a synagogue board meeting at night, I thought it was prudent to go and get my voting done early. So, Naima, Shira, and I went on down to vote early last Thursday. No more mincing words, I’ll get right to the point: I want you all to vote in this election. Furthermore, I think as a Jew you have an obligation to vote in this election. You’re probably tired of hearing people tell you to vote. You’re probably tired of hearing politicians, regardless of party, claim that this election “is the most important election of our lifetime.” How many most important elections of our lifetime can there be? But, truthfully, you should view every election, even those in years with odd numbers, as the most important of your lifetime, and you should vote in every single election. Let me tell you why.

In our parsha today, we get to hear examples of two types of wicked societies. The first, the generation of the Flood, were full of cruelty and wickedness toward one another. We are told people were violent toward one another. Rashi understands this as meaning that they robbed one another casually. There were no judges to appeal to, no courts, no states. Just man in a state of nature, living, as Thomas Hobbes put, a life that was nasty, brutish, and short. In the aftermath of the Flood, God demands that Noah put courts into place to establish justice. He alludes to this with the line “שֹׁפֵךְ דַּם הָאָדָם בָּאָדָם דָּמוֹ יִשָּׁפֵךְ” “Whoever sheds human blood, by human hands his blood shall be shed.” By human hands, not divine hands, meaning that is up to humanity to ensure that justice is done. That covenant is made with Noah, and so is considered binding on all of humanity, one of the Noahide laws. Justice is everyone’s responsibility.

The generation of the Tower was kinder to one another; if you read my E-News piece, you saw that God was more lenient with them because they spoke with one voice and treated one another with love. But just because they mutually agreed what was to be done does not make the decision they arrived at morally correct. There have, unfortunately, been many times in history when the majority of those who could vote agreed to permit or sanction something morally contemptible. And so God muddles their languages. They must all relearn to communicate with one another, and to put their mutual work toward something that will benefit the earth. This, too, is our legacy. We still do not speak one language. We still have not yet come together, this time for a good purpose.

But, we are lucky. We here today are extremely lucky. For thousands of years, there was very little the common man, someone with no political power, could do to live up to the moral thrust of the Torah’s commands to establish courts of Justice, and work together for good. Kings, emperors, nobles, government officials–all those of the higher classes could (and often failed) to live up to those ideals. But the average person? What could they do but try to live their life? And forget the average person, but the average Jew? A second-class citizen, or worse, in almost every society for nearly two-thousand years? How could we as Jews be responsible for the world’s justice, or the actions of the government? The only way we could follow those commandments was to ensure that our own communities had functioning courts and systems of local government. But the outside world? Forget it.

And then came the Enlightenment, and notions of democracy and citizen self-rule. And even that did not guarantee the Jews a spot at the table. In France, they debated about whether Jews could ever be “Frenchmen.” In England, they debated religious requirements for having a seat in Parliament. In Germany, they debated about the Emancipation of Jews and the “Jewish Question.” Only in America was it almost never in question. Thanks to the 1st Amendment, from the time the Bill of Rights was adopted, Jews in this country never found them disenfranchised on the basis of their religion alone. And yes, it did take America more time to grant the franchise to all of its citizens. We needed the 14th and 19th amendments, because without them not all Americans could vote. But in this country we are extremely lucky that we were never disenfranchised because we are Jews.

This is, to be honest, an easy speech to give in a presidential election year. I would be shocked if there is anyone in this room who is eligible to vote who does not end up voting in this upcoming election. It’s the years without elections with famous names on the top of the ballot that are challenging. But even in those years, we are still obligated–yes, obligated–as Jews to vote. We should be treating every single election as if it is the most important election of our lifetime. Because even in those “off-years,” our elections affect our states, our towns, our neighbors. We are required to vote in them.

And so, this year and every year, we have to vote. We have to vote because it is the mechanism that allows us to affect change in our society, and our government. We have to vote because the Torah commands us to establish justice, and for most of us, voting is the way we can fulfill that charge. We have to vote because it is our right, and because therefore we have a responsibility to exercise that right. We have to vote because, as Rabbi Moshe Feinstein put it, a fundamental principle of Judaism is hakarat hatov-recognizing the good. Therefore, he said, it is incumbent on us to express that gratitude we have for our rights by voting, and doing our part for civil society. And there is so much in America we have to be thankful for. But we also cannot remove ourselves from the responsibility to better our country. So, go. Do your civic duty. Make this country a better place. This year, and every year, take the time, and go vote.

Shabbat Shalom!