The Issue of Integrity
e-geress Vol. 1, No. 6 Febuary 11, 2000
Publisher: Rabbi Yechezkel Fox
Editor: Rabbi Yisrael Rutman
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Elections are very much on people’s minds right now in America. The democratic process has become something of a spectator sport, with many voters feeling that they have become increasingly disenfranchised. How easily we forget that up until two centuries ago democracy was a virtually unknown and almost unimagined phenomenon. Political historians generally consider John Locke the father of contemporary democratic theory. But about two hundred years before Locke formulated his moral contract, the question of a democratically elected executive officer was posed by a lesser known figure: Rabbi Don Yitzchok Abarbanel. Besides ranking among the greatest of the medieval Torah commentators, Rabbi Abarbanel was also King Ferdinand of Spain’s Finance Minister and most trusted advisor. He was held in such high esteem that the king even granted Rabbi Abarbanel permission to remain in the country with his own personal prayer quorum when 200,000 Jews were exiled in 1492. The rabbi declined the offer, choosing instead to lead a group of Jews out of Spain in search of a new home. In his commentary on the book of Samuel, Rabbi Abarbanel ponders the selection of the Jewish people’s first king according to the word of the prophet. Wouldn’t it have been better, he asks, to allow the people a leader of their own choosing rather than have one appointed over them? Rabbi Abarbanel then answers his own question, offering three reasons for the divine appointment of the Jewish king. Factionalism. Two or more candidates vying for power can split the nation, creating a potentially violent schism between the supporters of one and the supporters of the other, ultimately eroding the sense of unity that a country needs to remain stable and secure. (And no, Rabbi Abarbanel was not a prophet.) Reciprocity. A ruler elected by the people might easily feel, or be made to feel, a certain indebtedness to the people who voted him into office. He might bestow political favors upon those who worked to see him elected; he might make decisions which, although popular, would not be in the best interests of the country. (Readers are invited to suggest contemporary examples.) Character. Only the Almighty knows what is truly in the hearts of men. The people might believe they are electing a leader of great integrity and moral fiber, but they can never know with certainty what they are getting until the new leader assumes office. What Rabbi Abarbanel never imagined, however, was that the day would come when people would not care about the integrity of their leaders, when conventional wisdom would assert that personal integrity was not a necessary credential for leadership. On the surface, the case supporting this notion may seem reasonable. After all, if a president can keep the economy running steady, pass effective legislation, appoint experienced judges, and formulate an operable foreign policy, why should we care what goes on behind the closed doors of his private study? Upon reflection, however, we are compelled to consider the risk of placing the reins of power in the hands of a man who has demonstrated an inability, or unwillingness, to harness his own impulses and subjugate his own self-interest and desire for personal gain. The potential for abuse of power on both a personal and a national scale should strike us as far too dangerous to chance. Still further contemplation leads inevitably to the conclusion that a president (and, indeed, any prominent public figure) is much more than just a political office manager. He is not only the representative but the representation of the nation’s beliefs, of its values, and of the level of integrity to which its population aspires. Every leader reflects his constituents’ standards of morality; every ruler demonstrates through his own behavior the measure of his people’s commitment to honesty and respect for the law. Children take cues from their parents, as citizens do from their leaders. The leaders that we choose will influence the moral quality of our lives far more profoundly than they will affect our standard of living or world peace. And although we have neither prophets to guide us in choosing our leaders nor magic windows to see into our candidates’ hearts, we are able to search for evidence of good character, and refuse to tolerate any candidate who tries to deceive us. By Rabbi Yonason Goldson We welcome your questions and comments. Our address: fox@moreshet.co.il 
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