We try to live our lives as good Jews. We try to do what
Hashem wants, to increase kevod malchus Shomayim. For
the most part this involves performing our daily duties,
taking care of our families, learning, chesed,
teaching, raising ourselves and our surroundings closer to
Hashem.
The modern world is not interested in what Hashem wants.
Generally, what we want from the modern world is to leave us
alone and to allow us to do Hashem's will.
From time to time, the world intrudes on our lives. One of
the regular intrusions, in Israel, is the elections.
Up until the election scheduled for next week, all voting in
Israeli elections has been an opportunity to stand up and be
counted for Torah Judaism. Upon the horo'oh of our
rabbonim, we have gone to the polls to show that we are to
be counted among those who support Hashem and follow His
Torah. Even after it was cast, by adding to the permanent
tally of Torah Judaism visible to the entire world, our vote
for the Torah party caused a continuing kiddush
Hashem.
For the first time, in the coming election there will be no
vote to cast for Torah. Neither Prime Minister Barak nor
Ariel Sharon is associated with Hashem and His Torah.
As always, we expect no more than to do what the rabbonim
say. So far, a week before the elections, there is no hint
of what they will say.
There is, of course, no rush for them to say anything. There
is no question of working for either candidate during the
campaign. The yeshivas and kollelim are continuing
their affairs as usual, with no sign that elections are only
a few days away.
The selection of the gedolei haTorah is unlikely to
be the current prime minister. "It is clear that one cannot
rely on Ehud Barak. We are talking about a man without any
responsibility, who is far from level-headedness and
caution. We were very happy to support any proposal to limit
his options," according to MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni, referring
to the past few months.
Many bnei Torah will be glad if they do not have to
vote for Ariel Sharon. He is a person who is far from Torah,
in both style and substance. Last summer he voted against
the Tal law, and in favor of drafting yeshiva students,
though he later qualified his vote. Although he remains more
respectful of Jewish tradition and of rabbonim than the Left
is, he is an alternative that is far from being truly
desirable. In short, though voting for Barak is almost
certainly ruled out, it cannot be assumed that we will vote
for Sharon. The gedolei haTorah may not issue any
recommendation, or they may recommend that we should not
vote altogether.
As we go to press, some important rabbonim have announced
their decision to support the candidate of the Likud, but
there is no decision of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah or the
rabbonim of Degel HaTorah. The party has published
announcements asking its supporters to ensure that their
documents are in order, "for when and if [maranan verabonon
gedolei haTorah shlita] rule for us to vote, so that
we will be prepared to fulfill their will."
