After the Election...How do we Respond?...How do we relate to one another?

At one point last week I was asked if I would speak from the bimah about the elections that were coming up, and I suggested that I would not do so.  I was quite aware that even in a room with only 15 individuals of voting age in it, there was a multiplicity of thoughts about what should happen at the polls.

It is fine to have ideas that differ from those held by another individual.  The issue, is how those who have differing opinions can get along.

First, it is important to remember that peace is not built by everybody being the same. According to Rav Kook, the first chief Rabbi of Israel, there is no one truth!   He said, “Some people are mistakenly misguided with the notion that world peace will not be built except by establishing one standard of beliefs and traits.   If this is the case, when they witness a Torah scholar engaging in intellectual inquiry, and via this study, differing opinions and sides to a matter are seen to increase, they believe that this is the cause of factionalism, the very opposite of peace.  The truth is not so.  For absolute peace can only be obtained in this world through the format of a multiplicity of peace.  A multiplicity of peace means that all of the divergent facets of a matter, and the understandings which derive out of study, will all be illuminated, and it will become clear how all of them have a place, everything in accordance with its value, purpose, and content.  When the true wisdom is uncovered with all of its many facets, the matters which at first appear extraneous or contradictory, will be seen as vital to the whole.”  

On one hand, we do need to stand up for the opinions we hold but on the other hand we can’t remain in a constant state of strife with others. (Rabbi Zalman Melamed) 

There might be normative practices, but other opinions may also be valid.  The issue is how to learn to listen to one another; how to ask one another what bothers you; where are you coming from; how to see that we can argue but we can’t disconnect from one another.  How do we learn not to hate each other?

Have you ever considered Rav Kook’s idea that righteous people don’t complain about evil, but rather add justice to the world; they don’t complain about heresy, but rather add faith, they don’t complain about ignorance but rather add wisdom?  Isn’t this the conversation we should be having in America right now?

 One of my teachers from last summer, Daniel Roth, of the Pardes Center for Judaism and Conflict Resolution wrote an essay after the election.  He asked, “How many of us, both Clinton and Trump supporters, regularly interact and maintain strong social ties with one another? My feeling is that that happens less and less, as we physically and socially separate from the other, creating higher and thicker virtual walls between our communities. Yet one of the key ingredients that made up the constructive “disagreement for the sake of heaven” between Bet Hillel and Bet Shamai some two thousand years ago was, despite their vast ideological and political differences, they maintained strong social ties, even continuing to marry one another and break bread together. If we want to ensure that our conflicts stay constructive, we must shift the trend of many Clinton supporters not even knowing any Trump supporters, and vice versa.

How many of us only read and truly trust one news agency and look down with disdain and contempt on those outlets and feeds associated with ideologies not aligned with our own? The rabbis of the Talmud insist that we work hard to know how to argue every issue 49 ways one way and 49 ways the opposite way; and to be very careful not to arrogantly claim all “50 levels of wisdom” and absolute truth, leaving none left for our opponents. In order to engage in constructive conflict and disagreements for the sake of heaven, we need to be aware of the 49 experiences and “facts” we read in our news that shape the bias of our identities and truth, and be deeply, proactively curious to understand the 49 opposing experiences and “facts” that shape the identities and lenses of those who interpret the world differently.

The result of only socializing with those who think like me and only reading news that supports my worldview is that we risk becoming ideologically entrenched and gridlocked, completely detached from the parallel realities of our opponents, thereby making necessary “cross the aisle” pragmatic problem-solving virtually impossible.”

As challenging as these times appear to be, Judaism is a religion that encourages maintaining hope. We are taught to search our souls and work to make our world better. That is the very attitude presented by Rav Kook.  Let’s try to understand one another better, eliminate the need for calling each other names or for thinking of each other as the OTHER.  Let us bridge the gaps that seem so apparent in our society. Let’s argue for the sake of heaven, not for the sake of gaining power. Does that mean that when we are confronted with outright threats of hatred and discrimination that we should merely try to see the world through the eyes of those who want to harm others, absolutely not.  That’s when we must work to eliminate hatred and speak out for those who are being maligned.