Jewish Perspectives on the Role of Religion in the Political Process

Extract

The American people are relative newcomers to the question: What is the proper role of religion in the political process? For we have been wrestling with this issue for only a little over two hundred years. On the other hand, the Jewish community has had some 2500 years to balance our Jewish identity with our citizenship in the Diaspora. The insights we have gained in this process provide some understanding of the confusion which buffets America today. I wish to begin with the basic question: According to Jewish law (Halakhah), how should Jews interact with the legal and political process of a non-Jewish country?

Halakhah is the legal system of Judaism, by which the traditional Jew regulates public and private life. Since it arose in a culture which recognized no distinction between “religious” and “secular” law, it was, throughout most of Jewish history, the ultimate, binding source of order in Jewish society. The Halakhah includes rules regarding civil and criminal jurisprudence, ceremonial observances, and day-to-day activities.