Rabbi Eliezer Simcha Weisz is a member of the Council of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. These views represent his personal stance.
As discussions continue over the formation of a government in Israel, we must remember that not every political agreement is worth making. Forming a government nd securing a parliamentary majority are important, but they must never come at the expense of the principles upon which our future as a Jewish people depends.
Parashat Chaye Sarah teaches us an important lesson through the conduct of Avraham Avinu. Throughout his life, Avraham understood that there were matters on which one could negotiate and compromise, but there were also principles on which he could not give way. He was concerned not only with the needs of the moment, but with what would be right for the generations that would follow.
When Sarah Imeinu passed away, Avraham sought to purchase Me'arat HaMachpelah as her burial place. Ephron the Hittite appeared willing to give him the field and its cave without payment. Avraham, however, insisted on paying the full price. The Torah describes how he weighed out the silver in the presence of the people of the city.
Why was Avraham so particular about this purchase?
He understood that this was much more than finding a burial place for Sarah. Me'arat HaMachpelah would become the resting place of the Avot and Imahot. Its purchase established a lasting connection between the Jewish people and Eretz Yisrael. Avraham did not want this inheritance to depend on a favour from Ephron or leave room for any future claim. He wanted the purchase to be complete and beyond dispute.
Avraham was thinking about the future of Klal Yisrael, not merely about his immediate needs.
We see the same determination when Avraham sends Eliezer to find a wife for Yitzchak. Avraham was adamant that his son should not marry one of the daughters of Canaan. He understood that the woman who would establish a home with Yitzchak would have a lasting influence on the character of that home and, ultimately, on the future of the Jewish people.
Even when Eliezer raised the possibility that the woman might refuse to come, Avraham did not allow this practical difficulty to change his position. Yitzchak must not be taken back to the land from which Avraham had come.
In both episodes, Avraham showed that he was prepared to deal with difficulties and find solutions, but he would not abandon the principles that were essential to the future of his family and Klal Yisrael.
This is a lesson we should take to heart today.
Political negotiations inevitably involve give and take. There are many matters concerning the running of a government on which representatives can and should reach agreement. Budgets, administrative arrangements and the practical implementation of policies can all be discussed. There is nothing wrong with compromise when it concerns the means of achieving a legitimate objective.
But there is a great difference between compromise over practical matters and giving up principles that must remain beyond negotiation.
Chazal teach us in Pirkei Avot (2:1) to weigh the cost of a mitzvah against its reward, and the reward of an aveirah against its cost. We must look beyond the immediate benefit and consider the consequences of our actions.
The Gemara in Tamid (32a) asks: Who is wise? One who sees what is yet to come.
This is an essential quality of leadership. Those entrusted with public responsibility must not look only at what can be achieved today. They must also consider what their decisions will mean for the Jewish people, for the future of Torah and for the generations who will inherit the consequences.
When negotiating to form a government, it is therefore not enough to ask how many seats a particular partnership will provide. We must also consider the outlook of those with whom we are prepared to join, what they stand for and what their participation may mean for the future of the country.
Eretz Yisrael is the inheritance of the Jewish people. Our connection to this land is not simply a matter of political sovereignty or historical attachment. It comes from the promises made by Hashem to Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, and from the Torah that gives purpose to our existence as a people.
Our return to Eretz Yisrael carries with it a responsibility. We are not here merely to establish another country. We are here to build and maintain a Jewish society, a society in which Torah and mitzvot guide our national life.
The right of the Jewish people to live in Eretz Yisrael does not depend on the approval of others. It is our inheritance, and with that inheritance comes the responsibility to preserve the Jewish character of our national home.
There is, therefore, a fundamental question that must be considered when forming a government: what kind of state are we seeking to maintain for future generations?
The State of Israel is the national home of the Jewish people. It cannot be regarded simply as a state for all its inhabitants without regard to its Jewish identity, its Torah foundations and the unique connection between the Jewish people and Eretz Yisrael. Our national existence in this land is rooted in the Torah and in the promise made by Hashem to our Avot.
We cannot make political agreements with those whose outlook is to remove the influence of Torah from public life, to undermine the observance of Shabbat and the laws of kashrut, or to deny the Jewish people's right to retain its inheritance in Eretz Yisrael. These are not ordinary differences of political opinion. They touch the very foundations of our existence as a Jewish people.
There is a difference between accepting disagreements over how the country should be governed and entering into a partnership with those who seek to change its fundamental Jewish character. The first is part of political life. The second raises questions of principle that cannot be ignored.
This remains true even when such a partnership promises an immediate political advantage, including the parliamentary majority needed to form a government. We must ask ourselves what we may be giving up in return. The prospect of forming a government cannot in itself justify agreements that could undermine the Torah, the Jewish character of the State or the inheritance of the Jewish people in Eretz Yisrael.
At the same time, our representatives have important responsibilities towards the Torah world. They must ensure that yeshivah students can continue learning Torah and that the needs of the עולם התורה are properly protected. They must also ensure that those serving in the IDF can fulfil their military responsibilities without being required to compromise their commitment to Torah and halakhah.
These responsibilities should not be set against one another. The strengthening of Torah learning and the preservation of the Jewish character of our national life are part of the same responsibility we have towards Hashem and towards Klal Yisrael.
The real test of leadership comes when negotiations become difficult, when a majority is hard to obtain and when there is pressure to accept arrangements that would otherwise be unacceptable. It is precisely at such moments that our representatives must remember why they were entrusted with public responsibility.
A government may be formed, a coalition agreement may be signed and a parliamentary majority may be secured. But if this is achieved by giving up principles that should never have been surrendered, what has really been gained?
Avraham Avinu teaches us to look beyond the immediate circumstances. His insistence on purchasing Me'arat HaMachpelah and his determination concerning the foundations of Yitzchak's home were not decisions made for the sake of the moment. They were decisions made with the future of Klal Yisrael in mind.
Our representatives face the same responsibility. They must find practical solutions to the problems of today, but they must never forget what they have been entrusted to protect.
Governments change. Coalitions come and go. Parliamentary majorities do not last forever. Torah and halakhah, however, do not change according to the political needs of the day.
The success of leadership is not measured only by what it manages to obtain, but also by what it refuses to surrender.
We must negotiate, seek agreement and act responsibly. But we must never exchange the principles of our Torah, the identity of our people or the Jewish character of Eretz Yisrael for the sake of a temporary political achievement.
No parliamentary majority, however desirable, is worth that price.
That is the lesson of Avraham Avinu in Parashat Chayei Sarah, and it is a responsibility that rests upon every generation.