Levi Brackman's

What are Jews supposed to believe in? Is Judaism a religion of belief, or is it, as some have maintained, primarily one of practice? This is an age old question and one which Maimonides in the 1100’s tried to put to rest. He laid out a code of practice and simultaneously tried to establish theological principles that came to be known as Maimonides’ Thirteen Principles of Faith. The problem has been that there is little consistency within the Jewish tradition with regards the parameters of these principles. As Marc Shapiro argues in his book, “The Limits of Orthodox Theology: Maimonides' Thirteen Principles Reappraised,” the detailed interpretation and level of acceptance of those principles have differed greatly within traditional Jewish scholarship.

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On the issue of freedom and free will, the Bible tells us that we have a choice between life and good or death and evil. Although it is up to us, the Bible implores us to choose life and good and to reject death and evil (Deuteronomy, 30:15-19). But is it really that simple? The following biblical story, found in this weeks’ Torah Portion, seems to indicate that it is not.

G-d told Moses to approach Pharaoh and demand that he emancipate the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. When Pharaoh rejected Moses’ demands, G-d brought plagues upon him and his people. First came the plague of blood, then of frogs, then lice, then a swarm of wild beasts brought an epidemic that killed all the Egyptian livestock. 

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It is often stated that it is not the job of a rabbi to comment on politics. Stick to religion, we are told:  rabbis should keep out of politics. Clearly, many people think that religious leaders should be apolitical. To be sure, rabbis should not use their pulpit to further a political agenda or to further their own political desires or party affiliation. However, simultaneously this does not mean that rabbis should be afraid of commenting or opining on issues that have political ramifications.

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It’s little surprise that Jacob is revered by the Judaic tradition as a model for correct leadership. Jacob didn’t reject his father’s or his grandfather’s wisdom. Instead he combined them into a far more powerful mode of leadership.

To illustrate this, let’s return to the biblical narrative (in this week’s Torah portion) where when Esau heard that his brother had taken the firstborn blessings, he planned to kill him. Jacob fled from the land of Canaan and spent the next number of years in the house of Laban, his uncle. Now Laban was known as a swindler. In fact, Laban’s dishonesty was so great that he even cheated Jacob out of his promised bride. Laban had two daughters: Rachel and Leah. Jacob had fallen in love with Rachel and made a deal with Laban that he would work seven years for him if thereafter he was given Rachel as a wife.

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