The Importance of Voting
Tale of the Chazon Ish
[Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz (7 November 1878 – 24 October 1953), known by the name of his magnum opus, Chazon Ish, was a Belarusian born Orthodox rabbi who later became one of the leaders of Haredi Judaism in Israel, where he spent his final 20 years, from 1933 to 1953.]
matzav.com/the-gedolims-view-on-voting-in-the-israeli-elections
On Election Day, the Chazon Ish met this same Jew in the street. “Did you vote yet?” inquired the Chazon Ish.
“No,” was the response.
“Why not?” persisted the Chazon Ish.
“I don’t have the three Israeli pounds to pay the poll tax,” was the answer.
The Chazon Ish would not give up. “Do you own a pair of tefillin?” he continued.
“Of course!” answered the Jew.
“Well, go and sell your pair of tefillin and use the funds to pay the poll tax so that you can go and vote,” said the Chazon Ish.
The Chazon Ish later explained to Rabbi Soroka that wearing tefillin is a mitzvah, but voting in the election is also a mitzvah.
“I’m not worried that this Jew will not put be putting on tefillin,”explained the Chazon Ish. “If need be, he’ll borrow a pair. I am afraid that he won’t perform this other mitzvah – voting in the election.”
(יח) שֹׁפְטִ֣ים וְשֹֽׁטְרִ֗ים תִּֽתֶּן־לְךָ֙ בְּכָל־שְׁעָרֶ֔יךָ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְהוָ֧ה אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ לִשְׁבָטֶ֑יךָ וְשָׁפְט֥וּ אֶת־הָעָ֖ם מִשְׁפַּט־צֶֽדֶק׃
(18) You shall appoint magistrates and officials for your tribes, in all the settlements that the LORD your God is giving you, and they shall govern the people with due justice.
(ב) לֹֽא־תִהְיֶ֥ה אַחֲרֵֽי־רַבִּ֖ים לְרָעֹ֑ת וְלֹא־תַעֲנֶ֣ה עַל־רִ֗ב לִנְטֹ֛ת אַחֲרֵ֥י רַבִּ֖ים לְהַטֹּֽת׃
(2) You shall neither side with the mighty to do wrong—you shall not give perverse testimony in a dispute so as to pervert it in favor of the mighty—
(א) לא תהיה אחרי רבים לרעות - אם הם דנים שלא כדין לפי דעתך ואף על פי שלא יאמינו לך כי אם למרובים.
(c. 1085 – c. 1158; a leading French Tosafist and grandson of Rashi)
(1) לא תהיה אחרי רבים לרעות, if, in your opinion, the majority are about to commit an error in judgment, do not remain silent because they are the majority, but state your view. This applies even if you know beforehand that they will not accept your viewpoint but that of the majority.
וְרַב יוֹסֵף אָמַר: אַף מִתַּקָּנַת רַבָּן יוֹחָנָן בֶּן זַכַּאי וְאֵילָךְ — בֵּיצָה אֲסוּרָה. מַאי טַעְמָא: הָוֵי דָּבָר שֶׁבְּמִנְיָן, וְכׇל דָּבָר שֶׁבְּמִנְיָן — צָרִיךְ מִנְיָן אַחֵר לְהַתִּירוֹ.
And Rav Yoseif said: "Even from [the time of] the decree of Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai and forward, the egg is forbidden; what's the reason? It [the original decree] was a matter [decided] in a vote, and any matter that was [decided] in a vote needs another vote to permit it."
Context: This is from the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Beitza, which is about eggs and the rules for eating them if they have been laid on Shabbat or holidays. This specific text has to do with whether an egg laid on the first day of Rosh Hashanah can be eaten on the second day of the holiday. The Sanhedrin settled that with a vote, and so one rabbi can not just overrule that with his own ruling.
What does this say about Jewish views of leadership by many instead of just by one?
Does this say anything about Jewish views on multiple people getting to decide how matters should go?
אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן. מְקוּבָּל אֲנִי מֵרִבִּי לָֽעְזָר בֵּירִבִּי צָדוֹק שֶׁכָּל־גְּזֵירָה שֶׁבֵּית דִּין גּוֹזְרִין וְאֵין רוֹב צִּיבּוּר מְקַבְּלִין עֲלֵיהֶן אֵינָהּ גְּזֵירָה. בָּֽדְקוּ וּמָֽצְאוּ בִּגְזֵירָתוֹ שֶׁלְּשֶׁמֶן וְלָא מָֽצְאוּ שֶׁקִּיבְּלוּ רוֹב הַצִּיבּוּר עֲלֵיהֶן.
Rebbi Yochanan said, I have a tradition in the name of Rebbi Eleazar ben Rebbi Tzadok that any restrictive edict passed by a court which is not accepted by the majority of the public is not an edict. They checked and found in the matter of the edict about oil and did not find that a majority of the public followed it.
Context: This is from the Jerusalem Talmud, Tractate Avodah Zarah, which is about idol worship. It is saying that a gezeirah, which is a rabbinic innovation to meet the needs of the time, has to be put in place by a beit din, Rabbinic court, but the community still has to accept it for it to be binding.
On the spectrum between dictatorship and representative democracy, where does this text fall?
The Age of Being Counted
Pay attention in each source below who is being counted, by what age, and able/required to do what?
כֹּ֗ל הָעֹבֵר֙ עַל־הַפְּקֻדִ֔ים מִבֶּ֛ן עֶשְׂרִ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה וָמָ֑עְלָה יִתֵּ֖ן תְּרוּמַ֥ת יְהֹוָֽה׃
Everyone who is entered in the records, from the age of twenty years up, shall give יהוה’s offering:
מִבֶּ֨ן עֶשְׂרִ֤ים שָׁנָה֙ וָמַ֔עְלָה כׇּל־יֹצֵ֥א צָבָ֖א בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל תִּפְקְד֥וּ אֹתָ֛ם לְצִבְאֹתָ֖ם אַתָּ֥ה וְאַהֲרֹֽן׃
You and Aaron shall record them by their groups, from the age of twenty years up, all those in Israel who are able to bear arms.
זֹ֖את אֲשֶׁ֣ר לַלְוִיִּ֑ם מִבֶּן֩ חָמֵ֨שׁ וְעֶשְׂרִ֤ים שָׁנָה֙ וָמַ֔עְלָה יָבוֹא֙ לִצְבֹ֣א צָבָ֔א בַּעֲבֹדַ֖ת אֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵֽד׃ וּמִבֶּן֙ חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים שָׁנָ֔ה יָשׁ֖וּב מִצְּבָ֣א הָעֲבֹדָ֑ה וְלֹ֥א יַעֲבֹ֖ד עֽוֹד׃ וְשֵׁרֵ֨ת אֶת־אֶחָ֜יו בְּאֹ֤הֶל מוֹעֵד֙ לִשְׁמֹ֣ר מִשְׁמֶ֔רֶת וַעֲבֹדָ֖ה לֹ֣א יַעֲבֹ֑ד כָּ֛כָה תַּעֲשֶׂ֥ה לַלְוִיִּ֖ם בְּמִשְׁמְרֹתָֽם׃ {פ}
(24) This is the rule for the Levites. From twenty-five years of age up they shall participate in the work force in the service of the Tent of Meeting; (25) but at the age of fifty they shall retire from the work force and shall serve no more. (26) They may assist their brother Levites at the Tent of Meeting by standing guard, but they shall perform no labor. Thus you shall deal with the Levites in regard to their duties....
הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, בֶּן חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים לַמִּקְרָא, בֶּן עֶשֶׂר לַמִּשְׁנָה, בֶּן שְׁלשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה לַמִּצְוֹת, בֶּן חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה לַתַּלְמוּד, בֶּן שְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה לַחֻפָּה, בֶּן עֶשְׂרִים לִרְדֹּף, בֶּן שְׁלשִׁים לַכֹּחַ, בֶּן אַרְבָּעִים לַבִּינָה, בֶּן חֲמִשִּׁים לָעֵצָה, בֶּן שִׁשִּׁים לַזִּקְנָה, בֶּן שִׁבְעִים לַשֵּׂיבָה, בֶּן שְׁמֹנִים לַגְּבוּרָה, בֶּן תִּשְׁעִים לָשׁוּחַ, בֶּן מֵאָה כְּאִלּוּ מֵת וְעָבַר וּבָטֵל מִן הָעוֹלָם:
He used to say: At five years of age the study of Scripture; At ten the study of Mishnah; At thirteen subject to the commandments; At fifteen the study of Talmud; At eighteen the bridal canopy; At twenty for pursuit [of livelihood]; At thirty the peak of strength; At forty wisdom; At fifty able to give counsel; At sixty old age; At seventy fullness of years; At eighty the age of “strength”; At ninety a bent body; At one hundred, as good as dead and gone completely out of the world.
כל צרכי ציבור שאינן יכולין להשוות עצמן יש להושיב כל בע"ב הנותנים מס ויקבלו עליהם שכל אחד יאמר דעתו לשם שמים וילכו אחר הרוב
For any community matter on which they cannot find common ground, they should convene all taxpayers, and they should agree that each will voice his view altruistically, and they will follow the majority