Like many people, I have found the avalanche of Executive Orders being issued by the President of the United States in the past few weeks very concerning, to say the least. In some cases, I must confess, I was not fully aware of the policies that were being altered or abolished nor of their consequences. Thankfully, in this country we have the benefit of experts and commentators who are able to explain the ramifications of these orders and the impact they have not only in the short term for the specific entity being ruled upon, but also the long term impact of these decrees, often affecting the entire country and frequently, people around the world. A most notable example was the decision to freeze the funding of USAID without consideration of its impact on world health and the economies of other nations, nor on its impact upon our own farmers and workers in this country who depend on this program as a vital market for their produce. Ending a program abruptly without consultation and without consideration of its impact on lives and livelihoods is nothing short of irresponsible, if not criminal.
In this short time, we have already seen this president ignoring and willfully violating laws enacted by Congress, abolishing regulations designed to protect the American consumer, gutting programs that support the most vulnerable elements of our society, disrupting lives, and even causing unnecessary harm, even death, to people dependent on the rule of law and the funding of government programs enacted by Congress. His policies have even ignored the provisions of the Constitution of the United States. There is no need to continue this list of “concerns.” We are all well aware and well informed about the ongoing attack on our government institutions.
As I read the news reports and the writings of a number of commentators every day, I keep thinking of a passage in Pirke Avot, the Ethics of the Fathers, a collection of rabbinic teachings on how individuals should interact within society. The passage that resonated with me is found in the second chapter of the tractate. We are introduced to Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, the leading authority in first century Judaism, who escaped Jerusalem prior to its destruction by the Romans and obtained permission to establish an academy for the study of Torah in Yavneh. In doing so, he maintained the continuity of Jewish life even as the central focus of our religion, the Temple, was being demolished and its sacrificial cult abolished. We’re told he had five prominent students and, in this passage, Rabbi Yochanan asks them to “go out and see which is a good path to which a person should cleave.” Each student returns with a different answer: “ayin tovah,” a good eye, “chaver tov,” a good friend, “shachen tov,” a good neighbor, “lev tov,” a good heart. The one that sticks out from the group, breaking the symmetry, is the response of Rabbi Shimon ben Netanel which was “haro-eh et ha nolad,” literally one who sees what is born or as it is translated in the Lev Shalem edition of Pirkei Avot, “The ability to see what the future will yet bring.” Rabbi Shimon values the trait of foresight, being able to see what is about to come into being, the consequences of one’s actions, who and what will be impacted by our decisions.
Though Rabbi Yochanan favors the statement of Rabbi Elazar ben Arach, “a good heart” for, as he says to his other students, ”your words are included in his,” we might conclude, if we accept that view, that the most important quality in a leader and particularly in the President of the United States is having “a good heart.”
Such a leader would, according to Rabbi Yochanan, have a good eye. The sages understand the concept of a “good eye” as being satisfied with what one already has, not being envious of one’s neighbors’ possessions or wealth. One with a good eye would set boundaries for himself and respect the territorial integrity of other nations and the benefit of diverse political views. He would be careful to avoid conflicts of interest, his own and that of his official staff.
Such a person, with a good heart would value good friends. A person like this would not necessarily seek out officers and officials because they vow loyalty to him or her, but rather he would find those who are devoted to the national interests, who uphold their oaths to the Constitution and who have other fine qualities. These are people who have the appropriate qualifications for the offices for which they are selected. For the rabbis, the term “chaver” is used for a study partner, a person who does not always agree with you, but through his disagreements, sharpens your perception of any issue or action by raising questions and forcing you to consider different options. One thinks of the strange friendship of the late justices of the Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Antonin Scalia. Though holding very different views, they depended on one another to critique their opinions and thereby strengthen their legal writings. Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin shows how effective Abraham Lincoln’s “Team of Rivals” was during the Civil War. Other leaders would benefit from this concept. A rubber stamp congress, we see, does not uphold the interests of those who sent them there. They need to focus on the needs of their constituents and reach beyond partisan politics.
A leader who has a good heart would value good neighbors. For the President this goes beyond our borders and speaks of appreciating other countries which have a long history of cooperation and support for U.S. policies and interests. This president would foster deeper relationships with other nations who share our values, maintaining long term alliances that have worked for our mutual defense and economic interests. Good neighbors work in tandem to set boundaries for bad actors on the world stage and maintain peace in the world.
Indeed, the President with a good heart would look beyond the immediate thoughts of today, ro-eh et ha-nolad, and consult with experts who can point out the long-term consequences of his decisions. They might direct him as to who will benefit from this order and who will suffer. He needs to seek out the best path to follow to limit harm to others in our own country as well as among other nations in the world. If something is not working perfectly and requires rectification, the President with a good heart would take time to consider how to retain the good elements in a program while making appropriate changes in those areas in need of modification. Ridding the government of those who have knowledge and experience as part of a vendetta and replacing them with those lacking those qualities does not reflect the actions of a president with a good heart.
Many of those who voted for this president, one may assume, should be having “buyer’s remorse” by now, as they are themselves negatively impacted by these poorly conceived executive orders and the disrespect shown for the existing institutions that have governed this country for nearly 250 years. Our government institutions are far from perfect, but they have provided needed services to all of us. If one wishes to improve on them, it should be done in a considered manner in accordance with law, and without disrupting needed services. If one continues to follow this metaphor of the good heart, then it seems to me, we either need a change of heart in this seemingly heartless president or, more radically, a heart transplant in the nation’s highest office. At the same time, we need to be able to rely on strong leadership in Congress and in the courts to balance the power of the Executive.
Each week in the synagogue we offer prayers for the government of this country, a practice going back to the prophet Jeremiah who urged those exiled to Babylonia in his day to pray for the welfare of the government. In the current version of our prayer, we ask the Almighty, “to pour out Your blessing upon this land, upon its inhabitants, upon its leaders, its judges, officers, and officials, who faithfully devote themselves to the needs of the public. Help them understand the rules of justice You have decreed, so that peace and security, happiness and prosperity will never depart from our land.” The hope expressed in this prayer is that “our land may be a blessing to all who dwell on earth.” It is a worthy goal and clearly at this moment we have much to do to reach it.
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