Dear members and friends,

Let me begin my message this month by wishing our new president success in keeping America great. The atmosphere in which President Trump begins his term is challenging. The various camps in America clearly represent different views of social arrangement, but it is crucial to find the middle ground that brings us together. This seems to be lacking. So what is that middle that we are looking for?

Last month, I ended my message with the quote: “…the spiritual is political and the political is spiritual.” Even though I understand the concept internally, I have never tried to articulate it, as I believe every clergy should define the interface between politics and spiritually for himself or herself. However, in response to a question from one of our members, I will attempt to explain the relationship between the two. I welcome your perspectives and ideas.

The first thing that comes to mind is a joke I first heard at rabbinical school: “Rabbi, why did you choose to become a congregational rabbi?” Answer: “Because I don’t care for politics.” Every additional year in the pulpit, this joke becomes even funnier because I understand that it is impossible to separate the political from the spiritual. They are the two sides of the same coin. Politics is a way to manage human relationships on a small scale, and societies on the greater scale; spirituality is a basic need of humanity to see life beyond itself.

In practical terms, the broader idea is not to separate spirituality from society, but to use political tools to achieve spiritual goals. For example, how do we create a society where those who have wealth and power give to those who have neither? Charity is the key (from the Latin, “caritas,” to care is to love, in Hebrew to give). Charity brings us together, and coming together is the ultimate act of charity. Charity, as the ultimate spiritual act of looking beyond ourselves, opens us to infinite possibilities. Any organization that becomes too involved with itself, too internalized, is letting politics distract it from its spiritual mission. Eventually, that organization will collapse on itself. But through charity, what keeps us apart can keep us together.

Nevertheless, the tension between politics and spirituality is real. Politics too often benefits from separating people, while the mission of spirituality is to bring people together. Politics can encourage hate, while spirituality’s goal is to encourage love. As a result, politics can directly affect the goal of spirituality. The good news is that it can also go the other way; spirituality and charity can directly affect politics.

One of my most memorable experiences happened shortly after I moved to New York City in 1995. I was walking by Trump Tower, and I looked up. Coming from Israel, I had never seen so many tall buildings. Then, when I looked back down, my eyes were caught by something else I had not seen before: homelessness. (Unfortunately, Israel has much of both today.) In front of the golden tower, a homeless man was sleeping in a cardboard box.

On the Shabbat immediately following the inauguration, our synagogue began a new book, the Book of Exodus. The book begins with the verse: “…and a new king arose in Egypt, that did not know Joseph.” The king surely knew about Joseph, but he chose to ignore the charitable man who had saved Egypt from starvation. The new king, because he couldn’t see the suffering of the people, ultimately brought about Egypt’s destruction.

I hope the new administration will recognize that charity is the key to coming together and, ultimately, to keeping America strong. Dear president, you now have the highest office, even higher than the one at your tower. Do not be distracted by politics; remember that our mission is spiritual. What is the purpose of all the political power if you can’t or don’t have enough time to help those who are struggling? In 1967, at a conference in Atlanta titled “Where Do We Go From Here?” the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Power properly understood is nothing but the ability to achieve purpose. It is the strength required to bring about social, political, and economic change.”

The bottom line is this: we can never avoid politics, but we can make the political spiritual. At Tifereth Israel, for instance, we pray before each board meeting and before each congregation meeting. Let us carry that message to meetings at every level, from our own families to every aspect of government: “Loving and Gracious God, we come together this day to seek your wisdom, guidance, courage and strength. Be with us in our deliberations and help us to be wise in the decisions we make for the good of all those who have placed their trust and confidence in our leadership. Give us insight to lead with integrity that our decisions may reflect what is right and good. Keep us from shortsightedness and pettiness. Help us to make decisions that strive to be for the good of all, and guard us from blind self-interest. Finally, grant us the humility to always seek your will in all that we do and say. Amen.”

Chodesh Tov,

—Rabbi Gadi