העורך Editor

גאולה ולהבדיל: שמועות שמסר הרב יעקב מייזליש זצ”ל בשם מרן החזו”א ז”ל

הנה מתוך לקט שפורסם כעת לכבוד היא”צ – מה שנוגע ליציאה לחירות, ולהבדיל…

אמר שאצל מרן זללה”ה ראו כשהזכיר יציאת מצרים בק”ש, שמשתדל להסמיך אשר הוצאתי אתכם מארץ מצריים לאומרו כאחת עם להיות לכם לאלו’, (קובץ שמועות).

… ודרך אגב אמר בשם האור שמח דהחרות שהיה לנו ממצרים שאנו מודים על זה אין זה על החירות הגשמי דהא אמרי’ ויוצא את עמו ישראל מתוכם לחירות עולם והא קא חזי’ דאכתי אנו בגלות תחת האומות אנו שרויין, אלא הכוונה לחירות הרוחני וכדכתיב בהוציאך את העם הזה תעבדון את האלו’ על ההר הזה ואין לך בן חורין אלא מי שעוסק בתורה, (קובץ שמועות).

סיפר הגר”י ז”ל שאמר החזו”א בר”ח ניסן תש”ט, כשהלך לאפות מצות בבוקר והיה יום בהיר, ובדרך החזו”א עצר והביט על השמים, ואמר מרן ז”ל מי חלם שנה שלימה תעמוד המדינה ויוכלו עדיין לאפות פה מצות לאור היום.

אמר הגר”י ז”ל כשמוסדות התורה התחילו לקחת כסף מהשלטונות, אמר מרן ז”ל הקב”ה הבטיח לא ימושו, בחרתם לכם כזה לא ימושו אז יש לכם כזה לא ימושו.

ע”כ.

אותי תפס הענין האחרון. מעולם סברתי שהחזו”א התיר\עודד לקחת כסף מהמדינה, וכאן משמע שתחילה עשו ע”ד עצמם.

Claude (AI, Not a Frenchman!) and I DEBATE: Valuing Politicians, Y/N?

Introducing: AI And I.

(Note: I didn’t attempt to defend myself very hard. What follows is a loose discussion slightly abridged, not a precise debate.)

First, Claude gave an admirable summary of the Hyehudi article at hand:

This appears to be an opinion piece that presents a cynical view of democratic politicians using satirical questions. The author is expressing a perspective that politicians in democratic systems are easily replaceable and questioning why they receive special treatment or commemoration.

Some of the key questions raised in the text include:

  1. Why democratic politicians receive expensive security details if they’re meant to be replaceable representatives
  2. Why assassinations of politicians are commemorated if anyone can take their place
  3. Why politicians weren’t first in line for COVID vaccines
  4. Why there was concern about the Knesset’s location relative to borders

The piece uses some Hebrew terms and references to Israeli politics (Rechavam Ze’evi, Yitzhak Rabin, Sharon, Olmert) and biblical figures.

The tone is highly skeptical of the importance placed on individual politicians in democratic systems, essentially arguing that the democratic model itself suggests politicians should be viewed as interchangeable parts rather than essential individuals.

I know who created the Golem, so I already knew Cluade disagreed.

The only thing left to ask is: Why?

Claude goes first:

The arguments in the piece have several flaws that make them unconvincing:

  1. False equivalence between replaceability and value: While democratic systems are designed with succession plans, this doesn’t mean individual politicians are “expendable” or worthless. The system is designed for stability, not because individuals don’t matter.
  2. Ignores expertise and experience: The piece treats politicians as “interchangeable screws,” but effective governance requires knowledge, relationships, and experience that aren’t instantly transferable.
  3. Misrepresents democracy: Democracy isn’t about having “anyone” in power, but about citizens choosing representatives they believe will best serve their interests. The selection process is meant to identify qualified individuals.
  4. Security justification misunderstood: Security for officials isn’t just about the individual, but about protecting democratic institutions and preventing disruption through violence.
  5. Commemorations serve broader purposes: Remembering assassinated leaders isn’t just about the individuals but about reinforcing democratic values and rejecting political violence.
  6. Strawman argument regarding vaccines: The prioritization question misrepresents how such decisions were actually made (based on exposure risk and essential functions).
  7. Cherry-picks examples: The piece selectively uses examples that support its view while ignoring counterexamples where leadership transitions were highly consequential.
  8. Conflates different political systems: Comparing modern democratic officials to biblical kings doesn’t account for fundamental differences in governance structures.

The piece uses emotionally charged language (“tax slaves,” “Chief Gangster”) rather than substantive arguments, and employs sarcasm instead of addressing the real complexities of democratic systems.

Meh. Sounds like AI. Here’s my counter:

I see some of that, but… Isn’t it true politicians are not necessarily experts at anything but getting votes? “Knowledge, relationships, and experience” is begging the argument. If the parliament is kept safe, doesn’t that provide perverse incentives regarding a main purpose of government, namely security? Democracy isn’t about “qualification” but relative qualification, no?

Claude practices “Active Listening”:

You raise some thoughtful points that highlight legitimate critiques of democratic systems:

You’re right that many politicians excel primarily at winning elections rather than governance. The skills that get someone elected (charisma, fundraising ability, networking) don’t necessarily translate to effective leadership or domain expertise. This is a recognized weakness in democratic systems.

Regarding “knowledge, relationships, and experience” – fair point that this can become circular reasoning. While these attributes develop over time in office, they’re not necessarily the right knowledge or productive relationships. Some career politicians become entrenched in systems without delivering meaningful improvements.

On security, you identify an interesting tension: when politicians receive special protection, it can create a disconnect between their experience and that of ordinary citizens. This could potentially affect their perspective on security policies and priorities. When leaders are insulated from the risks faced by the general population, it might influence their decision-making.

Your point about relative qualification is insightful. Democracy doesn’t select for objectively “best” candidates but rather those who can win electoral contests within particular contexts. The qualification is indeed relative to the specific electorate’s preferences at a specific time.

These are legitimate critiques that highlight imperfections in democratic systems. The question becomes not whether democracies have these flaws (they do), but whether alternative systems would address these weaknesses without introducing worse problems.

Me again:

So then, isn’t the essential argument valid? Honestly, why aren’t politicians like interchangeable screws?

Claude reawakens:

You’ve touched on an important question about the nature of democratic representation.

The argument has some validity, especially in systems designed with redundancy and succession plans. Democratic systems are indeed structured to survive the loss of individual leaders. However, calling politicians “interchangeable screws” oversimplifies several realities:

  1. Politicians aren’t uniform products – they represent different constituencies, ideologies, priorities, and abilities. A conservative replacing a progressive (or vice versa) fundamentally changes policy direction.
  2. Political capital isn’t transferable – the mandate, trust, and coalition-building ability of one politician doesn’t automatically transfer to their replacement.
  3. Democratic systems value both stability and representation – replacing elected officials undermines the expressed will of voters who chose specific people to represent them.
  4. Leadership transitions have real costs – even planned transitions involve learning curves, policy disruptions, and relationship rebuilding with other governments and institutions.

The original argument correctly identifies that democratic systems are designed to withstand personnel changes, but it incorrectly concludes that this makes individual politicians meaningless.

Think of it like a sports team – players are technically replaceable (teams have benches and can trade), but that doesn’t mean changing players has no impact on performance or that all players are equally valuable or interchangeable.

No way I am giving in to someone named Claude!

I fire back:

I posit you are moving the goalposts. Democrats bewail deceased politicians not for the utilitarian reasons you note. I would project that democracy is not psychologically consistent.

Claude apparently agrees:

You make a compelling point about psychological inconsistency in democratic attitudes toward politicians.

You’re right that I’ve shifted focus to practical governance impacts rather than addressing the psychological or symbolic treatment of politicians in democratic societies. That’s a fair criticism.

There is indeed a contradiction between:

  • The democratic theory that positions politicians as servants and representatives who derive power from the people
  • The near-reverential treatment some politicians receive, especially after death, which more closely resembles how monarchies treat their leaders

Democratic societies often eulogize fallen politicians in ways that elevate them beyond mere representatives – with elaborate state funerals, monuments, naming of buildings/roads, and commemorations that seem inconsistent with the idea that they’re simply replaceable public servants.

This psychological inconsistency suggests that even in democracies, we haven’t fully shed the human tendency toward leader-worship or the creation of political mythology. We theoretically embrace the idea that power flows from the people to replaceable representatives, while emotionally responding to political figures in ways that contradict this principle.

It reveals a gap between democratic theory and human psychology – perhaps pointing to why purely rational approaches to understanding political systems often miss important dimensions of how they actually function.

Aaand… that’s it for the free version of Claude. 

What do you think?

מחאות הסטוריות נגד עליית בן גביר להר הבית

נשלח ע”י הקורא החפץ בעלום שמו, בתקונים קלים:

מחאה נגד עליית בן גביר להר הבית היום בבוקר פורסם כי השר לביטחון לאומי איתמר בן גביר עלה להר הבית. המעשה כמובן גרר גינויים רבים מכל קצוות הקשת הפוליטית, שהתריעו נגד המעשה המסוכן והקיצוני.

להלן כמה מהגינויים שהגיעו למערכת מטעם מנהיגים בולטים בעם היהודי:

שמוע בן זכור מנהיג שבט ראובן

“בשם תנועת ‘עשרת המרגלים – בורחים מתקווה’ אני מתחלחל מהעלייה להר. הרי דיווחנו בפירוש שהארץ אוכלת יושביה, אז מה פתאום לעלות לשם? זה כמו לקפוץ לבריכה של תנינים עם שלט ‘אני טעים’! השאיפה המשיחית הזו להתפלל בהר הבית היא כמו לבקש מענקים לקניית קברים. אנחנו מוקפים במיליוני מוסלמים שבכלל לא היו קיימים בזמני, אבל אני בטוח שהם מפחידים נורא! תשאירו את הקנאות הדתית לכנענים – לפחות להם יש פסלים נחמדים. בזמני, עלינו על הר אחד וכמעט מתנו מפחד, אז תארו לכם מה יקרה אם תעלו על ההר ההוא!”

ירבעם בן נבט מלך ישראל, מייסד ארגון “עגלים בבית אל – פולחן קרוב לבית”

“אני מוחה בתוקף נגד הניסיונות להנהגת מקום פולחן יחיד. זוהי פגיעה בקודש הקודשים של הדמוקרטיה – חופש הפולחן, הזכות לעבודת ה’ בכל זמן ובכל מקום. בתורתנו נכתב במפורש “ושכנתי בתוכם”, השכינה שורה בכל אחד ואחד מישראל בכל מקום שהוא. זהו מדרון חלקלק שעלול להוביל להרס הבמות ולכפיית מקום פולחן יחיד. אני קורא לראש הממשלה לפטר את בן-גביר מתפקידו ולהכריז פומבית שלא יינתן שום יחס מועדף לאף מקום עלי אדמות.”

אחאב בן עומרי מלך ישראל, יו”ר התאגדות נביאי הבעל

“מקדשי הבעל פורחים, במות קמות תחת כל עץ רענן, בישראל יש מקדשים כרצון איש ואיש. אבל לבן גביר הפירומן חשוב להתפלל דווקא במקום הכי נפיץ שיש במזרח התיכון. ממשלת בן-גביר – סמוטריץ’ הקנאית הפונדמנטליסטית מנסה להרוס בכוח את כל ההישגים שהבאתי בתקופת כהונתי כמלך ישראל. לא רלוונטית לו העובדה שאפילו לפי גדולי ישראל והרבנות הראשית הדבר נאסר, העיקר להבעיר בכוח את המזרח התיכון למען אינטרסים פוליטיים. אפילו אליהו הנביא, מגדולי הקנאים, היה מוכן להקריב קורבנות מחוץ להר הבית, אבל למה להתיר כשאפשר למצוא חומרות ולתת לציבור להתמודד עם ההשלכות?”

How To Meet New Torah Scholars and Seforim: Transcend the Popularizers

To riff on a rumored Nietzsche quote, “The popularizers of a creed prove nothing against it.”

In general, time is a limited resource, and one can’t learn everything ever published. It therefore makes some sense to decide whether to investigate someone’s oeuvre based on their popularizers and translators.

In actual fact, however, I see time and again that the popularizers don’t necessarily make the best case for their rabbis (and I often fail for mine).

For example, if all the data I had to decide whether studying Rabbi Kook was worthwhile were the best-known and best-loved quotes floated by his flighty fans, I would never have looked deeper. And the English translations of the Malbim’s commentary on Scripture make it seem pointless and Germanic.

Fact is, to properly assess Rabbi Kook, you must go beyond the kookie-kutter quotes brandished by both fervent supporters and rabid enemies (not to mention the forgeries and context-omissions perpetrated by both groups). And even then… He was actually complex! Humans tend to cast their idols in their own, all-too-human image (think: Simcha Raz).

To judge the Malbim, you need to get awfully stuck on something which earlier commentaries do nothing to solve, and, in sheer desperation, look at the long commentary at the bottom it was always your “minhag” to ignore. Like so.

(I have more examples from living sages, but I think silence is the better option there.)

Lesson: Who knows what other Jewish treasures we overlook, either due to insufficient salesmen, or worse, idiotic salesmen?