Posted January 16 2008
The One Thing
When I hear someone who expresses an opinion that is to one extreme or the other, I tend to roll my eyes and dismiss it. No matter how important an issue, if you see no room for the other point of view you’re probably being led by an emotional or psychological bias. This is just as true with issues like abortion as it is with anything. The unexamined opinion is usually wrong and the examined opinion is usually centrist.
There are plenty of people who I interact with who are blind hypocrites who have been spun about by a very reliable source. Once informed that there is a donkey somewhere that needs a tale [sic], they are pushed in one direction and follow Newton’s first law. Today’s piece is not about them.
In the movie, “City Slickers,” the old, wise and true cowboy, Curly, says “There’s just one thing in life that’s important.” Billy Crystal’s character, Mitch, asks “What is it?” Curly responds, “That’s for you to figure out.”
One of my friends claimed that he just doesn’t understand how any observant Jew could go near backing a candidate who advocates gay rights/marriage and abortion.
I gave some of the common answers, not because I thought he hadn’t heard them before, but to hear his response. In the system of government we have in the USA, you can’t back a minor candidate because you agree with all his views. You have to weigh the views of the top candidates and pick the cliche-ish lesser of two evils.
“But what kind of statement are they making showing support for someone with these anti-Torah policies?”
To that I replied that there are so many things that Jewish leaders have to account for: the welfare of the state of Israel, the welfare of the Jewish communities in other countries and all the various needs locally as well. These issues of abortion and gay rights will continue being the subject of debates and disputes throughout the term of whomever gets elected. One might just as well ignore those types of overheated issues and take a closer look at individual points.
“You know,” he said. “It’s because of those kinds of leaders who ignore what’s really important for the sake money fame and politics that I am no longer Shomer Shabbos or Kashrus.”
This was no time to be shocked at the statement he made, so I responded to it by asking him why he felt that those issues: gay rights and abortion were Mitzvot about which he could be so adamant, but Shabbat and Kashrut were not.
And he gave a pretty common answer. He claimed he believes we’re put here by God, but that religion is man made. Original Judaism had so many sects that even someone who believes in the Torah is taking a huge leap by getting behind any sect’s ideas on Shabbat and other similar things.
I asked him what made gay marriage an issue that he felt was immune to this critique of religion.
“It’s not the violation of religion that gets me so angry,” he said. “It’s the violation of life. Life is the most precious thing we have and everyone should be trying to promote life in every way possible. That’s why we’re here, rule number one, be fruitful* and multiply. Anything that gets in the way of each person continuing on as much as possible is a disgraceful use of the gift of life.”
And then he said the words that put it all together for me.
“How can these people consider anything more important?”
I then told him about how he has that One Thing. He knows the secret of life. The people who have to give support to a politician, they have so many things to worry about that no one thing can ever be too important.
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*Fruitful here refers to the process of reproduction, not the process of homosexual union.
Post Script
My belief is that the One Thing expressed above: The Supreme Importance of Life, is the One Thing of Judaism. Some may disagree with me when it comes to issues like animal sacrifices or capital punishment. Others may disagree with me when it comes to Shabbat or prayer. But I honestly believe that taken in completion, the laws we follow were intended to give us the best life emotionally, mentally and physically. It is only because we get bogged down in over-weighing details that we lose track of the original goal. I think that if you keep your eye on the One Thing throughout all your observances of Judaism, and constantly answer the question, “how is this improving my quality of life,” you will understand how to observe the Torah optimally.
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2 Comments currently posted. 
Marc Lerman says:
David Gertler says:
Marc, I nominate you to be the pro-polygamy, pro-bestiality and pro-Russian Roulette (legalizing hooking, gambling and all narcotics ever discovered goes without saying) candidate. If you have a problem with polygamy or Russian roulette, you are a hypocrite. If you don’t have a problem with any of that, I say remove government entirely, but that won’t be the country I’ll raise my kids.
If you believe that the government is supposed to have any say in the affairs of people, then hopefully it should be created with the best of intentions to keep all people safe and healthy. And if you believe that to be true then the beliefs you would want imposed are those beliefs that you believe are for the betterment of people.
But honestly, Marc, it would seem that the only way you can vote and be honest is to vote for the candidate who would legalize the largest number of things. You don’t vote based on Israel, you’ve told us that. You’d vote against any candidate who wanted to make bans on “moral” issues. Immigration should be open in your book. You vote based on taxes? I sure hope you wouldn’t be opposed to slavery in other countries, because you’d be a hypocrite again if you were to tell people how to live their lives.
Frankly, I’m very glad that America regulates certain things. It certainly needs work but my personal opinion, which I stated all the way at the top: regulation not obligation.
But again, in your words, YOU don’t need to be a cannibal - just choose not to.
I support candidates who support abortion and gay marriage and all those “anti-Torah” policies for one simple reason - who am I to impose my beliefs on anyone else? I am not naive enough to believe that my way of life is best, and whatever I believe, people should have the choice to do whatever they want. YOU don’t need to get an abortion - just choose not to. YOU do not need to marry your gay best friend, but if you wanted to, you should be able to. If you want to live in a place where all of that is illegal and everyone lives according to a strict code with no choice to do these “immoral” things, they have a place for you - it’s call Iran.