JULY 1 • 2021 | 39

How Can Israel’s Orthodox
Prime Minister Run the Country?
S

ince Israel declared its inde-
pendence in 1948, the top 
political leadership has largely 
been represented by figures from the 
so-called “secular” community — sec-
ular but committed Jews 
who understand and 
embrace the importance 
and sanctity of our tra-
ditions.
Still, the fact that 
Israel’s new prime 
minister hails from 
the religious Zionist 
community deserves to be 
celebrated by all segments of Israeli society, 
as well as supporters of our country from all 
over the world.
Naftali Bennett’s election illustrates that 
Torah observance is not an inherent bar-
rier to serving in the top position of the 
Israeli government. At the same time, the 
fact that it took this long for someone who 
publicly promotes religious Zionism means 
some questions about the compatibility of 
personal practice and public role are to be 
expected.
Of course, issues will need to be 
addressed on a personal and case-by-case 
basis. On this very practical level, there are 
specific halachic (Jewish law) issues that the 
prime minister will need to confront, and I 
am confident that he and his staff will do so 
with humility and insight.
The Jewish tradition dictates that even 
the highest-level public servant, such as a 
king, or in this case the prime minister, is 
not above the law, and has the same halach-
ic requirements as every subject or citizen. 
This includes upholding the halachic prin-
ciple pikuach nefesh, saving a life, a rule that 
takes priority over nearly every other matter 
of Jewish law. 
The responsibility for the lives of others 
provides a leader with both the permission 
and the obligation to give pikuach nefesh 
the utmost priority in a more practical way 
than is needed by most people, and with 

regard to most of Halachah. Certainly, 
there is great potential for conflict between 
pikuach nefesh and, for example, keeping 
Shabbat — and it is here that a leader’s 
requirement to keep people safe exceeds 
even his requirement to observe Shabbat.
The potential for prioritizing pikuach 
nefesh to complicate Shabbat observance 
gives rise to the very specific halachic 
question of whether it would be preferable 
to retain non-Jews to act in certain roles 
over Shabbat and enable the Jew to avoid 
transgression. However, because the prime 
minister makes lifesaving decisions on a 
regular basis, he cannot be dependent on 
the involvement of a non-Jew.
True, consideration could potentially be 
given to setting up halachically-designed 
communications systems ahead of sunset 
on Friday. Such a system would be accept-
able only if it could be determined with 
certainty that it would have no negative 
impact, whether operational or practical. 
The priority is first and foremost preserving 
and defending human lives.
In addition to issues of Shabbat, the 
prime minister is in every way the public 
face of the nation and that also has halachic 
implications. For example, during the times 
of year on the Jewish calendar designated 
for collective national mourning (such as 
for the destruction of the two Temples), 
when many halachically observant men 
refrain from shaving in a demonstration 
of mourning, the prime minister would 

be permitted to shave and dress in a 
respectable fashion as befitting a world 
leader. Global expectations as to one’s 
outward appearance are clear, and 
being presentable to the world is vital 
for the daily functioning of a figure on 
that stage.

POSITIVE RESPECT
When it comes to a specific need for a 
prime minister to act in a certain way 
that is related to his performance of the 
job, the underlying concept that drives 
halachic practice is one of accommo-
dation. This requires a level of wisdom 
and discernment on the premier’s part, but 
showing the public his respect for Halachah 
will allow our traditions to be revealed in 
positive ways never before possible.
Though questions of religious observance 
while running a country might spotlight 
a conflict between the two, the country 
should focus instead on the beauty of hala-
chic practice and its dynamic nature. The 
very application of the concept of pikuach 
nefesh (the primacy of saving a life) to 
explain Bennett’s future conduct highlights 
the flexibility of Halachah, and the way it 
can be drawn to apply to any circumstance.
In that vein, the public awareness of how 
the prime minister can function fully with-
in the guidelines of Halachah will expose 
more people to the encompassing nature of 
Jewish law.
Deliberations and debates that were once 
the purview of only certain rarefied ele-
ments of Jewish society are likely to become 
of interest to the broader public in ways that 
I firmly believe will allow them to better 
recognize and appreciate the beauty and 
meaning of our halachic-legal system.
I believe that we should only be thankful 
for these political developments that are 
providing this opportunity. 

Rabbi David Stav is the chief rabbi of Shoham, Israel, 

and founder and chairman of the Tzohar Rabbinical 

Organization.

TORAH

Rabbi David 
Stav
Times of 
Israel

WIKIPEDIA

Naftali Bennett 
secures his 
kippah in a 
2014 photo.

MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP/TIMES OF ISRAEL

