Eight years ago, the Jerusalem Post published an article by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks discussing “the principles of Jewish leadership.” Rabbi Sacks intentionally used the ambiguous phrase “Jewish leadership” to encompass not only leadership by Jews, but also leadership in accordance with Jewish principles and values. From a review of just a few of these principles, it is evident that Donald Trump is a failed leader, who is undeserving of another term in office.
Rabbi Sacks notes that leaders take responsibility. In Sefer Bereishis, Adam, Chava, and Kayin, all shirked responsibility for their sins; in contrast, the great heroes of Tanach like Yehuda and Dovid Hamelech admitted their sins, and repented for them.
Donald Trump has spent his whole life evading responsibility. Prior to becoming President, he avoided responsibility for the creditors he failed to pay, the taxes he evaded, and the women he harassed. As President, he has failed to take responsibility for both his moral failures (like the incarceration of children crossing the border) and his policy failures ( like his tragically inept reaction to the pandemic). A leader who is incapable of admitting his mistakes is a leader who will never learn from his mistakes, and who is doomed to repeat them.
Leaders take advice and guidance from others. Rabbi Sacks notes that that the phrase “lo tov” (not good) appears only twice in the Torah: in Sefer Bereishis, when Hashem says that “it is not good for man to be alone,” and again in Sefer Shemos, when Yisro tells Moshe that his practice of judging Bnei Yisrael by himself “is not good.”
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Donald Trump’s ego prevents him from taking advice. To the contrary, he belittles his own appointees and advisers; a tiny sampling of his insults include calling Attorney General Jeff Sessions “mentally retarded,” Secretary of State Rex Tillerson “dumb as a rock,” and most recently, Dr Anthony Fauci “an idiot.” Given Donald Trump’s perverted management style, it is unsurprising that his administration has set the record for White House and cabinet churn in a president’s first term. A leader who thinks he knows everything and is a smarter than anyone else is a terrifying prospect, particularly when he embodies neither of these traits.
Leaders learn. Citing the obligation of a king to write his own Sefer Torah and “read it from all the days of his life,“ Rabbi Sacks asserts that leaders study more than others, and read more than others. “Without constant study,” he writes, “leadership lacks direction and depth.”
Donald Trump’s disinterest in reading even the reports of his own staff is well documented. Former Secretary of State Tillerson described Trump as “a man who is pretty undisciplined, doesn’t like to read, doesn’t read briefing reports, doesn’t like to get into the details of a lot of things, but rather just kind of says, ‘This is what I believe.’” To make matters worse, “what I believe” is often baseless rumors, unsubstantiated speculation, and sheer fabrications. A leader who is both disinterested in learning and dismissive of advisers who have the learning he lacks is truly a toxic combination.
A few other qualities can be added to Rabbi Sacks list. Leaders are truth-tellers, not liars. Donald Trump is a congenital liar; as of July, 2020, he had made over 10,000 false and misleading claims. Besides demonstrating contempt for the public, and totally undermining the credibility of his office, Trump’s lies have tragic, real world consequences, as evident from his decision to intentionally mislead the public about the gravity of the pandemic.
Leaders unite, not divide. To quote former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, “Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people -- does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us.” The result is a severely polarized society which is susceptible to the sort of instability which historically has posed a danger to Jewish communities.
Leaders promote tolerance, not bigotry. Donald Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric, retweets of conspiracy theories, and refusals to unequivocally denounce white supremacy have created an environment which stokes hatred and which , in the words of the former chief of staff of the Department of Homeland Security, Miles Taylor, “make Americans less safe.” The threat this poses to the physical security of the American Jewish community is obvious, as evident from the attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh two years ago.
Democracy, generosity, and tolerance are just a few of the attributes of America which have allowed Jews to prosper in this country. None of these attributes are guaranteed. To the contrary, they are all endangered when the country is led by an ignorant, egotistical demagogue who reflects none of these attributes, and actively works to undermine them. In order to secure the future of the institutions and principles which have benefited our community, the decision is clear: notwithstanding his support of Israel (which deserves our gratitude), American Jews should vote to end the presidency of Donald Trump.
