Democracy, Dictatorship,
And Noahide Laws
*
Rabbi Zvi Aviner
ON THIS INAUGURATION DAY
What can we – as BN – say to the world?
What does the Torah tell the President and his government?
We’ll draw the messages from material we’ve already learned in our classes.
We’ll discuss the following topics:
1: ELKM- Dictatorship Vs Democracy
2: Nimrod and the Tower
3: Adam’s Fifth Comm
4: Who is the Master?
5: The Government structure
6: The Founding fathers – and Vandyl Jones
7: The Congress Declaration
1 ELKM
What is the first message of the Torah to Mankind?
Of course – that ELKM the All – Mighty JUDGE
Created the world – including Adam – for a trial, a judgment.
So the q is : What is our first and foremost trial?
The Torah then says that for Six Days,
ELKM Created the Universe alone, by giving orders.
He said” Let it be” and things happened.
Throughout the entire Six Days He consulted no one,
asked no one’s opinion, or invited anyone
to share with him the work of creation.
In short, He acted as a sole Dictator,
And no one dared to reject His command.
The point is that this way, he created the world
very efficiently, and He was pleased.
So much that at the End of each Day He judged it
And deemed as Good.
TEACHING US THAT DICTSATORSHIP CAN BE EFFICIENT
AND ACHIEVE ITS GOALS.
Yes, under human dictatorship trains go out on time,
no one strikes, there is no inflation, and people live in peace.
Genesis also tells us that at the end of each Day trial,
if something was deemed not good anymore,
ELKM would terminate it to nothingness,
In the name of efficiency, with no Mercy.
TEACHING US THAT DICTATORSHIP WOULD TEND
TO ELIMINATE EVERYTHING AT THE END OF THE DAY.
Think about Mao at the end of his life,
Or about Stalin, or Hitler.
They all wished to destroy the very kingdom
They had built for themselves.
Had ELKM continued to rule as a Dictator, says Rashi,
He would have reached the point where He would
Have destroyed not only creatures of the last passing Day,
But the entire endeavor, the whole Six Days.
To give our Universe a chance to endure and live into the next Day
ELKM relinquished His Sole Power, stepped down from
the high pedestal of DICTATORSHIP and spoke in plural,
Saying Let Us make and Adam.
Instead of acting like a Dictator and say as before – Let there be an Adam,
He spoke as a KING WHO CONSULTS OTHERS,
A Democratic King who consults his own subjects.
He did that on purpose, to teach Adam how to be a Very Good ruler.
We see that in the story of the Angels, brought by Rashi.
When ELKM spoke, the perplexed Angels asked:
Our King, why are you speaking in plural?
Aren’t afraid that you’ve opened the door for idolaters to think
That there are more than One CREATOR, you?
So ELKM answered: I speak in plural risking IDOLATRY
For I want to teach Adam HOW TO RULE WITH MODESTY –
THAT THE SUPERIOR WOULD CONSULT THE INFERIOR.
In other worlds – to teach Adam how to use the art of consultation
And rule the world not by the upper hand but rather by Democratic way.
Only by this can Adam become Very Good and enter the next Day.
Adam then iis born into a trial of Kingship –
Either he chose to rule as a dictator, and finally destroy himself,
Or chose to rule as a democratic king who consults his subjects
And se the next Day.
That trial was extremely important in ELKM eyes,
He risked even idolatry for that.
How to elect a Democratic king?
The Torah gives us a guidance
A king you should place on yourself
from among his peer he should be elected…
The verse says “you should place on you a king “
that you – the people- are the sovereign
Who elect your king – or your president.
“And that you should place on yourself –
Meaning give him his authority. It comes from you , the real sovereign.
And that you should elect him from among yourselves –
So that he should be able to listen to you and understand
Your innermost wishes and aspirations.
He can’t be an alien.
But to be Very Good democratic king
The kingship should accommodate
Not only the Laws and values of ELKM
But also the ways and values of YHVH.
You see that in the story of Nimrod.
Nimrod started as an exceptionally successful democratic ruler.
He was a great orator, a hunter before YHVH,
Hunting people by his words.
At a young age his father Kush – Noah grandson –
Sent him to all the Seventy Noahide Nations
To study first hand their wishes and aspirations.
So, when time came, all the nations elected him
b/c each took him as its own.
Nimrod could read well the human heart
and when the new technology of building bricks arrived
he offered his people to build a Tower
where each could make a name for himself.
One could become a manager of a corridor
The other of en entire wing, so a whole system
of social hierarchy evolved within a perfect Democracy.
As the Tower grew taller, so did Nimrod status
So that he became a supreme dictator , a divine figure
Without lifting a sword.
This way the project evolved very efficient and successfully,
and Nimrod could have even enter Space,
had not the Merciful YHVH intervened in rage.
What prompted her rage was the fact
That the project became cruel, indifferent to the people plights.
When a worker fell from the 10th floor
they lamented not him but the lost brick.
As it is said
Hashem knew that building in ELKM’s ways can be very successful,
It can be good, but never Very Good, and therefore She
Destroyed Nimrod power of communication, his special talent as an orator
So that no one could understand him anymore and the people dispersed.
TEACHING US THAT A DICTATORIAL CORPORATION CAN GROW TALL
WITH A DEMOCRACY, YET IF IT LOOKS ONLY AT THE BOTTOM LINE
AND DISREGARDS THE PLIGHT OF PEOPLE HASHEM WOULD DESTROY IT.
It is not about philanthropy and charity and
hospitals and taking care of the poor.
That part follows Abraham and his unconditional Love
To people and to Hashem.
Here we talk about building human endeavors
Efficiently in ELKM ways while incorporating YHVH ways.
yet w/o being cruel.
How then should we set up our democratic government?
3 DINIM
For that, Hashem gave us a special Comm, Adam’s Fifth,
that Tells us about
our judiciary system
Our legislative system
our executive brunch, or king or president.
Tells says judiciary system and justice – Jacob,
RMBM
1 Build Courts in every district
2 Place in them qualified justices
3 Set us a loyal police force
Legislative brunch –
I Am
YHVH ELKJM
Who…..
Emulate me. Adam is made to be in ELKM form and image.
Adam’s government should have
A Sovereign – the people,
Legislative part – presented by the Attributes YHVH and ELKM,
who are mode of ruling – YHVH ELKM = two parties debating
meaning a congress with at least two opposing Attributed or parties
Then their decisions, legislation, is channeled down to Kingship. The white House.
The function of the President or the King is
To translate the legislation into actions in the real world,
Vendyl Jones shows us how the Founding Fathers
Took their inspiration from the Bible
Believing in the Seven Comm of Noah.
Then the USA congress passed a resolution
signed Pres. Bush Senior, recognizing the fact
that the moral fabric of our great nation is based
on the Seven Laws of Noah.