Is it appropriate to discuss politics at the Shabbos table?
Ideally, Shabbat should be sanctified by devoting ourselves to religious fulfillment. We are to avoid discussing business and other mundane matters. To engage in conversations/debates about politics would seem to be in the category of divrei chol (secular matters) that should be avoided at the Shabbat table.
However, political discussion often is interrelated with moral issues e.g., abortion, assistance to immigrants, anti-Semitism. Since we are deeply affected by the political process, we feel a need to discuss relevant issues, to gain new insights, to learn more details about projected laws. If such conversations are carried on in good faith as a means of exploring moral implications of various policies, then these are not strictly in the category of divrei chol.
The problem with talking politics in general – as well as on Shabbat – is that people may come to the discussion with strong opinions. Instead of useful conversation, the discussion becomes acrimonious. Arguments about this candidate or that candidate can quickly deteriorate into name-calling and other unpleasantness.
It is fine to discuss moral issues that are impacted by the political process, as long as the conversation is for the sake of gaining clarity and sharing views. But if discussing politics ends up being a shouting match, then this clearly crosses the line of what is appropriate on Shabbat (or any other time!).
Torah observant Jews need to understand political issues that impact on our religious way of life. We have the right and obligation to discuss relevant issues in a responsible way to clarify our thinking and determine how we can best promote the ideas and ideals for which we stand.
– Rabbi Marc D. Angel is director of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals.
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It depends what type of politics is being discussed. If it is politics that has a direct effect on Jewish interests and has therefore Torah issues involved, then as the Chofetz Chaim was reported to say “Hashem also has His politics.” A discussion of such a nature is proper for a Shabbos table.
However, a discussion of secular politics that has no direct bearing on religious issues is not material for a Shabbos table. Perhaps if it engenders an atmosphere of family togetherness and comradery that result may make such a discussion ok, but one should strive to find a more Torah oriented discussion to achieve the same result.
– Rabbi Zev Leff is rav of Moshav Matisyahu and a popular lecturer and educator.
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“Our speech on Shabbat should not be the same as our speech during the weekdays” (Shabbat 113b), both in terms of content and tone. To insert the tawdriness of politics onto the holiness of the Shabbat table is self-defeating and a waste of time. That includes such matters as the unseemly conduct of most politicians, their shenanigans and vanities, their deceitfulness and corruption.
Nevertheless, from a technical perspective, politics is generally defined as a set of activities associated with making decisions or distributing resources in a group, society, or nation. That is politics, which then essentially is the implementation in public affairs of the policy preferences of a particular group. Those policy preferences usually reflect the values of the decision maker or allocator of resources, which brings us to a most worthy and appropriate topic for a Shabbat table.
What are the values that society and its laws should reflect? What values are imparted by the weekly sedrah that should inform our society’s decisions? What values (and thus policies) should we seek in our elected leaders? What is the Torah’s view of the ideal society, how do we get there, and who can get us there? How does the Torah prefer we allocate society’s resources? These are edifying questions for discussions at the Shabbat table and far superior to mundane chitchat – and perhaps even divrei Torah that children bring home from yeshiva and read (often, with less than complete comprehension).
Additionally, time should always be devoted to how a Torah society in Israel can be constructed. Throughout the two millennia of exile, Jews were often sought-after advisors to Gentile kings and rulers. That perspicacity has not always been on display in our self-governance in Israel. What is the politics of Torah? That, too, is a commendable topic for Shabbat discussion.
– Rav Steven Pruzansky is rabbi emeritus of Congregation Bnai Yeshurun of Teaneck, N.J., and author of the new “Road to Redemption,” now available at Kodeshpress.com.
