Jewish Philosophy: Democracy and Judaism

In today’s lesson on Jewish philosophy, we are going to explore a topic that is often debated in the modern world: democracy and whether it is truly a Jewish value. While we live in a time where democracy is celebrated as the best of all systems, Jewish philosophy offers a different perspective. In our tradition, the Torah actually describes a system with a king who holds ultimate power and a legislative body called the Sanhedrin. This self selecting group of seventy one sages is meant to represent the best and the brightest of our people. We must ask ourselves if any system, regardless of its checks and balances, can truly be safe from corruption. Ultimately, the Torah teaches us that the quality of our leaders as people matters more than the structure of the government itself. Join me as we dive into this fascinating discussion on governance and truth.