Rabbi Weisz is a member of the Chief Rabbinate's Rabbinic Council.
In Parashat Lech Lecha, we read about a disagreement between the shepherds of Avraham Avinu and those of Lot. Avraham turns to Lot and says:
“Let there be no strife between me and you, and between my shepherds and your shepherds, for we are brothers" (Bereishit 13:8).
Avraham does not pretend that there are no differences between them. But he reminds Lot that they are brothers. Before allowing a disagreement to divide them, he tries to find a way forward.
There is an important lesson here for us today, as Israel approaches its coming elections.
The future of Torah life in Israel is at stake. The Torah-observant public faces real challenges, and many families are worried about what lies ahead. At such a time, we cannot afford to weaken ourselves through unnecessary divisions.
We have a responsibility to Eretz Yisrael, to the Jewish people and to the Torah. We want our children and grandchildren to grow up in a country where Torah life can flourish, where Shabbat is respected in public life, and where families can raise their children according to the Torah, with a commitment to mitzvot and the values of tzniut.
These are not just private concerns. They affect the character of Jewish life in Israel and the future we are building here.
Shabbat is a good example. It is not only a matter for those who keep it. Shabbat has always been at the heart of Jewish life. We must do what we can to preserve its place in the public life of our country and pass its values on to the next generation.
The same applies to the army. Religious soldiers want to serve their country and protect the Jewish people while keeping Shabbat, eating kosher food, praying and observing the mitzvot. They should be able to do their duty as soldiers without being forced to compromise their religious commitments. Serving in the army and keeping the Torah should go hand in hand.
Families also face difficulties. The cost of raising children is high, and changes in financial support, including assistance with daycare, can place a heavy burden on young parents. These families want to earn a living and raise their children in the way of the Torah. They want to bring up their sons and daughters with a strong commitment to Torah, mitzvot and tzniut. We must not ignore their difficulties. The future of these families is also part of the future of Torah life in Israel.
These matters require a strong public voice. This is why the coming elections are so important.
When several religious parties seek to represent the same public, the danger of division must be taken seriously. This is not the time for unnecessary splits. The Torah-observant public is facing important challenges to its way of life, its education system and its ability to maintain Torah values in Israel. At such a time, every lost vote can matter.
Different communities have their own traditions and views. They do not have to agree on everything. But when they share the same basic goals, they must ask themselves whether competing separately is worth the risk of weakening their common cause.
A religious party cannot think only about its own success. It must also consider the damage its decision may cause to the wider Torah public. A party may be convinced that it is right to run independently, but that does not free its leaders from the responsibility to consider the consequences. If the result is lost votes and less influence for the entire religious public, who will answer for that?
Our Sages teach us, “Who is wise? One who sees what is coming" (Tamid 32a). A wise person thinks ahead. He does not consider only what he wants to achieve today, but also what his decisions may bring tomorrow.
The danger is especially great when votes lost through division could determine whether the public has the strength to protect Torah education, Shabbat observance, the needs of religious families and the ability to maintain a Torah way of life in Israel. Once the election is over, there is no way to recover those votes. The consequences, however, may remain for years.
This is why calls for unity must lead to action. It is not enough to speak about the importance of Torah and then allow avoidable divisions to weaken the public's ability to defend it. Leaders must make every reasonable effort to reach an agreement before deciding to go their separate ways.
There are times when separate representation is necessary. But separation should come only after serious efforts to find common ground, not because each group places its own political ambitions ahead of the wider responsibility it shares.
In our parashah, Avraham and Lot eventually separate. The Torah does not say that every disagreement can be settled or that separation is always wrong. But Avraham first tries to prevent the dispute from becoming a quarrel. He reminds Lot that they are brothers and that this must count for something.
That message is important today. We do not have to agree on everything. But we must know what matters most. When the future of Torah life in Eretz Yisrael is at stake, personal and political differences must not be allowed to stand in the way of cooperation where cooperation is possible.
The coming elections will have consequences beyond election day. They may affect the ability of Torah-observant families to live according to their values, to educate their children in the way of the Torah and to maintain the standards of Shabbat, tzniut and mitzvah observance that are central to their lives. Those who seek to represent the public must take this responsibility seriously.
At a time when Torah life in Israel faces such serious challenges, unnecessary fragmentation is not merely an electoral mistake. It can be a failure of public responsibility.
“Let there be no strife, for we are brothers."
These words of Avraham Avinu are more than a call for good relations. They remind us that we have responsibilities to one another. At a time like this, we need leaders who can look beyond their differences and think about the future of the whole community.
We cannot control every result of an election. But we can expect our leaders to do everything possible to prevent unnecessary division and the loss of votes.
The future of Torah life in Israel is too important for us to weaken ourselves when we have so much in common and so much to protect.