Israel’s coming elections fall between two Shabbatot on which we read Parashat Lech Lecha and Parashat Vayera. The lessons of these parashiyot speak directly to the responsibility of anyone who seeks to influence the spiritual future of the Jewish people.
In Lech Lecha, Hashem tells Avraham Avinu:
"וֶהְיֵה בְּרָכָה" - “And you shall be a blessing" (Bereishit 12:2).
Avraham was not asked merely to preserve his own spiritual achievements. He was given a mission: to bring blessing to others and to build a future in which knowledge of Hashem would be carried forward through the generations. His greatness lay not only in his personal faith, but also in his responsibility for the world beyond himself.
In Parashat Vayera, we see that responsibility put into practice. When Avraham learns that Sedom is to be destroyed, he pleads with Hashem:
"הַאַף תִּסְפֶּה צַדִּיק עִם רָשָׁע" - “Will You sweep away the righteous together with the wicked?" (Bereishit 18:23).
Avraham does not stand aside and think only of his own household. He is concerned about what will happen to others. His example teaches us that responsibility means looking beyond our immediate interests and asking what our actions may mean for the fate of others.
Together, these parashiyot teach us two sides of the same obligation: we must strive to bring blessing, and we must take responsibility when the future of others is at stake.
This lesson is especially important at election time.
Those who seek to represent the Torah public must remember that political representation is a means, not an end in itself. The purpose is to protect and strengthen Torah, chinuch, Torah institutions and the spiritual life of the Jewish people. A party’s success cannot be measured only by whether it preserves its own name, leadership or independent identity. It must also be measured by whether its decisions advance the cause it was established to serve.
This raises a difficult but necessary question.
When a party has little realistic chance of passing the electoral threshold, what responsibility does it have to consider the consequences of running independently?
If its votes are insufficient to secure representation, those votes may not contribute to advancing the very interests its supporters wish to protect. In such circumstances, refusing even to consider an agreement or a joint framework with another party may come at a cost to the wider Torah public.
No one should assume that every small party must withdraw, or that genuine differences of principle are unimportant. Each case requires careful judgement. But neither should a party assume that maintaining its independent identity is automatically the right course. Leaders must be willing to ask an uncomfortable question:
Are we making this decision for the sake of the Torah and Eretz Yisrael interests we represent, or are we placing the survival of our own political framework ahead of those interests? Is our message so different that we cannot join existing parties?
That is not merely a question of political calculation. It is a question of אחריות ציבורית.
The Torah teaches us that when something of greater importance is at stake, personal and sectional considerations must be weighed against the needs of the wider community. The principle of פיקוח נפש reminds us how seriously the Torah treats the preservation of life. The expression פיקוח נפש רוחני can likewise serve as a warning against treating threats to the spiritual future of our people lightly. This is not a claim that political disagreements automatically constitute פיקוח נפש in the strict halakhic sense. It is a reminder that decisions affecting Torah and future generations demand seriousness, foresight and responsibility.
Sometimes, the responsible course is to stand firmly on principle. At other times, it is to recognise that cooperation is necessary to protect what matters most. Joining forces does not necessarily mean abandoning one's principles. It may mean putting those principles into practice by ensuring that the public's support can have a meaningful effect.
The consequences reach far beyond the ballot box. Eretz Yisrael is at the centre of Jewish spiritual life, and what happens here affects Jewish communities throughout the world. The strength of Torah education, the standing of Torah institutions and the character of Jewish public life in Israel shape the future of generations in Israel and in the Diaspora.
Avraham Avinu did not measure his mission by what he could preserve for himself. Hashem told him, "וֶהְיֵה בְּרָכָה" - be a blessing. In Vayera, Avraham showed what that meant: he looked beyond his own interests and accepted responsibility for others.
Those who seek to lead the religious and national religious public should ask themselves the same question. It is not enough to declare loyalty to Torah. That loyalty must also be reflected in the decisions they make, especially when those decisions are difficult.
At election time, the test is not simply how many votes a party can win or whether it can preserve its independent identity. The test is whether its leaders are prepared to make responsible choices for the sake of Torah and כלל ישראל.
If a party’s independent run risks weakening the very cause it exists to advance, it has a duty to face that possibility honestly. The future of Torah and Eretz Yisrael must come before the political future of any individual party.