Believe it or not, the Torah does not have much to say about the public option.
Why is it that the rabbis who push for "speaking out" usually have the least to say?
Here’s Orthodox rabbi Barry Gelman: "At the very least Orthodox groups should be making statements in favor of Universal Health care."
America already has universal health care. Anyone can walk into an emergency room and get treatment regardless of one’s ability to pay. America does not have universal health insurance but it does have universal health care. Perhaps other Orthodox rabbis stay silent because they have nothing to add to this complicated debate. Perhaps Rabbi Gelman should’ve stayed silent until he had something to add.
What’s the old saying? Better to stay silent and be thought a fool than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt?
I despise rabbis who wrap themselves in Torah and speak publicly about matters in which they have no expertise. It is a huge problem in non-Orthodox Judaism where rabbis often talk politics from the bima and it is a moderate problem in Modern Orthodoxy.
I wish rabbis were more like me — the very model of discretion! I never speak unless I have something valuable to contribute, even if it is just, "Could you kiss my eyelids?"
The Torah is strangely silent on Obama’s public option. Rabbis should stay silent too until they’re experts in the matter.
On the other hand, if they become experts on this, is it a good use of their time? Wouldn’t it have been better spent studying Torah?
Which topic do you most want your rabbi to be expert in?
Rabbi Gelman reminds me of this 75-year old porn star who aims to inspire the elderly to more intimacy.
Do you remember that stripper for Christ? Rabbis who speak out when they have nothing to say are the equivalent of women who take off their clothes to inspire devotion to God. Both groups make the causes they espouse look stupid. The big difference between such strippers and rabbis is that attractive nude women are usually more aesthetically appealing, and in the end, isn’t that what matters?
