Rabbi Rules Politicians Cannot Break Election Promises
Translated & summarized from Arutz Sheva by baba
Rabbi Yaron Unger of Ofra ruled that politicians cannot break explicit election promises, even if Israeli law does not consider them legally binding. He cited rabbinic authorities like Rabbi Shlomo Goren and Rabbi Aharon Walkin, who suggested that violating such promises could void an official's authority. Rabbi Unger distinguished this from dealing with new issues, as per Rabbi Eliezer Waldenberg, emphasizing that breaking a promise is impermissible, concluding "there is no permission to lie."
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Rabbi Yaron Unger ruled politicians cannot break explicit election promises, even if legally permissible.
- Rabbi Shlomo Goren believed deviating from a mandate could cause an official to lose halachic authority.
- Rabbi Aharon Walkin stated an elected official violating a conditional election promise forfeits their authority.
- Rabbi Unger distinguished breaking promises from independent decisions on new issues, citing Rabbi Waldenberg.
- The ruling emphasizes that lying or breaking promises is impermissible in Jewish law.
- Israeli law does not consider election promises legally binding contracts.
Rabbi Yaron Unger of Ofra has ruled that while elected officials have the authority to make independent decisions, this does not permit them to break explicit election promises. In a recent lesson, Rabbi Unger explained that a politician acting contrary to their commitments may, according to some rabbinic authorities, forfeit their halachic (Jewish legal) authority, emphasizing that "there is no permission to lie."
Rabbi Unger examined the issue from both legal and halachic perspectives, differentiating between unforeseen changes in circumstances and breaking a promise when circumstances remain the same. He noted that Israeli law does not view election promises as legally binding contracts, citing a recent petition against a politician that was dismissed on these grounds. However, he stressed that the absence of a legal cause of action does not make the act morally permissible.
He presented the view of Rabbi Shlomo Goren, who posited that elected officials act under the halachic principle "a person's agent is like himself." According to this approach, an elected official deviating from the platform on which they were chosen may lose their halachic authority. Rabbi Unger quoted Rabbi Goren stating that an elected official who changes their political path without returning their mandate to their party "robs the public and goes against the will of the house and is called a robber." Rabbi Goren even suggested legislation to remove Knesset members who deviate from their voters' mandate.
A similar stance was presented in the name of Rabbi Aharon Walkin, author of "Zekan Aharon," who discussed a community leader who pledged to act according to his party's decisions but later acted against this commitment. Rabbi Walkin determined that if the election was conditional and the elected official violated the condition, their authority is voided. Rabbi Unger, however, distinguished this from the current reality where Knesset members are not always bound to vote with their party.
Conversely, Rabbi Unger presented the view of Rabbi Eliezer Waldenberg, author of "Tzitz Eliezer," who likened elected officials to trustees empowered to make independent decisions on matters not explicitly presented to voters. Rabbi Unger clarified that Rabbi Waldenberg's view concerned authority over new issues, not the breaking of explicit promises. Concluding his lesson, Rabbi Unger reiterated that there is no broad permission for politicians to act contrary to their explicit promises when circumstances have not changed, stating definitively, "there is no permission to lie."