Separation of Religion and State

“The state has no intrinsic value; only an instrumental value. This principle is common to both the religious (theo-centric) approach and the humanist (anthropocentric) approach. Attributing to the state an intrinsic value is the essence of the fascist approach…” 

These lines were written by Israeli philosopher, scientist and polymath Yeshayahu Leibowitz (1903-1994.) They appeared in one of many articles in which Leibowitz stated his staunch opposition to the merger of religion and state in Israel. 

I’m bringing in Leibowitz today because of the Haftarah to this week’s portion - Vayehi. Vayehi closes the first out of five books of the Torah, the book of Genesis. It brings to an end the longest story told in the book about a single character, Joseph. After Joseph and his brothers reconcile, Joseph brings his father Jacob down to Egypt. Before Jacob’s death, Jacob calls all of his sons and gives them a blessing. The story and the book of Genesis end with the death of Jacob, followed by the death of Joseph in Egypt.  

The Haftarah, a segment from the book of prophets to be read along with the weekly Torah portion, was usually chosen by our sages to be thematically related to the portion. Since Vayehi contains the “last words” of Jacob to his sons, his wishes for them, his critique of them and his legacy, the chosen Haftarah also brings the last words of a father to his son. In this case, the last words of King David to his son Solomon. 

However, as opposed to the beautiful blessings uttered by Jacob, King David’s last words to his son could have been taken from The Godfather, as they all deal with killing or “wiping the board clean” of all remaining enemies, a list of political rivals, as well as advice on how to “stabilize” Solomon’s rule. 

For example, relating to his army’s top commander Yoav Ben Tzruya, David tells Solomon:

וְעָשִׂ֖יתָ כְּחׇכְמָתֶ֑ךָ וְלֹֽא־תוֹרֵ֧ד שֵׂיבָת֛וֹ בְּשָׁלֹ֖ם שְׁאֹֽל׃

“So act in accordance with your wisdom, and see that his white hair does not go down to Sheol in peace.”

But, David adds to return a favor to some:

וְלִבְנֵ֨י בַרְזִלַּ֤י הַגִּלְעָדִי֙ תַּֽעֲשֶׂה־חֶ֔סֶד וְהָי֖וּ בְּאֹכְלֵ֣י שֻׁלְחָנֶ֑ךָ כִּי־כֵן֙ קָרְב֣וּ אֵלַ֔י בְּבׇרְחִ֕י מִפְּנֵ֖י אַבְשָׁל֥וֹם אָחִֽיךָ׃

“But deal graciously with the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, for they befriended me when I fled from your brother Absalom; let them be among those that eat at your table.”

And to some, people whom David promised not to hurt, he tells Solomon that he could break those promises and enact revenge in his stead: 
 

וְהִנֵּ֣ה עִ֠מְּךָ֠ שִֽׁמְעִ֨י בֶן־גֵּרָ֥א בֶֽן־הַיְמִינִי֮ מִבַּחֻרִים֒ וְה֤וּא קִֽלְלַ֙נִי֙ קְלָלָ֣ה נִמְרֶ֔צֶת בְּי֖וֹם לֶכְתִּ֣י מַחֲנָ֑יִם וְהֽוּא־יָרַ֤ד לִקְרָאתִי֙ הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן וָאֶשָּׁ֨בַֽע ל֤וֹ בַֽיהֹוָה֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר אִם־אֲמִֽיתְךָ֖ בֶּחָֽרֶב׃

“You must also deal with Shimei son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim. He insulted me outrageously when I was on my way to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by GOD: ‘I will not put you to the sword”
 

וְעַתָּה֙ אַל־תְּנַקֵּ֔הוּ כִּ֛י אִ֥ישׁ חָכָ֖ם אָ֑תָּה וְיָֽדַעְתָּ֙ אֵ֣ת אֲשֶׁ֣ר תַּֽעֲשֶׂה־לּ֔וֹ וְהוֹרַדְתָּ֧ אֶת־שֵׂיבָת֛וֹ בְּדָ֖ם שְׁאֽוֹל׃

“So do not let him go unpunished; for you are a shrewd man and you will know how to deal with him and send his gray hair down to Sheol in blood.”

In June 2003, to commemorate a hundred years to Lebowitz’s birth, the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute held a three day conference to honor Lebowitz’s thought and legacy. In one of the lectures, Israeli philosopher Aviezer Ravitzky shared the following:

“Years ago I told Yeshayahu Leibowitz that there is one passage for the Maftir and the reading of the Haftarah in which I ask not to read from the Torah - not because I am making a selection between the chapters of the Tanakh, but because I cannot identify with the chapter that is read in that Haftarah, and therefore I cannot be a Shaliach Tzibur (public servant/reader) - and this is King David's will to his son Solomon, when he commands him ‘...See that his white hair does not go down to Sheol in peace...’”

Leibowitz's response (as expected) was very surprising, and he said: "This is the chapter that I love more than any other chapter in the Tanakh, because it teaches us how power corrupts - even King David, who is known as the ‘sweet singer of Israel.’”

This begs the question, why did our sages who had such a wide selection of verses to attach to the Torah portion, choose these ruthless, violent and corrupt wishes of King David? Perhaps, by contrasting David’s last words with the beautiful last words of Jacob in the Torah was an interpretation of rebuke, criticizing King David? Either way, Leibowitz chose to view it as such, as a reminder that governance is corruptible and therefore should always stand apart from religion, so religion could serve as an important opposition to it.

As some people mistakenly think, Leibowitz’s loud call for the separation of religion and state in Israel was not an attempt to protect liberal values. Though Leibowitz was a liberal and did in fact hate seeing the rights of secular Israelis being trampled by religious oppression, his call to separate religion and state came from his attempt to protect religion itself.

Leibowitz, who was an Orthodox Jew who followed Halacha and a Zionist, dreamed in the early 1920s of a Jewish state that would be an entirely Halachic state, one where it would write Halacha according to the present (2000 years later) Jewish state. However, after moving to Israel and realizing that so many of the Jews residing there were non-observant Jews with little to no knowledge of Halacha and who were living a complete secular life, Leibowitz abandoned the idea. Instead, he believed that the government in Israel should be entirely secular and serve as nothing more than a bureaucratic apparatus to serve ALL the people living in it. He believed that religious institutions should remain independent and separate from the state so they could constantly stand in opposition to whichever government may be elected and continue to exist in the spirit of our prophets.

The merger of religious parties into the Israeli government is what Leibowitz called a “prostitution of religion" and "idolatry."

Leibowitz describes a conversation that he had with David Ben Gurion on the eve of Israel’s declaration of independence, in which Ben Gurion told him: I understand why you fiercely demand the separation of religion and state, as you wish for the Jewish religion to be independent, with which the state’s government will have to deal, and therefore, I will never agree to the separation of religion and state, because I  would like for the state to have grasp over religion “to hold it in its hand.” To which Leibowitz answered: And I would like for the Jewish religion to set itself free from your grasp. 

In this week’s Haftarah, David’s last word to Solomon begins with the following verses:
 

וְשָׁמַרְתָּ֞ אֶת־מִשְׁמֶ֣רֶת ׀ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ לָלֶ֤כֶת בִּדְרָכָיו֙ לִשְׁמֹ֨ר חֻקֹּתָ֤יו מִצְוֺתָיו֙ וּמִשְׁפָּטָ֣יו וְעֵדְוֺתָ֔יו כַּכָּת֖וּב בְּתוֹרַ֣ת מֹשֶׁ֑ה לְמַ֣עַן תַּשְׂכִּ֗יל אֵ֚ת כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר תַּעֲשֶׂ֔ה וְאֵ֛ת כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֥ר תִּפְנֶ֖ה שָֽׁם׃

Keep the charge of the ETERNAL your God, walking in God’s ways and following God’s laws, commandments, rules, and admonitions as recorded in the Teaching of Moses, in order that you may succeed in whatever you undertake and wherever you turn.
 

לְמַ֩עַן֩ יָקִ֨ים יְהֹוָ֜ה אֶת־דְּבָר֗וֹ אֲשֶׁ֨ר דִּבֶּ֣ר עָלַי֮ לֵאמֹר֒ אִם־יִשְׁמְר֨וּ בָנֶ֜יךָ אֶת־דַּרְכָּ֗ם לָלֶ֤כֶת לְפָנַי֙ בֶּאֱמֶ֔ת בְּכׇל־לְבָבָ֖ם וּבְכׇל־נַפְשָׁ֑ם לֵאמֹ֕ר לֹֽא־יִכָּרֵ֤ת לְךָ֙ אִ֔ישׁ מֵעַ֖ל כִּסֵּ֥א יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

Then GOD will fulfill the promise that was made concerning me: ‘If your descendants are scrupulous in their conduct, and walk before Me faithfully, with all their heart and soul, your line on the throne of Israel shall never end!’” 

Perhaps David’s last words should have ended here. I agree with Leibowitz, in that the rest of David's instructions to Solomon have nothing to do with religion or faith. 

Watch in Hebrew: