Is it Actually a Mitzvah to Vote? The Historic Ruling of Rav Moshe Feinstein

What’s said in this shiur

The opening of this shiur, in Rabbi Daniel Glatstein’s own words — taken from the captions, so names and Hebrew terms may be approximate.

So, the million-dollar question is, is there actually a mitzvah to vote? We know we have a lot of mitzvah we need to do every day. We need to d we need to learn. We need to do. But is there actually a mitzvah? Is this considered something that God wants us to do? Or is this just some kind of a ploy to get us to support a candidate that somebody else has an agenda that they want us to support? Well, in 1984, the poise Khadar of Mosha Feinstein the poise Khadar of Mosha Feinstein penned a letter on October 3rd, 1984. He wrote, "On reaching the shores of the United States, Jews found a safe haven, the rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights have allowed us the freedom to practice our religion without interference and to live in this republic and safety." A fundamental principle of Judaism is hakkar sativ recognizing benefits afforded us and giving expression to our appreciation. Therefore, it is incumbent upon each Jewish citizen to participate in the

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1. 0:00So, the million-dollar question is, is there actually a mitzvah to vote? We know we have…
2. 0:30the poise Khadar of Mosha Feinstein penned a letter on October 3rd, 1984. He wrote, "On…
3. 1:00Jewish citizen to participate in the democratic system which guards the freedoms we enjoy. The most…
4. 1:31wrote that it is incumbent, it is a mitzvah for every Jew to vote. What's the…
5. 2:01supplying? And the answer is we have to understand what hakarat means. Hakarat is not only…
6. 2:31ability to practice the religion freely. They have the ability to transmit the values of the…
7. 3:02candidate that guards your freedom is the most basic way to show that you recognize the…

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