Thinking better of politicians: can it be done?

My survey of frequency of citation of mishnayot from Avot on the electronic media shows that the second most frequently cited mishnah online is the teaching of Yehoshua ben Perachyah at Avot 1:6 that one should judge people favourably (this is often understood to mean that one should give others the benefit of the doubt if there is any uncertainty as to their motivation for doing something that might be either good or bad).

With the next round of elections coming up in Israel, the thought occurs to me that the injunction to judge others favourably is expressed in general terms. It applies to judging everyone. There is an exception in respect of people whose conduct is wrongful and whose motives can be established beyond doubt. There is however no exception in respect of politicians.

History can supply a long list of politicians who are corrupt, dishonest and "on the make" -- many of whom have been tried and convicted of criminal offences or who have been forced out of office for that reason. However, it seems to me that this does not give us a carte blanche to label all politicians as such, or to presume an improper motive in respect of those who enter the public political arena.

Pirkei Avot warns us to be wary of government and to avoid being involved with it if possible -- but it also urges to pray for the government to succeed in the establishment of peace and good order. We must also recognise that, much as we may harbour personal dislikes or suspicions of specific politicians, the running of any country is a task that necessarily has to be done by someone.

If this election is anything like its predecessor, the coming months in Israel will doubtless witness a great deal of abuse and insult hurled both at political aspirants and between them. This does no credit to the politicians or the electorate. It would be a great thing if we could refrain from attributing base motives to the politicians on all sides of the spectrum, concentrating instead on the merit -- if any -- of the arguments they propound and the policies they present.

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I shall shortly be posting my quarterly review of citations from Avot on the internet. The previous review, covering Avot citations from 1 January to 31 March, can be accessed at tinyurl.com/2p8erspy