voting booth. Rather than vote defensively or automatically or blindly, may we require of ourselves to vote in a way that ensures that we will be a society pursuing justice through just means, and where our judges and officials will not be blinded by bribes (16:19) May we vote for a government that will not undermine our legal system, but rather will observe the commandment “You shall appoint judges and officials for your tribes, in all the communities that Adonai your God is giving you, and they shall govern the people with due justice. (16:18)" - Meaning and context.">
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I pray that each and every one of us will use this season of introspection and adjusting our course to rededicate ourselves to pursuing justice, and that we will have the ability to ask ourselves whether we are pursuing justice through just means. I hope that we will have the ability to seriously listen to our critics, while not being dissuaded from our ideals and goals. May we hold ourselves to these same high standards when we enter the voting booth. Rather than vote defensively or automatically or blindly, may we require of ourselves to vote in a way that ensures that we will be a society pursuing justice through just means, and where our judges and officials will not be blinded by bribes (16:19) May we vote for a government that will not undermine our legal system, but rather will observe the commandment “You shall appoint judges and officials for your tribes, in all the communities that Adonai your God is giving you, and they shall govern the people with due justice. (16:18)

— Arik Ascherman

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "I pray that each and every one of us will use this season of introspection and adjusting our course to rededicate ourselves to pursuing justice, and that we will have the ability to ask ourselves whether we are pursuing justice through just means. I hope that we will have the ability to seriously listen to our critics, while not being dissuaded from our ideals and goals. May we hold ourselves to these same high standards when we enter the voting booth. Rather than vote defensively or automatically or blindly, may we require of ourselves to vote in a way that ensures that we will be a society pursuing justice through just means, and where our judges and officials will not be blinded by bribes (16:19) May we vote for a government that will not undermine our legal system, but rather will observe the commandment “You shall appoint judges and officials for your tribes, in all the communities that Adonai your God is giving you, and they shall govern the people with due justice. (16:18)" in the context of "About the September 2019 Israeli legislative election, Pursue Justice Whether You Are Praised, or Vilified (September 6, 2019), The Times of Israel." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Arik Ascherman" (Quotes) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Arik Ascherman

About Arik Ascherman

Arik Ascherman (Hebrew: אריק אשרמן; born 1959) is an American-born Israeli Reform rabbi, and co- founder of the interfaith human rights organization "Haqel-Jews and Arabs in Defense of Human Rights."