Wed 9 Nov 2005
The Jerusalem Post
Belated stock taking
In Israel, the notion that government is the citizens’ benevolent parent is deeply rooted. It was therefore remarkable to read recently in Makor Rishon an essay written by one Yaakov Schatz: “It Is For Our Sins That We Were Exiled From Our Land.” Schatz not only claims that “Halacha [Jewish Law] prefers a state with a small bureaucracy that intervenes only minimally in the citizen’s life,” but supports this claim with many halachic references. He accuses the religious camp of ignoring halacha by advocating a strong state.