Everyone–especially leaders–needs to tell the truth

Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt is a Swiss-born rabbi and Jewish community leader. He was the Chief Rabbi of Moscow, Russia from 1993 until 2022, serving at the Moscow Choral Synagogue. From 2011, he has served as president of the Conference of European Rabbis (CER), which unites over seven hundred communal rabbis from Dublin, Ireland to Khabarovsk, in the Russian Far East.

There’s the truth – and then there’s “the truth,” and unfortunately, it’s the latter that often holds sway today. That latter type of truth is where political leaders tell their constituents stories they want to hear – as opposed to the truth that they really need to hear.

It’s a real-world issue that the Torah raises in this week’s parsha, Matot. In the parsha, we’re introduced to the laws discussing vows and promises – and the supreme importance of keeping them. These laws, of course, apply to all Jews – yet Moshe hands these laws over to the tribal leaders. Why through them? The obvious lesson is that while keeping promises and telling the truth is important for everyone, it’s especially important for leaders. Failure to do so is more than just a personal failing; it’s a failing that could have dire consequences for large numbers of people,

Whether it’s on issues of war and peace, public policy, or even something as simple as trash collection, political leaders have a tendency to paint a picture that doesn’t always reflect reality. Politicians in office are likely to play down problems and issues, while those seeking to replace them will emphasize those problems and issues, magnifying them beyond their actual conditions. Personal interest is often at play when it comes to telling the truth – and that “truth” is no truth. And if they can get away with telling that kind of “truth,” they may just go beyond that and outright lie – essentially entertaining the people and telling them a story they want to hear, instead of the actual story.

President Joe Biden himself recently faced this very dilemma – but as a man of integrity, he moved beyond the story his aides had apparently been telling him and stood up for the truth. For months, it’s been clear that President Biden was unlikely to be up to the task of leading the country, and the free world, for another four years. But aides and family members reportedly urged him to continue his campaign for the 2024 Democratic Party candidacy.

Biden decided that enough was enough – saying in a speech following his statement that he chose not to run that it was time to “pass the torch” to the younger generation. Biden opted for the real truth – and acted upon it, for the public good.

In truth, the idea of term and age limits for public officials is a very legitimate one; for example, Israel’s Chief Rabbis are limited to a term of 10 years, and they have to be under the age of seventy when elected. Local city rabbis can only serve until age 75. Those serving in roles where their every action has an impact on large numbers of people need to have all their faculties functioning as sharply as possible; the unfortunate fact is that many of us lose some of our edge and sharpness in our 80s and 90s. It’s in the public interest that leaders retire at that point.

Not all political leaders – even great ones with many credits to their leadership – have that level of integrity. Many stay in power far too long, despite poor and dangerous decisions and actions. For example, French Field Marshal Philippe Petain was a hero in World War I, but later, in his old age, he collaborated with Nazi Germany, and headed Vichy France. Charles DeGaulle, the great leader of postwar France, said in reference to Petain, eventually charged with treason for surrendering to the Nazis, that “old age is a shipwreck.”

There is no question that old age is difficult, and political leaders need to be aware of their limitations. But giving up power is difficult too, and that leads many politicians to tell their constituents – and especially themselves – stories about how they are the only people capable of leading their nations through the crises they face. Telling the truth about those crises – and themselves – is a lesson Moses taught Israel’s tribal leaders, and it’s a lesson President Biden has taken to heart. They should both be examples to all leaders.