Can a vote be a sin? According to Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, it can.
Days before Israel’s October 27 election, the former Sephardi Chief Rabbi and spiritual leader of Shas ruled that Jewish law forbids supporting Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party. His reason is the Temple Mount. Ben-Gvir ascends regularly and urges other Jews to follow, which Rabbi Yosef says risks a sin punishable by karet, spiritual excision.
Religious-Zionist rabbis disagree, arguing that parts of the compound are permitted. A record of nearly 69,000 Jews went up in the past Jewish year.
Politics plays a role too, as Shas and Ben-Gvir compete for the same traditional voters. Ben-Gvir, notably, has declined to confront the rabbi.
Ryan Jones explains the ruling and the debate behind it in the video below.
