I believe that our democratic values are also born out of our

In the words of Reuven Rivlin, former president of Israel, “I believe that our democratic values are also born out of our Jewish faith, a love for the stranger, and equality before the law—these are not foreign values: this is Judaism.” His words are both a remembrance and a declaration. They remind us that the roots of freedom and justice are not inventions of modernity, nor gifts bestowed by kings, but ancient truths inscribed in the soul of a people. Rivlin speaks as one who knows that the covenant between God and Israel was not only about land and ritual, but also about the way humans must live with one another in dignity and fairness.

The ancients of Israel received from Moses the law that still resounds through the ages: “You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the heart of a stranger, having been strangers in the land of Egypt.” Here lies the love for the stranger that Rivlin speaks of, a commandment born from suffering and memory. To know exile is to know compassion. To have once been slaves is to understand that freedom must not be hoarded, but extended to others. In this, the very soil of Jewish tradition became the seedbed of what we now call democratic values.

History itself bears witness. When prophets like Amos and Isaiah rose, they thundered not only against idolatry but against the oppression of the poor, the widow, and the orphan. Their cry was for equality before the law, for justice that did not bend to the wealthy or the mighty. In their voices we hear the same spirit that inspired later generations to build systems of governance where each soul, regardless of station, could claim dignity. Rivlin’s words remind us that democracy did not appear out of the void; it was shaped by ancient hands, sustained by faith, and sanctified by the pursuit of justice.

Consider also the story of Rabbi Hillel, who when asked to summarize the whole of the Torah while standing on one foot, declared: “What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. This is the whole law; the rest is commentary.” From such a teaching arises the essence of both morality and governance. For what is democracy, if not the attempt to bind society to this principle, ensuring that no person suffers humiliation, oppression, or inequality at the hands of another?

Rivlin’s statement is also a defense against forgetfulness. Too often, nations imagine that justice, equality, and compassion are foreign imports, ideas born in distant lands and imposed from without. But Rivlin declares with force: “This is Judaism.” These values are not alien, but native to the covenant, written in the history, the suffering, and the resilience of the Jewish people. To forget this is to sever democracy from its sacred roots, to let it wither as a tree cut off from its soil.

The lesson, then, is clear: if we would preserve democracy, we must remember its soul. For laws without compassion are tyranny in disguise, and freedom without responsibility collapses into chaos. The path forward must be lit by the torch of ancient faith: love the stranger, guard the dignity of every soul, and ensure that justice does not bend before wealth or power. Only then can a nation be both free and righteous.

Practical actions follow from this wisdom. Open your heart to the stranger, whether they come from another land or simply from another walk of life. Defend equality in your community, not only in courts of law but in daily dealings—with co-workers, neighbors, even adversaries. Teach your children that compassion is not weakness but strength, and that to love those different from oneself is to fulfill a commandment as old as Sinai. In this way, democracy becomes not merely a system of government, but a way of life, rooted in faith and blossoming in justice.

Thus, Rivlin’s words resound as both ancient wisdom and modern charge. Democratic values are not foreign ornaments; they are the living fruit of Judaism, born from covenant, nurtured by memory, and destined to guide generations. Let us carry this truth forward, that faith and freedom may walk hand in hand, and that in every age, justice may roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.