The primaries are over, and American Jews now face a choice that is not simply political — it is spiritual. Many of us respond to any criticism of Israel with alarm, as if nuance itself is a threat. We fear that acknowledging complexity weakens support. We fear that questioning a leader endangers the nation. And so we slip into a black‑and‑white world where defending Israel means defending every decision of one man.

But Torah does not permit us to think that small.

Ramban, commenting on Devarim 17:14–20, teaches that the mitzvah of appointing a king is not about finding a perfect leader. It is about shaping a people who understand that leadership is human, fallible, and never identical with the nation itself. God grants Israel a king not because........

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