Jewish law sharply distinguishes honoring an office from honoring the moral character of the person occupying it

There is something deeply disturbing about watching rabbis rush to demonstrate reverence before a president whose conduct they would condemn in almost anyone else. The problem is not that they meet with the President of the United States. Of course they should. The Jewish community has every right to advocate for itself, cultivate relationships with government, and thank a president for policies that protect Jewish lives and Jewish interests. The problem begins when political access becomes moral surrender, when kavod ha-malchut, respect for government, is transformed into kavod ha-rasha, reverence for the powerful regardless of character. At that point the rabbi is no longer representing Torah to power. He is representing power to the Jews.

The same distinction appears in the principle of dina de-malkhuta dina, the law of the kingdom is law. Jewish law recognizes the legitimacy of civil authority and, within its proper boundaries, requires Jews to respect the laws of the country in which they live. But notice what the doctrine actually does. It recognizes the government’s legal authority. It does not certify the ruler’s righteousness. It does not declare his every word wise. It does not transform political expediency into Torah morality. It certainly does not instruct rabbis to become public-relations agents for the occupant of the White House.

This is where some contemporary rabbis appear to have forgotten the difference between kavod and chanifah. Respect is one thing. Flattery is another. Jewish........

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