In this season of political fervor, it is inspiring to see the Gemara offer its own take on how to pick the best candidate:
נוקמיה לר' אלעזר בן עזריה דהוא חכם והוא עשיר והוא עשירי לעזרא הוא חכם דאי מקשי ליה מפרק ליה והוא עשיר דאי אית ליה לפלוחי לבי קיסר אף הוא אזל ופלח והוא עשירי לעזרא דאית ליה זכות אבות ולא מצי עניש ליה
When they overthrew the authority of Rabban Gamliel, the community elected R' Elazar ben Azariyah to replace him because he possessed three qualities:
1. He was wise
2. He was rich
3. He was the tenth descendant of Ezra
We know Obama is quite smart, and that Romney's finances are stable, so shall we start checking their pedigrees?
In all seriousness though, what does this advise us? It advises us that:
1. Wisdom is key when making difficult decisions,
2. An effective leader needs sufficient resources for recourse, and
3. Where a person comes from says a lot about where they can go.
If these and no other principles were guiding our electoral choices, what sort of government would we see?
