Source: The Boston Globe
On August 13, 2000, The Boston Globe reported that reactions to the announcement that Senator Joseph Lieberman will be Al Gore's running mate showed just how little the American people know about the Jewish faith. "The essence of Judaism should seem familiar to the Christian world: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Those words are found at the center of the Torah, in the Book of Leviticus. Hillel, the great Talmudic sage, interpreted this commandment and equated it to the whole of Torah. 'The rest,' he said, 'is commentary. Go and learn it!' The announcement of Lieberman's selection has been replete with examples of ways in which he conducts his own life in harmony with this fundamental, easily understood principle. Yet much of the discussion in the first days of his candidacy has narrowly focused on his Sabbath observance, and the fact that he does not work from sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday. But this, too, should not seem so odd. After all, the Christian observance of Sunday as a day of holiness arises from the same source as Jewish Sabbath observance.
"There is wide variation in the ways that Jews around the world actually observe the Sabbath. Jews who regard themselves as Orthodox do not use electronic devices, drive, write, or engage in other tasks that tradition has defined as prohibited on the Sabbath. But Jewish tradition also makes clear that Sabbath laws must (not "may" but "must") be put aside to help someone whose life is in danger, or if the community is threatened by enemies or by natural disaster. Lieberman has made it clear that as vice president his religious practice does not and would not conflict with the need to address matters of national defense. With respect to other less-urgent affairs of state, however, a Vice President
Lieberman might on Saturday put off some decisions for a day, until he is free to work...
As the nation ponders Lieberman's faith, and what it might mean if Democrats win the Oval Office, it's worth noting that no one asks whether adherence to Protestant practices interferes with a Protestant candidate's fitness for national office."