The Jewish people are notoriously quarrelsome; in the famous words of Moses: “stiff-necked.” This was seen as a positive quality by the Almighty. After all, such a stubborn people would not easily be swayed by cultish fads or newer, more popular religious orders.

Yet for all their griping, all their questioning, and all their straddling, in the end the Jews reply to Moses Na’aseh v’Nishma, “We will do (first) & we will hear (later).”

Sometimes there is a need for action on a gut level. Sometimes, you don’t need a white paper, a committee hearing, or a study. Sometimes, you just need to act as you know is right.

That works for governments as well. Sometimes, we know how we must act—even when there’s no law or policy in place to guide. Sometimes, there’s a right answer, and a right path.

There are times it just makes sense to act first and talk it over later.

Words to consider. Ideas to ponder. Politics and the parsha.

By Howie Beigelman