Considered one of the greatest legal authorities by American Orthodox Jews, Rabbi Moses Feinstein (1895–1986) did not share with such contemporaries as Joseph B. Soloveitchik (his cousin) or Abraham Joshua Heschel an interest in confronting the ideas of the non-Jewish world or the problems facing American society. Feinstein, who came to the U.S. from the USSR in 1939, instead continued to pursue the life he was trained for: studying and teaching the Talmud and engaging with the thorniest questions of practical halakhah. Yet, Moshe Kurtz argues, this old-world sage had a robust patriotism and understanding of American exceptionalism:

A sermon delivered in 1939, roughly two years after he escaped Communist Russia, articulated what he believed set America apart. The job of government, [argued Feinstein], is to protect its citizens and prevent them from harming one another; . . . the government’s job is not to impose its preferred religion and ideology on its constituents: “every individual should be free to do as he wishes.” . . . Feinstein praised America for providing freedom for all and not legislating a state religion, as he expressed in his responsum on public-school prayers: “The authorities in our country are men of kindness who do not desire to force their faith on the rest of the citizenry.”

His family reports that he also believed that voting in the United States constituted a civic as well as a halakhic obligation. . . . Moreover, he believed that voting accomplished an important goal of “identification with the government.” Apparently he not only promoted appreciation for the United States but went a step further by advocating a patriotic affiliation with its nationhood.

Feinstein also rejected any form of proselytization, instead embracing a kind of pluralism:

Feinstein believed that in exile it was not the job of the Jews to educate non-Jews, even [in] the Seven Noahide Laws, [which, the Talmud teaches, are binding on Jews and non-Jews alike. According to one source, he] “emphasized that all religions will remain until the messiah. Even the hippies will remain until the coming of the messiah!” . . . He was comfortable with a co-existence of the faiths, provided each remained in its own lane and did not attempt to impose on others.

[At the same time], there are sources that indicate Feinstein’s sympathy with, and even acknowledgment of the value of the deeds of, non-Jews. He sanctioned prayers on behalf of non-Jews and he even articulated the obligation of Gentiles to pray to God.

Yesterday, the Iranian foreign minister flew to Geneva to meet with European diplomats. President Trump, meanwhile, indicated that cease-fire negotiations might soon begin with Iran, which would presumably involve Tehran agreeing to make concessions regarding its nuclear program, while Washington pressures Israel to halt its military activities. According to Israeli media, Iran already began putting out feelers to the U.S. earlier this week. Aviram Bellaishe considers the purpose of these overtures:

The regime’s request to return to negotiations stems from the principle of deception and delay that has guided it for decades. Iran wants to extricate itself from a situation of total destruction of its nuclear facilities. It understands that to save the nuclear program, it must stop at a point that would allow it to return to it in the shortest possible time. So long as the negotiation process leads to halting strikes on its military capabilities and preventing the destruction of the nuclear program, and enables the transfer of enriched uranium to a safe location, it can simultaneously create the two tracks in which it specializes—a false facade of negotiations alongside a hidden nuclear race.