Corruption At The Top

Balak: 7/6/1
ORRUPTION AT THE TOP
Can We Fight City Hall?

The naive wonder whether any of our leaders are corrupt. The seasoned wonder whether any of our leaders are not corrupt! Lord Acton's words in 1887 have by now become popular lore: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." Some say, the higher you climb, the crookeder it gets. Is this true? And if so, what can we do about it? Is there any hope? And what about the religious world that is supposed to represent the paragon of morality -- are religious leaders corrupt? What would stop someone in power from becoming corrupt?

The same question can be asked on a personal level: When you rise to the top and feel in control, what prevents you from abusing your position? Great minds can become the most corrupt.

Corruption at the top and its devastating consequences -- as well as its antidote -- is the subject of Rabbi Jacobson's class tonight. Please join us as he gleans lessons from the Balak and Balaam show (in this week's Torah portion) on the blessing and curse of power, and how to counter the forces of corruption even at the very top.