23 Jun TRUMP’S IRAN PIVOT REMINDS JEWS OF A HARD TRUTH WE CAN NEVER FORGET

As is often the case,
many if not most
are interpreting the
latest news about Iran
through the prism of
their preconceptions.
If you never liked
or trusted President Trump, you dismiss
anything good he did in the past and see
his latest pivot towards Iran and statements
about Israel as confirmation that you were
right all along. On the other side, those
who borderline deified President Trump
are shattered, devastated, and feel violated
and betrayed.
But I would humbly submit both were
wrong in their extreme approaches before
and are wrong in interpreting what is
happening now. Both in character, which
was always clearer, and in policy, which
was more nuanced, President Trump was
never perfect or beyond reproach. He was
and is a transactional leader with political
considerations and priorities along with his
core responsibility to put America first.
Through his first term and nearly halfway
into his second, this aligned well with

Israel’s concerns and Jewish interests.
Whatever is happening now does not and
should not minimize or erase the good
and in many cases unprecedented positive
things the president has done for Israel and
the Jewish people. But those things never
assured or guaranteed that circumstances
and calculations wouldn’t change the
president’s approach and shame on anyone
who assumed it did.
The mistake was not in being grateful and
supportive while our interests were aligned.
It was in believing that the alignment was
permanent or that the values, devotion,
or loyalty would mean always speaking,
acting and giving orders the way we would
want.
Yes, it is shocking that the same
administration that ordered unprecedented
coordination in striking Iran, the largest
sponsor and supporter of terror in the world,
could acquiesce and cave in a way that is
emboldening the Iranian regime like never
before. It is devastatingly disappointing
that the author of “The Art of the Deal”
could be the architect of one of the world’s
worst deals in history. It is uncomfortable

and painful to read and
hear from the man who
called himself the “good
friend” of Israel’s Prime
Minister attack him
publicly with vulgarity
and personal insults. It
feels incongruous to
watch the same man who
went after Ivy League
universities for failing
to defend Jews, and
who routinely defended
the morality of Israel’s army, unfairly and
unethically accuse Israel of intentionally
killing innocent people in Lebanon.
The feeling of being punched in the gut
from someone who has positioned himself
as a friend is legitimate, reasonable, and
real. But as sudden and surprising as this
is, it should be a feeling all too familiar to
our people by now. Two thousand years
should have taught us to be grateful and
appreciative and honor those who do good
things for us, but also to be wary, skeptical,
and cautious in our relationship with them
all along. Above all else, we must never be
overly invested in any human being as the
arbiter or protector of our destiny.
Long ago Shlomo HaMelech (Mishlei
21:1) taught us, “Palgei mayim lev
melech b’yad Hashem, al kol asher
yachpotz yatenu, the heart of a king is
like a stream of water in the hand of
Hashem, wherever He wishes, He will
direct it.” We say every single day in
our davening, “Al tivtechu b’nedivim,
don’t place your faith and trust in
princes and diplomats.”
As believing Jews, we recognize
that it is the Master of the Universe
who orchestrates domestic, foreign,
and of course all policies and their
consequences. To be a student of Torah
and of Jewish history is to recognize
the Almighty’s guiding hand. His hand
guided our history and ultimately, it is
His hand that is guiding our destiny, no
matter the outcome of an election, even
“the most important one of our time.”
Our rabbis tell us (Bamidbar Rabba
18a), “Harbei sheluchim la’makom,
Hashem has lots of agents and
messengers.” While we must make
choices in elections based on our finite
and limited perspective, the vision of
the Ribono Shel Olam is limitless. We
don’t know why He chooses to employ
any particular person or leader in a
given situation or time.
From the depths of October 7 to

moments of triumph over enemies, from
pushing Iran to the brink to now a potential
conciliation deal with an evil regime, this
rollercoaster often feels exhausting. (Of
course, this exhaustion pales in comparison
to the feelings our brothers and sisters in
Israel are experiencing with every new
development.) But while these past three
years in some ways feel like forever, they
are a relatively short amount of time.
We are a people of patience. We are a
people of resilience. We are a people of
hope. As confusing as the news may be, as
frustrating as this war has become, and as
uncertain as its end remains, remember that
the Jewish people play the long game. We
see the long arc of history.
Nobody knows how to wait like the Jew.
For two thousand years we waited without
surrendering hope. For two thousand years
we concluded Yom Kippur and the Pesach
Seder with the words בירושלים הבאה לשנה.
Not for one year. Not for ten years. Not for
one hundred years. For two thousand years,
year after year after year, always believing,
always hoping, always waiting.
When we take out the Torah, we sing י֛�הְִ֛יְַוַ
ִּבְּנְֹ֥סַ֥עַ ָָהָאָֹ֖ר֖ן ַוַֹּ֣י֣אֶמֶר ֹמֶֹׁ֑ש�֑ה קּוָ֣מ֣ה ה׳ ְוְָיָֻ֙פ�֙צּ֙ו֙ ֹֹאְיְֶ֔ב�֔יָך
was Ark the When ְ,וְָיָֻ֥נ�֥סּו ְמְַׂשְׂנְֶ֖א�֖יָך ִמִָּפֶּֽנ�ֽיָך ׃
to set out, Moshe would say: Advance,
Hashem! May Your enemies be scattered,
And may Your foes flee before You! Rashi
משנאיך- אלו שונאי ישראל, שכל :comments
השונא את ישראל שונא את מי שאמר והיה
העולם. Those who hate Israel hate the
One Who spoke and brought the world
into being. Ultimately, the story of the
Jewish people is not merely our story. It is
Hashem’s story.
When relating to elected leaders, don’t
be too high or too low, too optimistic or
too pessimistic. Vote, advocate, express
gratitude or concern when appropriate. But
as Jews, we know that neither politicians
nor governments ultimately direct history,
Hashem does. Especially in moments like
this, it is critical to remember to always put
our faith in the One Above.