Iran, Trump, and the Lesson Jews Keep Forgetting

Many 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 ardently supported President Trump are shattered, devastated, and feel violated and betrayed.

I humbly submit both approaches are wrong. 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 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.

It’s shocking that the same administration that ordered unprecedented coordination in striking Iran could cave in a way that is emboldening the Iranian regime like never before.

It was a mistake to believe that the alignment was permanent or that the values, devotion, or loyalty would mean always speaking, acting and giving orders the way you 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 crushing 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 painful to 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.

Jews should not be overly invested in any human being as the arbiter or protector of their destiny.

The feeling of being punched in the gut from someone who has positioned himself as a friend is legitimate. But as surprising as this is, it should be a feeling all too familiar to the Jewish people by now.  Two thousand years should have taught Jews to be grateful and appreciative and honor those who do good things for the Jewish People, but also to be wary, skeptical, and cautious in those relationships with them all along.  Above all else, Jews should not be overly invested in any human being as the arbiter or protector of their destiny.

Long ago King Solomon wrote, “The heart of a king is like a stream of water in the hand of God, wherever He wishes, He will direct it” (Proverbs, 21:1). Jews recite daily in their prayers, “Don’t place your faith and trust in princes and diplomats.”

Believing Jews 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 God’s guiding hand. Ultimately it is His hand that is guiding Jewish destiny, no matter the outcome of an election, even “the most important one of our time.”

The Sages teach, “God has lots of agents and messengers” (Bamidbar Rabba 18a). While you must make choices in elections based on your finite and limited perspective, God’s vision is limitless. No one knows 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. While these past three years in some ways feel like forever, they are a relatively short amount of time.

Jews are a people of patience, resilience and hope. Keep your eye on the long arc of history.

Jews are a people of patience, resilience and 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. Keep your eye on the long arc of history.

Nobody knows how to wait like the Jew. For 2,000 years Jews waited without surrendering hope, concluding Yom Kippur and the Passover Seder with the words “Next year in Jerusalem.” Not for one year, or ten, or one hundred years. For two thousand years, year after year after year, always believing, hoping, and waiting.

Ultimately, the story of the Jewish people is God’s story. He is the Master Orchestrator.

When relating to elected leaders, don’t be too optimistic or too pessimistic. Vote, advocate, express gratitude or concern when appropriate. But as Jews, know that neither politicians nor governments ultimately direct history, God does. Especially in moments like this, it is critical to remember to always put our faith in the One Above.