Like most of you, I came home from shul on Motza’ei Shabbos to learn the insane news that Donald Trump was nearly assassinated at a rally in Pennsylvania. It turns out that he missed taking a bullet directly to the head by a “silly millimeter.” The bullet went straight through his outer ear. His bloodied face with fist pumped in the air as the American Flag loomed behind him is already an iconic picture.
We cannot forget that a wonderful man, Corey Comperatore, was killed by the assassin’s bullet while shielding his wife and family from those bullets. I don’t know how the Republican Convention will be playing that, but if you ask me, flags should be flown at half-mast in honor of this truly great American. Kudos to President Biden for referring to Mr. Comperatore during his heartfelt speech to the nation following the awful event.
Aside from this miraculous incident, in which a hairbreadth of a change in direction of Mr. Trump’s head would have spelled disaster for him and the nation, is there something we as Torah Jews can elicit from the story?
We are told in the Torah (Sh’mos 21:6) that a Jewish slave who insists on serving his master beyond his seven-year term must be brought to a doorpost and have his ear pierced with an awl. Admittedly, it is a rather peculiar ritual.
Rashi, quoting the Midrash, explains that the ear was chosen to be pierced for a couple of reasons. One reason offered is that it was the ear that heard from Heaven that we are to be in the constant service of G-d. Yet the slave chose to ignore his ear, says Rashi, and chose to serve a human master instead.
It is the ear that first absorbs information that is fed into the human mind. The question becomes: How does our mind process that information? Is it a stretch to say that Donald Trump, whom I will be supporting for President, is being given a lesson in humility? Will this near-death experience make him realize that “But for the grace of G-d go I”? Unfortunately, the same killer brought down an innocent bystander. The President of the United States needs to understand, more than anyone, that “Life and death are in Hashem’s Hand.” If, for some reason, Mr. Trump does not learn that lesson, we need to.
In Pirkei Avos (5:22), last Shabbos, we learned that “Whoever has the following traits is among the disciples of our forefather Abraham; and whoever has three different traits is among the disciples of the wicked Balaam. Those who have a good eye, a humble spirit, and a meek soul are among the disciples of our forefather Abraham. Those who have an evil eye, an arrogant spirit, and a greedy soul are among the disciples of the wicked Balaam.”
Why does this mishnah describe the differences between the two groups as “three different traits”? Why not just state that the opposing disciples of Abraham and Balaam are inverse of each other – similar to the expression of the mishnah (5:9) in describing the opposite traits of a wise man (chacham) and an uncouth (golem) man? What is meant by “three different traits”?
I believe that we can all be taught the same values yet result in totally opposite attitudes. For instance, we all strive for peace. Yet the disciples of the most elite institutions and universities have a totally different understanding of what peace means. In our community, ceasefire means a total cessation of violence. In the leftist community, it means the destruction of Israel. We preach equality as they do. But they mean superior rights to certain minority groups, not including Jews. And the list goes on. It all depends upon of whom we are disciples. Different traits indeed.
Our ears hear the same thing as everyone else. The question is: How do we process that intake? We have seen in dramatic fashion how close the ear is to the brain. Hopefully, we and our political leaders learn how to properly sync the two.
Before I go… How many of you first reacted upon hearing the news of the Trump shooting by thinking, “I hope it wasn’t a Jew!”? This is a standard Jewish reaction following a high-profile crime. Do you think others react the same way? Did Muslims say I hope it wasn’t a Muslim? Did they feel awful when Sirhan Sirhan killed RFK? Just a curiosity.
Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld is the Rabbi Emeritus of the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills, President of the Coalition for Jewish Values, former President of the Vaad Harabonim of Queens, and the Rabbinic Consultant for the Queens Jewish Link.
