The response on the part of the President to Ami reporter Jacob Turx was, of course, a very unfortunate misunderstanding. Turx certainly expressed the proper appreciation toward the president of what he is doing for Israel and for the Jewish people. The president is certainly a breath of fresh air and not only is he making America great again, but he is allowing Israel to be greatly free of much of the dangers of anti-Semitic terror. Aside from his position on allowing Israel to negotiate peace freely, and being stronger on Iran, the president’s great relationship with Netanyahu seems to be the start of a beautiful friendship.
Unfortunately, some of the comments and editorials in the religious press have been attacking Turx. It is incorrect to do so. He meant well. This is a new task for Mr. Trump and had he not been so under attack by so many people in general he would have understood that Turx was not attacking him at all.
The fact is that the president has been under siege, and incorrectly so. He is hyper-sensitive to any form of praise that is followed by the word, “However.”
The lesson that we can all learn is to be very careful in our choice of words. But Turx did not know that beforehand.
There is a fascinating explanation of this issue provided by the great Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel, the Alter of Slabodka. It is about our forefather, Avrohom Avinu. G-d had promised Avrohom the land of Israel to him as an inheritance. He asked, “b’mah aidah ki ershenah es ha’Aretz? – But what sign will I see that I will be inheriting the land?”
This has been interpreted by some as Avrohom Avinu doubting G-d. The Alter understands it somewhat differently.
Imagine for a moment that you are meeting someone in Times Square in Manhattan. The Alter explains that there are two ways in which one can ask the question, “How will I know who you are?” The first way is, “What will you be wearing for me to watch out for?” In other words, he is asking for a minor detail about what to watch out for, but not heaven forbid expressing any doubt as to the plan.
The second way is an expression of complete doubt, “What! It is impossible for me to see you and find you out of so many people! How will I know who you are!!?”
Certainly, explains the Alter, Avrohom Avinu meant the first way. He was not expressing any doubt in Hashem, whatsoever. Why then was he punished?
Avrohom should have been more careful in his use of language. He should have been sensitive to the fact that it can be understood the second way – in a manner that exhibits doubt. The fact that he had that ever so slight and subtle insensitivity caused the golus into Egypt.
What Turx did was not his fault at all. There is a lesson to be learned for the future, however. This author has done far worse in not being as sensitive as possible when discussing other people. To those people, I offer my apologies, for what it is worth. But let us not blame Jacob Turx, a very talented reporter and writer.
The author can be reached at yairhoffman2@gmail.com
