He was clearly in significant pain. I watched as my friend reached for a bottle of medication. Taking a pill in his hand, he began to shuckel as if he were davening Shemoneh Esrei. With his eyes closed, he carefully articulated every word: “Yehi ratzon that this eisek I am doing should be for a refuah.” After swallowing the pill, his pain began to subside within twenty minutes.
In a somewhat cynical mood, I approached him and asked, “Now that you feel so much better and can sense the stark contrast between how miserable you felt before and how much better you feel now, do you ever think to yourself, “It was all the pill”? I mean, when I saw you saying that yehi ratzon, you seemed to genuinely believe it was Hashem and only Hashem…and it was. But tell me, do you honestly feel that way? Or is there a part of you that believes it was Hashem…and also the pill?”
To his credit, he admitted that I had a point. “Honestly,” he said, “I’m not on the madreigah to completely feel that way. There’s definitely a part of me thinking, ‘Yup! The pill did it! If I hadn’t taken it, I wouldn’t feel so much better.’ Still, when I said the yehi ratzon, it was my way of acknowledging that I know everything comes from Hashem and the pill is just one of the tools in His hanhagah to bring me the refuah.”
A Liberal Messenger With a Good Message
This came to mind when I received an email from a liberal friend. I’m not entirely sure if he genuinely believes that Joe Biden was a great president or if he was just trying to play devil’s advocate to get under my skin. Either way, he’s certainly not a Trump supporter.
In his email, he wrote, “Waiting for your article. Hope you will bash the terrible deal that terrible Biden forced on Jews… More likely you will stick to the parsha this week… Oh well.”
He was clearly trying to provoke me, suggesting, “See? Your guy Trump is twisting their arms just like Biden did.”
Truthfully, I was disappointed in Trump. I had hoped that he would apply more pressure on the Qataris and Egyptians to increase their leverage over Hamas.
But then I stopped to think. Many of us are thrilled that Trump is coming back and perhaps even more relieved that the disastrous Biden era is over. We anticipate his return to Washington, hoping that he can repair the damage. In some ways, we feel like the Yidden during the Purim story, thinking, “Achos lonu b’veis hamelech—we have a ‘brother’ or at least an ally in the White House who understands us.”
A Time to Rejoice… and a Time to Reflect
Yes, it’s a moment for gratitude that Biden’s tenure has ended. Yes, it’s a time to celebrate Trump’s return. However, we must also remember that Biden was merely a pawn of Hashem, just as Trump is no more than a pawn of Hashem.
Hashem’s pawns often reflect whether we are experiencing a time of middas hadin or middas harachamim. When Hitler rose to power, it was a period of harsh middas hadin, demonstrating Hashem’s severe judgment. Conversely, when King Koresh permitted the Yidden to return to Yerushalayim and rebuild the Bais Hamikdosh, it was a manifestation of middas harachamim through a Divinely guided pawn.
Perhaps applying the terms middas hadin and middas harachamim to modern leaders like Biden and Trump feels extreme, but the concept remains valid. Biden’s policies reflected a certain hester, while Trump’s general positions seem more aligned with what benefits Yidden in golus.
More Than Just Relief
So, as Trump’s inauguration approached, we felt relief and joy. Relief that the Biden administration and its far-left policies are behind us, and hope that Hashem is showing us more rachamim.
At the same time, we must understand that Trump himself is merely a tool in Hashem’s Hands. When Trump suddenly supports Israel’s release of thousands of bloodthirsty terrorists in exchange for hostages and even pressures the Israeli government to finalize such deals, we need to consider what this teaches us.
Perhaps it’s a reminder that even when a leader’s policies seem more favorable, our focus should not be on Washington, but on the Heavens.
A Pawn of the Master
Let us revisit the story of Purim. When Esther invited Haman to her party, it appeared as though she was about to strike some kind of agreement with that wicked man. But Hashem orchestrated these events to remind the Yidden not to rely too heavily on their “sister in the house of the king.”
Similarly, when Trump pushes through policies that are ostensibly favorable yet perplexing, it could be a message for us as well. We can recognize his reelection as a sign of rachamim, yet we mustn’t forget that we remain in golus. Our needs will not be fully met, and our redemption has not yet arrived.
Trump is just a pawn—perhaps a favorable one, placed by the Master for our benefit. It’s hard to internalize that the pill that relieves pain is only a tool. In the same way, it’s challenging to remember that Trump, who (hopefully) improves our situation, understands that Hamas is evil, sees China as a threat, defends moral clarity, and critiques destructive environmental policies, is also just a pawn in Hashem’s Hands.
As we look ahead to a new administration and wish Mr. Trump much success, let us remain thankful for his leadership while recognizing that even when it seems like Trump is making decisions, it is not really Trump.
It is a Higher Authority.
