I was saddened and troubled by the assassination attempt of former president Donald Trump, and for the death and injuries of the other participants in the rally that was held in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. We all need to be aware and concerned. Many countries in the world are going through election seasons now, and the atmosphere is tense, which many believe is adding to the growing violence in our own society and in the world. But political assassinations render the democratic process null.
Jewish communities must be united and firm about this, regardless of anyone’s political stance. History has shown that no matter what the reason for instability, Jews and other minorities are the first to be affected. In the Talmud, Rabbi Haninah urged people to pray “b’shloma shel malchut — for the peace of the government – for if not for the fear of it, humans would swallow each other alive.” (Pirkei Avot 3:2) In our case, the peace of the government is the stability of the Constitution and the democratic process.
Our rabbis elaborate on Rabbi Hanina’s comment by referring to the prophet Habakuk, who reflects on the human condition: “Ta’aseh adam kidgei hayam — You have made humans like the fish of the sea,” meaning that just as bigger fish in the sea eat the smaller ones, so stronger people who dominate “swallow” the weak.
Ironically, one of Donald Trump’s insidious proclamations in January 2016 was, “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters.” An unacceptable remark, to be sure. It offended me, as it did many others. I hope he now understands the power of words. Chachamim, hizaharu bedivrachem — the wise should be cautious with their words. G-d will turn your words back to you. Even the president of the United States possesses human vulnerability.
In the mendacity of life, not everything can be explained. At the Trump rally, one millimeter determined “who will live and who will die.” We can secure ourselves with all protections, secret service or revealed, but King David in Psalm 117 tells us, “Better to depend on Adonai than to trust in mortals; better to depend on Adonai than to trust in the powerful.”
Assassinations, from President John F. Kennedy in 1963 in Dallas, through Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination in 1995 in Tel Aviv, marked some of the most serious traumas in the lives of our countries. Let us thank God that such a scenario was avoided at the Trump rally, and let us pray for our country, as we do every Shabbat: “Our God and God of our ancestors, we ask Your blessings for our country — for its government, for its leaders and advisers, and for all who exercise just and rightful authority…May this land, under your Providence, be an influence for good throughout the world, uniting all people in peace and freedom…”
May God keep and protect the stability of the United States of America.
—Rabbi Gadi Capela