Thursday, November 10, 2016

The Trump Presidency: How did it happen? What does it mean?

All the Trump haters need to listen to this lecture from Rabbi Simon Jacobson.


Stunning. History in the making. Shocking upset. The greatest upheaval in US Presidential history. A devastating loss. These are some of the ways that the surprising election of Donald J. Trump is being described. No one (except for a select few, who perhaps are as stunned as everyone) expected it -- not in the establishment, not in the government, not in the media. Without even a campaign office in some of the states he won, without a well-oiled political machine, without spending exorbitant sums as the Clinton campaign spent, against all the polls and predictions, despite all his guffaws and offensive remarks -- despite all the odds, Trump pulled off this sound and astounding victory, winning states in which no one ever expected him to be a contender.

Every one -- foremost in the media -- is rubbing their eyes. Just look at their faces -- like a doe caught in the headlights. What happened?! No one can wrap their head around this.

What did indeed happen? Is Trump a genius? Was the establishment and the media too arrogant? Did the blatant bias of the most powerful voices in America backfire? How could so many experts and strategists have so misread the sentiments of the US public? How did a man vilified by many reputable voices win such a resounding victory? What does nit say about the credibility and reputation of the venerable New York Times, as one example of many media outlets that made it their crusade to defeat Trump (venturing far beyond their mandate of reporting the news without prejudice)? The questions will certainly be asked for years to come. But will anyone ever find the answers? Perhaps this belongs in one of those watershed junctures in history which can never fully be understood. Maybe there is an invisible hand which shows its guiding force at key moments in time?

Please join Rabbi Jacobson in this extraordinary presentation about this unprecedented election, as he places it in historical context of events that are shaking up the world today, forces that are disrupting the existing systems and institutions, leading us into a new era. Shock is the natural reaction to changes that jolt us out of comfort zones and conventional wisdoms. Groundswells like these can either overwhelm and upset our very foundations, they can demoralize and disorient us; or they can be seen as convulsions preceding a new birth. If we allow our egos to stand in the way, we will look to blame others and all types of factors (except ourselves) for these shake-ups. However if we stand humble, and set aside our own agendas, we can allow these seismic shifts to open up new horizons.

6 comments:

Chaya said...

How did it happen? Without having watched the video yet, it's obvious to me and to most G-d fearing individuals that it is only through Hashem's Hand and guidance which made this a reality. People can say whatever they want. We are not in control of anything.

Anonymous said...

Chaya - Absolutely right! Everything is in G-D's control; how much moreso, are the leaders, as we know 'Lev Melachim b'yad H'.'

Anonymous said...

This was written w/ tremendous insight and is excellent. Thank you very much.
P.S. Would you happen to have Tomer Devorah's email address? She posted something and wanted to ask that she elucidate further. You both do incredible work.
Respectfully,
A very grateful reader

Anonymous said...

http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/484366/why-trump-won-a-halachic-analysis.html

Devorah said...

I can't put email addresses up in a public arena, and if there is no contact email listed on her website, I can't pass on private information. But I will try and forward your comment to her.

Anonymous said...

Some of the world, as in a video on the blog mentioned above, are trying to shed light on Trumps win and why people voted for him. It would be highly inaccurate and unfair to say that the 'reason' behind the Trump vote was because he represented the mirror image of what Americans are. This is so far from the truth. (While I'll agree that some are) People far and wide voted for Trump for the following reasons:
Many voted for the candidate opposite the one they 'hated most'!
Many simply chose what they considered the best of the worst.
Many, including myself, felt that it was imperative that the Clintons get out of the political arena due to their moral, political, ethical and social values! ( what would he say if Clinton won? Ahhhh their values seem to be good? What a facade!)

So if you choose the color white over black, you may hate white. But you chose it out of a lack of purple or pink.

So after explaining all of this, know that all of the explanations and future research on the turn the elections took, is simply a lack of belief that 'this is what HaShem wanted and therefore he did it.

Period.

Judi