Our Strength. Our Goal. Our Life.

 By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

People are funny. Despite the best efforts of those who think they are in charge, time after time, the people show that they can’t always be misled, pushed around, taken advantage of, and taken for granted. Every once in a while, we are reminded of this.

There were several examples last week, though I won’t cite them all. I’m sure you can think of others on your own. We shall concentrate on the Democrat losses.

Those who get their news from the mainstream media and sites were fed a daily diet against the former president and in favor of the current occupant of the White House. They were led to believe that President Biden’s agenda is far-reaching and wildly popular, as it addressed the country’s pressing needs.

Joe Biden ran as a moderate, who would return civility to government. He would contain the coronavirus, ramp up the economy, bring transparency back to Washington, and govern responsibly.

The media rarely reports that Biden’s popularity is shrinking more every day or about his inability to get things done. In the most recent poll, he is down to 38% support and his vice president is at 28%. He answers few prearranged questions, and everything he says is written out for him and read off notes or a teleprompter. Eventually, the people noticed.

Biden was sold as the master of the legislative process as a result of his many decades in Washington. He turned out to be anything but.

He delivered a speech on the importance of immediately passing his Build Back Better (a slogan he stole from Boris Johnson) bill. He then jetted off with a huge entourage to Europe for a conference on saving the world from climate change.

He blames everyone but himself for his many mistakes. Take Afghanistan and the disastrous, embarrassing pullout that got many people killed and ruined the trust and respect freedom-seeking people around the world had for the United States. He demanded that the US Army pull out in time for him to be able to deliver a triumphant speech at the annual 9/11 commemoration. His advisors and military experts warned him that it was premature and that the Taliban against whom the US had been fighting for the past twenty years would take over the country.

He said that the Taliban would not be able to take over so swiftly, and there would be time to remove $80 billion worth of equipment and fly all US citizens along with all those who aided in the effort to safety. He didn’t even bother consulting with the allies who shared in the Afghan commitment with troops and weapons. He was in a rush to leave. And you know how that turned out.

When it all blew up, he blamed Trump and his advisors, saying that they told him it was okay to leave. Those same people later testified that they advised the president of what was likely to happen if he followed through with his plan.

But through it all, the Democrats, who control all the levers of power in Washington, continued with their progressive agenda, taking this country from energy independence to dependence, causing the price of fuel to spike along with almost everything else, leading the president to beg the oil producing enemies of the country to lower their prices and increase supply.

Last week’s election showed that you can’t fool the people forever, and they really do understand what is going on. They certainly care about the economy. Prices have been rising since the Democrats took over, yet first the administration and their media parrots told everyone that there is no inflation. Then they said that it was only low inflation. Then they said that the inflation was only temporary. By now, the people don’t believe them anymore.

The southern border is wide open, with illegals streaming into the country day and night. Biden and the people supposedly in charge deny the obvious facts, lying and making believe that they are working to enforce the law. Then the people find out that there are secret transports ferrying illegals to different parts of the country, where they are deposited in the dead of night to add to the burdens of local taxpayers. The government’s goal is to change the electoral makeup of the country.

The administration, Democrats in general and their compadres in the media and in education, say that Americans like me and you are racist because we resist their silly ideas about equity and white supremacy.

During Covid, parents found out what their children are taught in public school and put their foot down. In return, the president, the attorney general and the FBI called them domestic terrorists and fought to silence them.

The Democrat politicians and media treated the people as if they were stupid, but the parents did not falter. Republicans quickly took up the cause, standing by the parents and fighting for their rights to want their children to be taught proper morals and truth instead of wokeness.

The country was doing well under President Trump, until Covid came along and turned the world upside down. People got used to winning, as he would say, and took it for granted that things would stay that way. Although he warned that should the Democrats take hold of power all the gains of the Trump administration would be reversed, people did not believe him and allowed Biden to win the election.

As evidenced last week in the high profile elections in Virginia and New Jersey, as well as voting for big and little jobs across the country, America is no longer buying what the Democrats have to sell. For whatever reason, it worked last year. This time around, after people had seen the results of Democrat control of the White House, Congress and the Senate, they were not happy.

People are not that dumb, and despite the constant attempts by the media, the lies are not working anymore. The majority of the populace is afraid of the attempts to remake America.

We live in frightening times. If we think too much about what is going on and what the future looks like, we can become depressed, so we continue to go about our daily lives, occupying ourselves with inconsequential matters.

We are used to living with lies. Learning the parshiyos of Sefer Bereishis, we find that the world’s antipathy toward Jews began when Avrohom Avinu determined that the world had a Creator. The loathing of Jews has continued throughout the generations ever since.

Avrohom’s own father wanted him dead. Nimrod tried to burn Avrohom alive. That pariah status was transferred to Avrohom’s descendants, beginning with Yitzchok Avinu, who was treated as an outcast by his neighbors.

Wherever Yitzchok went, as related in last week’s parsha, his water wells were stuffed. In those days, without wells, one could not live. Yitzchok was therefore constantly on the move, encountering a hostile reception wherever he went. Though he was blessed with wealth and was an unquestionably kind, peaceful and spiritual man, nobody wanted to have anything to do with him. They drove him away by plugging up the sources of his water supply. They spread stories about him, all lies, but the populace didn’t care for the truth. They wanted him out.

In this week’s parsha, we learn how Yaakov was repeatedly lied to and tricked out of what was deservedly his. His father-in-law, Lovon, flourished because of Yaakov, yet at every opportunity, he sought to take advantage of the tzaddik in his midst, who happened to be his nephew and son-in-law.

After working for Lovon for two decades, Yaakov was instructed by Hashem to return home. He gathered his wives, children and flocks and left.

Lovon chased after him, accusing Yaakov of stealing his property. Yaakov responded, confronting Lovon, the paradigm con-artist, with a litany of his subterfuge and dishonest dealings. Yaakov reminded Lovon of all he had done for him and of the subterfuge he was repaid with. As bad as your boss is, it is doubtful that he altered the terms of your employment one hundred times the way Lovon did to Yaakov.

Our avos demonstrated for us how we are to respond to those who lie about us and seek to destroy us.

Despite the enmity and harassment, Avrohom worked to bring more people tachas kanfei haShechinah. When Yitzchok’s wells were filled, he moved and dug new ones. Lovon was all about lies, but instead of getting into the gutter with him, Yaakov concentrated on raising the twelve shevotim.

When Lovon chased Yaakov and refused to reason with him, Yaakov told his children to gather stones and construct a gal. He was demonstrating for them and us that had Avrohom allowed himself to be intimidated, he would have relinquished the role of progenitor of Am Yisroel. Had Yitzchok permitted the Pelishtim to deter him, he would not have merited being part of the glorious chain begun by his father. Had Yaakov succumbed to Lovon’s abuse, he never would have left his father-in-law’s home and wouldn’t have raised the twelve sons who formed the nucleus of our people.

Our strength is Torah. Our goal is Torah. Our life is Torah. No one can take that from us, as hard as they try. As long as we remember that lesson, we will be strong, safe and victorious, and the path we have forged will lead to the ultimate redemption, may it be soon, in our days.

Now, more than ever, we must arm ourselves with the weapons of the spirit bequeathed to us by Avrohom, Yitzchok and Yaakov of proper tefillah, emunah and bitachon.

Eventually, the people see past the falsities. Eventually, the people figure out that they have been lied to and taken advantage of.

As children of the avos and imahos who stood up to power and were never overwhelmed by the power of the lie, we, too, must be careful not to be influenced by lies and not to succumb to those with the power to force us into doing what we know to be wrong. Our forefathers didn’t win popularity contests, but they persevered and survived way longer than those who sought to suppress them and force them to live as they did.

Lovon translates to white, which is the symbol of clarity and purity. The archetypical swindler presented himself as if he were as pure as the wind-driven snow and as innocent as a white kitten. In town, he was a big macher, respected by all.

Yet, like all fiction, his story unraveled and he is eternally remembered with derision. In our world, as well, we must not be impressed by those who are in power today, calling all the shots. It is fleeting and won’t last.

Our loyalty must be to the truth, to those who embody the truth and live by it. We do what we must to get by, but we do not become dejected, for, as we saw last week in many different places and venues, people can be suppressed, the truth can be suppressed, but not for long.

As sure as the winter snow will melt and expose the ground below, the truth will endure. Those who remained faithful to it will delight and thrive. May we all be among them.