Post Election Wisdom From Harold and Kumar

If you didn't get the reference to Harold and Kumar in the title, this Shabbat message may not work. But if you did get the reference, or are still willing to give it a shot, it will make sense in a few paragraphs from now.

Like you, I have been following the reporting about the election results, and the reactions of different groups and organizations. The American people have made their choice, and in perhaps the greatest political comeback in our nation’s history, Donald Trump will be the 47th president of the United States. Some are elated, and others are devastated. Wall Street seems quite happy, our NATO allies decidedly less so. What will be is anyone's guess. As they say in the world of finance "past performance is not an indicator of future results." Considering our nation is still divided over President Trump's first term in office, I will leave an analysis of what the future might bring to others more qualified to speculate. What I will say is that given the various divisions throughout the American public, and the tensions that were exacerbated during this difficult electoral season, I can only hope that President Trump and his administration will work to heal and bridge the discord in our great nation. Time will tell.

I have been paying a great deal of attention to official statements released by leading Jewish organizations in the aftermath of the election. Some expressed concern. Other organizations were unambiguous with either their disgust, or elation over Trump's victory. I have included links to several of them for your review.

This is the statement from the Rabbinical Assembly (the international organization of Rabbis affiliated with the Conservative Movement)

This is the statement from the Orthodox Union

This is the statement from the Union for Reform Judaism

This is the statement from the Jewish Council for Public Affairs

This is the statement from the Zionist Organization of America

What I hope to do in this Shabbat message is to provide a message of hope in the aftermath of a tense and difficult campaign.  And I want to do so in a humorous way, in an attempt to begin the healing which I believe our nation needs right now.  Is there a message that could truly unite all of us, or at least a lot of us in this difficult moment?

Which brings me back to Harold and Kumar. The audience that reads my weekly Shabbat message may not recall the Harold and Kumar movie trilogy of the early 2000s. One of the perks (or drawbacks, depending on how you look at it) of raising children who were young teenagers during that era is that I got to see a lot of movies that were made for that demographic.  While Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle, Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantánamo Bay, or A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas may not be up there with cinematic classics like Citizen Kane, The Godfather, or Casablanca, they were in their own way, amusing, occasionally hysterical (in addition, of course to being sophomoric, puerile, and just plain stupid) as well as capable of moments of amazing clarity and even genius.

Towards the end of Harold And Kumar Escape From Guantánamo Bay, Harold and Kumar find themselves at the Texas ranch of former President George W. Bush. (I could tell you how they got there, but that would ruin the movie for you.)  Anyhow, while chatting with (OK, if we’re being honest, smoking marijuana with) then President Bush, telling him about the various adventures they endured while trying to go to Denmark to visit Harold’s girlfriend (which included being arrested, and sent to Guantánamo Bay, from which they had escaped, and jumping out of an airplane, which landed them in President Bush’s Texas Ranch) there was this moment of absolute brilliance amidst this funny but ridiculous scenario. (WARNING -  the language is certainly PG-13)

Harold: “after all the XXXXXX that we’ve been through, I don’t know if we can trust our government anymore.”

To which President Bush replies, “Trust the government? Heck, I’m in the government and I don’t even trust it. You don’t have to believe in your government to be a good American. You just have to believe in your country."

Kumar: “exactly, exactly right!”

Our rabbis teach that a wise person is the one who learns from anyone with wisdom, and in this case, the wisdom comes from two fictional stoners named Harold and Kumar. And though this may come from an otherwise forgettable movie, (it’s a comedy, not a documentary!) it contains a real insight appropriate and necessary for this unique moment in American history. 

Today, some celebrate the results of Tuesday’s election and others mourn. But no matter how we feel about the result of the election, as Americans, and as American Jews, we must continue to believe in our country. That is the only choice. Anything else would be betrayal of the values, traditions, and democratic norms which have guided our great nation since 1776, and will provide the wisdom and guidance to help us navigate the future.