Avos 2:3

בס״ד

אבות ב:ג

Be careful of ruling authorities, For they only get close to people for ulterior motives. They will appear like your friend when it serves their purposes, But they won’t stand by you in times of trouble.

הֱווּ זְהִירִין בָּרָשׁוּת, שֶׁאֵין מְקָרְבִין לוֹ לָאָדָם אֶלָּא לְצֹרֶךְ עַצְמָן. נִרְאִין כְּאוֹהֲבִין בִּשְׁעַת הֲנָאָתָן, וְאֵין עוֹמְדִין לוֹ לָאָדָם בִּשְׁעַת דָּחְקוֹ:

        The teaching of Rabban Gamliel III continues.  His feelings of mistrust of the ruling authorities recall those of Shammaya in Avos 1:10.  In his own day, Shammaya had the Jewish Hasmoneans in mind; but Rabban Gamliel is certainly thinking about the Romans.  This is surprising, though, since Rabban Gamliel’s own father, Rabbi, was famous for his friendships with Roman emperors!

        What accounts for Rabban Gamliel’s apparent rejection of his father’s recipe for success?  It probably has to do with how seriously Rabban Gamliel takes Rabbi’s insistence that we must learn to see past one sort of “reality” to discern what’s really going on behind it.

        For American Jews it is common to take our comfortable place in society as a “given” supported by the power of the Government.  Based upon his own experience that a friendly Government today might yield to an unfriendly one tomorrow, Rabban Gamliel teaches us to be skeptical even of our political successes.  “Worldly” power and influence are fleeting.  Our real security is drawn “from another Source” (Esther 4:15), and must be based on our ability to see past temporary comforts to the foundations of Torah upon which we ultimately rely.

        

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