Question: If
someone sees President Trump should he recite the blessing of "Baruch…She-Natan
Michvodo Le-Vasar Ve-Dam - Blessed are You…who has given of His glory to flesh
and blood"? (In the Gemara in Berachot 58a, our Rabbis teach that one who
sees a non-Jewish king recites the blessing.
It is recorded in the Rambam, Hilchot Berachot 10:11 and Shulchan Aruch,
Orach Chaim 224:8. The Chatam Sofer,
Orach Chaim #159, rules that even if one sees the king outside of his area of
"rule," one must still recite the appropriate blessing).
Answer: No, the
President of the United States is not a king.
Halachic
authorities mention four criteria in order to be considered a king for this
purpose:
1. One must be
the absolute ruler of his kingdom or country (Orchot Chaim in name of Sefer
Ha-Eshkol, Hilchot Berachot #49, Shut Ha-Radvaz vol. 1 #296). The President of the United States does not
have absolute authority. He must bend to
the will of the Congress whether he likes it or not.
2. The king must have the ability to administer
capital punishment (Shut Chatam Sofer ibid.).
The President does not possess this power. While he does have the power to grant life by
issuing a pardon, he does not possess the power of death (Shut Be’er Moshe of
Rav Moshe Stern vol. 2, # 9). If he
allows Jonathan Pollard to make Aliyah, we can discuss this further.
3. The king must have royal clothing. The President of the United States wears a
suit like everyone else (Shut Yehaveh Da’at, vol. 2, #28 and Shut Teshuvot
Ve-Hanhagot vol. 2, #139).
4. The king must
have an entourage (see Shut Teshuvot Ve-Hanhagot ibid. Rav Sternbuch writes there that he heard that
Ha-Gaon Ha-Rav Yosef Chaim Zonnenfeld, the great Rav of Yerushalayim before the
establishment of the State, once had a private meeting in a tent with the King
of Jordan and he recited this blessing even though he was without his
entourage). While the President is
traveling with 400 people, most of them are for his protection.
People get very scared
about what the President says, but there is no need. What he says does not mean that this is the
way it is. This is for two reasons: 1.
The United States does not help us simply to be kind, but because they profit
from it. They need us militarily. We handle this part of the world. They need us technologically. They make planes in the US, and then bring
them here and the "Chevra" makes them into super-planes. The biggest plane manufacturer has a plant
here. It is not to be kind, but to
profit. They need us no less than we
need them. 2. The President must bend to
the will of Congress. The Congress was
pro-Israel even before the establishment of the State. They are sometimes even more pro-Israel than
we are because he learned in the Exile to be weak and frightened. We need to add strength and courage and then
the non-Jews will relate to us in a proper manner. The Monroe Doctrine was stated by President
James Monroe that Europe would no longer interfere with the affairs of the US:
America for Americans. Our Rabbi, Ha-Rav
Tzvi Yehudah, applied this doctrine to us: We will not interfere with what
America is doing and America should not interfere with what we are doing here.
The President of
the most powerful country, with the biggest army, the largest economy, the
super-power of the world is visiting the tiny State of Israel, and some people
say that this is not "Atchalta De-Geulah – the beginning of the
Redemption." Rav Shlomo Zalman
Auerbach in Shut Minchat Shlomo (the last responsum in vol. 1) writes that one
is obligated to recite four blessings when the Messiah arrives: 1.
"Baruch…Chacham Ha-Razim – Blessed are You…Knowers of secrets" which
is recited when seeing 600,000 Jews together and certainly at least this many
Jews will go out to greet the Messiah.
2. "Baruch…She-Chalak Mechomato Lirei'av - Blessed are You…who has
appointed of His knowledge to those who fear him" which is recited when
seeing an outstanding Torah scholar and the Messiah will certainly fit this
criteria. 3. "Baruch…She-Chalak Michvodo
Lirei'av- Blessed are You…who has appointed of His glory to those who fear
him" which is recited when seeing a Jewish king. 4. "Shechechiyanu" – Blessing
Hashem for having arrived at this moment.
We still are waiting for this time to arrive, but we are continuing to
advance. After all, the President of the
United States is visiting the State of Israel.
Instead of reciting a blessing over the President, I recommend reciting
two prayers for the Nation of Israel which we recite every day before the Shema
with extra proper intention: "Blessed are You, Hashem, who chooses His
Nation Israel with Love" and "Blessed are You, Hashem, who love His
Nation Israel."
Q: Should we try
to see the President since he is the most honored person in the world?
A: You do not need to run to greet him. The Gemara in Berachot (9b) says that a
person should strive to see non-Jewish kings, so that he will be able to
perceive the difference between the non-Jewish kings and the Messiah. President Trump, however, is not a king. It is possible to have a king who is not
honored and an honored person who is not a king. Our Sages established this decree for a king,
and provided the definition of a king.
Don't worry. We will be able to
tell the difference between him and the Messiah!
