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2 Marcheshvan, 5783 - October 27, 2022 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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OPINION
What Did He Think When He Spoke?

by Yitzchok Roth


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It's difficult to understand, rather, it is impossible to even attempt to comprehend what is going on in the head of a politician who speaks in any kind of forum and expresses things he would not wish to be publicized. Does he begin to reflect that what he utters will remain between the four walls and not leak out? Does he actually rely on the assumption that all the people in his vicinity are trustworthy and won't allow things that he does not wish to reach the public will defer to this?

These days, even his closest friend are "walking recordings." Let him ask the past prime minister how his most loyal secretary recorded him for years and sent him off to jail with these recordings. Let him ask a former or even future prime minister how his closest confidante recorded him and his wife during personal conversations, and for a fee, sold these tapes to the media. What more need happen in order for a sane person to understand that anything which he wishes to remain secret must not be aired in any forum whatsoever?

There is a famous chareidi personage who was once publicly asked a loaded question and replied that he was willing to answer it only on Shabbos after the cholent — with the assumption that the one who asked it was a genuine G-d-fearing shomer-mitzvos Jew who, he could be confident, would not record the answer on Shabbos! What can we do that in this day and age, even this is no guarantee!

So what did Betzalel Smotrich think when he cursed out Binyamin Netanyahu? Did he truly believe that these ascorbic words expressed against one who was predicted to be the head of the bloc which he was supporting would remain between the walls of the room and not leak out to the media? His words constituted a real electoral blow, or as is said in army jargon "a shot directly inside the armored personnel carrier (APC)" and not an ordinary shot but an actual explosion!

Netanyahu fervently claims that he never dreamed of relying on Mansour Abbas to join a coalition. And here comes the head of Religious Zionism castigating him hotly, calling him inexorable names, claiming that Netanyahu intended to include Raam while only he, grand old Smotrich, prevented this alliance.

What did he think when he stated that accusation? Doesn't he have any control over his words? Didn't he consider that his statements would eventually reach the media and be publicized? Perhaps one or two more Knesset seats for his party are worth more than a strong Rightist coalition.

Chazal said that silence is the gateway to wisdom and taught that one who does not embrace this preventative can be labeled as one who is the reverse of a wise man!

 

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