Bad Press
Rav Kook had an interesting description of Avraham’s efforts to rescue his nephew, Lot from captivity. He needed to save the father of Ruth, David, and the Messiah.
It occurred to me that it was possible to describe Lot in a positive light. Aside from meriting to have the line of David come from his son, Moab (and Ruth was a Moabitess), he showed loyalty to Avraham.
He traveled with his uncle when he had to deal with Avimelech. He remained silent when Avraham told his little “fib” that Sara was his sister. He was a judge in Sodom and was very good at welcoming guests. (There is even a hotel by the Dead Sea called the “Lot Hotel.”
The reality is that there is plenty of negative to be said about him as well. He chose to live in the most corrupt place on earth, he lusted after money, and he had incestuous relations with his daughters. Not a very impressive resume, to say the least.
These points are extremely relevant after this week’s elections in the United States. The damage done by the media to attempt to destroy individuals is incomprehensible. There is no emphasis on reporting objective truth. They use their power to sway public opinion in a way that suits them. Thankfully, their efforts to demonize Donald Trump and make his opponent into a saint, failed miserably. The media did their best to do everything possible to destroy Trump and his family, in the most viscous manner. All Jews should realize that they can breathe a collective breath of relief, that we will have a true friend in the White House.
Israel’s Leftist media is guilty of the same character assassination. Benjamin Netanyahu is the only leader capable of withstanding tremendous global pressure, and is focused on bringing real victory and security to Israel. The media has succeeded at painting such a negative picture of him, that like Donald Trump, he is unfairly hated with a passion by thousands of people.
Imagine how we would look at Itamar Ben Gvir and Betzalel Smotrich, if they became media darlings. If we were bombarded with daily positive articles about their devotion to Israel, their achievements, and what wonderful people they are on a personal level, they would be seen in a positive light.
If it’s possible to describe Lot in a manner that makes him look righteous, we see how easy it could be to sway public opinion. Aside from creating methods to demand integrity in the media, people need to be smarter. They need to do their own research, before accepting lies that attempt to destroy good people.
The difficulties in dealing with our current war, could have been much more tolerable, if our media would have focused more on bravery, heroism, and our achievements, rather than blame and demoralize our people. Truth will win in the end, and it would sure be nice if it began in the media.