King Cyrus’ historic actions earned him, at least for some time, the title of “Messiah.” Do the past and anticipated actions of U.S. President Donald Trump justify such a title for him as well? Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu shares his perspective in an interview.
Donald Trump’s return to the White House for another term as president arouses renewed Israeli hopes for dramatic steps to be taken, both in the fight against terror and in advancing sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, which would be a natural continuation of the U.S. recognition of Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights and transferral of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
This situation, in which the leader of the world’s most powerful nation has the opportunity to strengthen and fortify the Jewish people’s standing in the world, invites comparisons to Cyrus, whose proclamation allowed the Jewish people to return to their heritage and culture, leading to a strong trend of the ingathering of the exiles. His contribution to consolidation of the Jewish people led the prophet Isaiah to refer to him as “Messiah of the Lord,” saying, “Thus says the Lord to His anointed one, Cyrus” (Isaiah 45:1).
Is this comparison appropriate, or does it go too far? Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, Chief Rabbi of Safed, responds with a certain degree of caution.
“There is no doubt that every king, especially the king of a superpower like the United States, is a messenger of God. The Gemara teaches that all authority is ordained by Heaven. In President Trump’s case, this is even more apparent in light of how beneficial he was to the Jewish people during his previous term,” says the rabbi, and when he refers to the comparison to Cyrus, he notes that “In his private conduct, Cyrus was not one of the thirty-six righteous individuals of his generation... And there are other examples of kings who, in their personal lives, were not so righteous, but fulfilled their mission when they rose to power.”
Rabbi Eliyahu also mentions that while Cyrus did indeed begin his mission, he later turned away from it, as described by the Sages, who said that he “missed the mark.” “This means that while people have a mission, they also have free choice. We believe that Trump is no less a messenger of the Almighty than Cyrus or Balfour, who were also messengers of the Almighty.”
Regarding the use of the term “Messiah,” Rabbi Eliyahu notes, “One of the most prominent figures in Israeli history to use the term ‘messianic’ was David Ben-Gurion. Today, this would not pass a Supreme Court review, which views the term ‘messianic’ as derogatory. But for Ben-Gurion, the term symbolized vision and looking beyond material boundaries—not just focusing on economic development but also on the nation’s moral aspect. In this sense, Ben-Gurion continued Herzl’s legacy, who also spoke in such terms and did not view the state merely in its technical aspect as a refuge for the Jewish people but as a nation with a mission to spread light in the world. Today as well, we need leadership—both domestic and international—that views the People of Israel from such a perspective.”
In contemporary politics, Rabbi Eliyahu sees Prime Minister Netanyahu as someone who views reality from the perspective of a “super leader,” as he puts it, while those who lack the tools to comprehend the magnitude of the reality attempt to sabotage his efforts. “But he is an outstanding leader of historic proportions—not just nationally but internationally. I don’t see many leaders in the world of his caliber.”
And returning to the historic opportunity for Israel to apply its sovereignty during Donald Trump’s second term as U.S. President, we asked Rabbi Eliyahu what, in his opinion, Israel’s message to the leader of the free world should be in order to mobilize him for the project of sovereignty.
“I think we need to tell him that we see him as a messenger of the Almighty and say it in those very words, without hesitation, and tell him that we pray he fulfills his mission in the right way. This is our language, and this is our way of thinking and we must act in this direction and ignore all the internal detractors—those who feel that we are at the lowest point in Jewish history, while we see this period as our second War of Independence, during which, thank God, we are winning and advancing.”
“We are living at a great moment in history—both our own history and world history. We see ourselves as well as President Trump as messengers of the Almighty who guides history and we must look at reality through these eyes and not from a limited, ground-level perspective.”
The interview was first published in Issue 18 of the Sovereignty Journal. Click here for the issue.