The relationship between Avraham’s sons Yitzchak and Yishmael was doomed from the get-go. His wife Sara couldn’t conceive; she serves up her servant Hagar as surrogate. Yishma‘el is born.

Later, of course, Sara gives birth to Yitzchak, and still can’t tolerate either Hagar’s presence or that of Avraham’s first-born Yishma’el. With Avraham’s permission, Sara summarily banishes Hagar and son from the family compound.

To the sages, this sets up a millennia-long animosity between the descendants of Yitzchak (us!) and those of Yishma’el (the Arabs). We share a father, yet don’t “get” one another. We’re not willing to accept the other despite the differences between us. Just like some families!

What we learn from Yitzchak/Yishma’el is that there will always be those with whom we are at odds. We also know from human nature there will always be those who will — at least tacitly — threaten violence.

Yitzchak/Yishma’el shared a father. All of us in these United States — from Mayflower descendants to the newly-naturalized — share founding fathers.

We make assumptions about others based on what we see: what they wear, what they drive, their work, past-times… And we project upon the other who passes our superficial entrance exam what we want them to be — i.e., more like us!

Democrats nominated a questionably-qualified candidate. Republicans fell in lock-step behind a candidate who revels in repeatedly daring you to disqualify him. Also, the Republicans were working with a two hundred page plan, for better or for worse, while the Democrats had an inadequate two-word plan: “Not him.”

The day after Tuesday, it became apparent that more than half the country voted to change the status quo. Now that the decision-making power — as well as the enactment of power — will be in the hands of one party, it will be difficult to evade responsibility, as in answering pointed questions with “We won’t talk about that now, we’re focused on the future.”

The election loss is not permission for Democrats to sit and bitch and moan. Talking heads and pundits can no longer simply decry what he-who-craves-and-is-given-publicity does or says. The opposition will need to reconsider priorities with new or revised pathways to meeting the needs of more rather than of fewer citizens without denigrating any of them.

Since the day after Tuesday, some rabbinic list emails have offered soothing poems or reinforcing prayers meant to salve the wounds of the losing party. Democrats don’t need solace, they need repair and resolve.

I am comforted by the fact that our democracy worked without ambiguity — the Republican victor also won the popular vote (for the first time in 20 years). I am soothed that the losers of this elections responded with grief and disbelief. Had it turned out otherwise, the response likely would have included violence.

We are a divided family, a potentially devastatingly-dysfunctional country. Will states be sued or ostracized for not toeing the party line (somewhat like the “bad” aunt who goes against the head-of-family and isn’t invited to Thanksgiving dinner)?

Some of us might be wishing buyer’s remorse for 76 million citizens. But that’s self-defeating, right? We’re all in the same boat. Remember the parable of the passengers in a small ferry: One man drills a hole in the boat’s hull. He responds to his fellow passengers’ outrage, “Hey! The hole is only under my seat!”

Economic theory may again be trickle-down; the effects, however, are likely to trickle up soon enough, as we’ve seen before.

Other anticipated actions from a new administration:

Reform education: Yes! a college degree doesn’t guarantee ability or success, nor is college for everyone. Lots of non-college-degree careers out there.

Teach kids to think? Absolutely, though it’s hard to see how the Ten Commandments or prayer in the classroom will help with that.
Reform affordable health care? Sure! Replace it with “a concept of a plan”? Not very responsible.
Embrace and be embraced by devout Christians or Orthodox Jews and fail to show compassion to those in need? Hmmm….

Later on oin Torah, Yitzchak/Yishma’el will come together to bury their father Avraham. We are not going to come together to bury the democratic dreams of our mutual founding fathers and their native or foreign-born heirs.

Better that we share and compromise on firm yet flexible ideas for improving the lot of most of our citizens. (We came close just a few months back with the bilateral immigration bill.)

Were our legislators able to summon courage and conscience to put country before cowardice, they would help the rest of us avoid feeling that every day is the day after Tuesday.

Shabbat shalom ! שבת שלום