A peaceful Trump rally in Washington DC seemed to have spiraled  out of control as several alleged ‘Trump supporters’ stormed barricades outside Congress, where lawmakers were convening to vote to certify the Electoral College of the 2020 US election. The Library of Congress was evacuated due to violent clashes.

The melee left resulted in four dead and 52 arrests.

#BREAKING: Four dead, 52 arrested after chaos on Capitol Hill https://t.co/kIhgiH0Dpg pic.twitter.com/d4nFhtVBpi

— The Hill (@thehill) January 7, 2021

The aftermath of Wednesday night’s events shocked the entire political apparatus.

I’m inside the Capitol for @USATODAY. The aftermath of Trump rioters storming the building is jarring
Glass everywhere, dust blankets the ground, broken benches turned on their side, used medical kit with an IV & AED machine that was used on a woman who was squeezed in the chaos pic.twitter.com/aafYiH6GpD

— Christal Hayes (@Journo_Christal) January 7, 2021

Author, lecturer, and columnist Rabbi Isser Zalman Weisberg offers a Biblical perspective on the rally and the election certification process in America as a whole. He calls the fight for transparent elections a “battle between the forces of clarity and the forces of darkness and confusion.”

The rabbi explains that the “inspiration for our side is the Torah – which righteous Jews, Christians and Muslims turn to for guidance. The other side’s inspiration comes from the primordial serpent – whose greatest weapon is falsehood and the manipulation of the minds.” The serpent he is referring to is the character in Genesis who convinced Eve to eat from the Tree of Life.

And the serpent said to the woman, “You are not going to die, (Genesis 3:4)

He referred to the events on Capitol Hill on Wednesday as “another example of how the party of darkness of confusion under the leadership of the serpent.”

The two sides of Esau

He also explains that Esau’s division between good and evil is manifested in Trump who is the good side of Esau while his enemies are the bad side of Esau. The rabbi explains that this phenomenon of two sides of Esau is learned from his decapitation during a fight with Jacob’s children at the Tomb of the Patriarchs. When that happened, Esau’s head rolled into the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron while his body remained outside of it. His head would not have rolled into such a holy burial site if he was totally evil as only righteous people are buried there such as Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac.

Is Trump Iram?

Rabbi Weisberg even considered that President Trump could be the Biblical character Iram.

Magdiel, and Iram. Those are the clans of Edom—that is, of Esau, father of the Edomites—by their settlements in the land which they hold. (Genesis 36:43)

According to the Rabbi, Iram is “destined to help the Jews build the 3rd Temple.” He theorized that Tump “may very well be that leader.” The rabbi uses gematria to make the connection saying that the name “Iram” has the numerical value of 437, the same as ‘Donald J Trump’ when spelled in Hebrew.

Will he be the final ruler?

But the rabbi emphasizes that as we all have free will, Trump must decide if he will be the final ruler of Edom. And if it won’t be Trump, someone else will be step up in his place. The rabbi expounds on this point by drawing a connection to King Saul, who was destined to serve as King of Israel but whose reign was cut short after he failed to kill King Agag the Amalekite even though the prophet Samuel instructed him to.

Now go, attack Amalek, and proscribe all that belongs to him.(Samuel 1 15:3)

According to the rabbi, Saul failed to execute God’s orders after receiving bad counsel from his advisors.

Standing up for what is right and just

“When God puts us in a position to courageously stand up for what is right and just, the last thing we are to be thinking of is ourselves” Rabbi Weisberg explains.

He then called on the Commander in Chief to remain steadfast in the face of his opposition saying “Some people have had the audacity to threaten you that if you do not give up your futile attempt to hold onto the presidency, you will tarnish your reputation forever and you will cause irreputable harm to the Republican party.” He adds that Trump will do the right thing and that “God, is on your side.”

The lifetime you are about to start

The rabbi called on Trump to take an oath “that will give you the fortitude to succeed in the lifetime you are about to start.”

“This election is not about your legacy. It is not even about the future of America. It is not even about the future of the free world. It is about standing up for God of the universe – the God of morality and compassion. Continue the fight until you have exhausted every available means at your disposal to overcome the enemies of truth. Do not listen to anyone who tries to convince you otherwise. That was King Saul’s mistake and we saw where that got him.”

The rabbi concludes his address saying that there is nothing to fear and that the forces against him are like a “cloud of darkness. He then called on the president to “Rise to the challenge and may God be with you.”