(Rabbi) Shemiah said, “Love work. Hate authority. Don’t get too friendly with the government.” Pirke Avot, 1:10 (translation, Jacob Neusner).

This classical rabbinic saying comes from “Chapters of the Fathers,” a well-known collection of rabbinic sayings and aphorisms from the 2^nd century ACE. While there are many more finessed English renderings of this particular saying (one version, offered by Talmudic scholar Dr. Joshua Kulp reads: “Love work, hate acting the superior and do not attempt to draw near to the ruling authority”), I’ve always appreciated the bluntness of Jacob Neusner’s more direct translation. We don’t know much about Shemiah, but we do know that he was a Jewish leader in the 1^st century BCE and the he wasn’t a big fan of Herod, the appointed authority over Palestine during the reign of the Roman empire.

As a member of the Jewish community, I definitely appreciated Shemiah’s caution over cozying up to state power after reading reports from yesterday’s inauguration of Donald Trump, which featured a prayer from Rabbi Ari Berman, the President of Yeshiva University. Among other things Rabbi Berman hailed this “moment of historic opportunity” and prayed for the new administration to “unite us around our foundational biblical values of life and liberty, service and sacrifice, and especially of faith and morality.” (Americans who do not adhere to Biblical tradition were presumably left out of his vision of national unity.)

Needless to say, Rabbi Berman’s legitimizing of Trump’s inauguration did not speak for many of us in the Jewish community, especially when you consider that Trump has now pardoned virtually all of the Capitol insurrectionists, including their white supremacist, neo-Nazi leaders. When you consider that Proud Boys were seen marching and chanting through the streets of DC for the first time since January 6 while Trump was being sworn in as President.

Then there was the moment in which Trump’s new friend Elon Musk – who has made no secret of his support for the European far right – made two clear and unmistakable Nazi salutes at an inaugural event. As painful as this was to witness, for me the even more nauseating moment occurred when the Anti-Defamation League subsequently issued a statement dismissing the salute as an “awkward gesture,” adding: “This is a new beginning. Let’s hope for healing and work toward unity in the months and years ahead.” Apologizing for Nazi messaging at Presidential Inaugural is a truly new low for the ADL – and that is saying a lot.

I also couldn’t help but think of Shemiah’s teaching yesterday as I watched so many public figures, corporate leaders and politicians (from both sides of the aisle) flashing cheerful smiles as they were wined and dined in Washington by this new authoritarian administration – on MLK Day, of all days. “Don’t get too cozy with the government” would have been particularly good advice to New York Mayor Eric Adams, who reportedly cancelled previously scheduled appearances at events celebrating MLK after he received a last-minute invitation to attend the inauguration.

There has been much commentary about how dramatically different Trump’s inauguration feels in comparison to his previous inaugural in 2106, when the resistance was actively organizing and protests would soon fill the streets. This time around, the main theme seems to be political resignation and capitulation. I have no doubt that Michigan’s Democratic governor Gretchen Whitmer spoke for many in her party when she said last week, “My job is to try to collaborate and find common ground wherever I can.” (Couldn’t she have at least chosen a better word than colloborate?”)

As yesterday mercifully came to a close, I finally decided on a new rendering of Rabbi Shemiah’s teaching – one more apropos to the current political moment:

Love the work of resistance. Hate fascism. And don’t expect politicians to save you.