Conviction In An Age Of Convenience

By: Rabbi Efrem Goldberg

According to Merriam-Webster, a grifter is a person who swindles or cheats others through deception or fraud. The word comes from graft, an old slang word for dishonest gain. Traditionally, grifter referred to a con artist, someone who manipulates or swindles others for personal profit.

In recent years, though, the word has taken on a broader cultural meaning. Today, a grifter is often used to describe a public figure with shifting principles, loyalties, or convictions depending on what is most useful to him at the moment. The focus is no longer only on fraud, but on political or financial expediency without principles. The question becomes less about what is true and more on “what works for me right now.”

We see this pattern across media personalities, politicians, entertainers, even religious leaders. Positions and convictions once held with certainty are walked back and abandoned. Based on shifting public whims, yesterday’s critic can become today’s supporter and today’s supporter can become tomorrow’s critic.

In today’s media world, too many commentators shift positions to chase clicks, followers, ratings, access, or political influence. Just this week, Tucker Carlson, after decades of being one of the most prominent voices on the right, announced that he is leaving the Republican party, citing serious disagreements over its direction and the war with Iran. This isn’t a principled stand; it’s just the latest pivot from a person who can make your head spin with how quickly and radically he changes his opinions and loyalties.

While perhaps the most prominent example, Tucker Carlson is far from the only one. Megyn Kelly, consistent with her recent ideological shift, sharply criticized President Trump’s approach to the Iran conflict, expressing regret for voting for him and supporting him. Until the opportunity to host Vice President Vance on her show arose, then she suddenly became a supporter of President Trump again. Changing one’s mind is not the issue. Everyone can and in some cases should change their mind when appropriate. The question is, what drives it—conviction or convenience?

For this group of grifters, the pattern repeats itself. Positions shift with public mood. Strong statements are softened when they become inconvenient.

Judaism makes a clear distinction here. There is a place for honest reassessment. We are expected to think, learn, grow, and correct ourselves when we are wrong. But there is a difference between changing our opinions because we have grown or because we are grifting.

In last week’s parashah, Chazal describe Bilaam, the non-Jewish prophet hired by Balak to curse Bnei Yisrael, as both highly gifted and deeply corrupt. On the pasuk, “Never again did there arise in Israel a prophet like Moshe” (Devarim 34:10), the Sifrei notes that while no prophet like Moshe arose in Israel, such a prophet did arise among the Gentiles: Bilaam. His level of prophecy indeed matched Moshe Rabbeinu. Yet the Mishnah(Sanhedrin 10:2) lists him among those who lost their share in the World to Come.

How does someone on that level fall so far?

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, zt’l, points to the Gemara (Sanhedrin 105a) that connects the name Bilaam to “bli am,” without a people. Bilaam was not rooted in anything. He had no real loyalty or commitment. He was available for hire and his blessings and curses could be purchased. We tend to think of Bilaam as someone specifically out to get the Jews, but there is no evidence that he was guided by ideology or moral conviction. He had the ability, but no allegiance.

In that sense, Bilaam was the original grifter. He had extraordinary gifts, but no anchor. He attached himself to whoever offered him the most benefit. He was “bli am,” a man without a people.

Moshe Rabbeinu is the opposite. Hashem testifies about him, “In all My house he is the most trustworthy” (Bamidbar 12:7). Moshe is defined by loyalty and faithfulness. He stands with his people even when it is difficult. He defends them when they fail. He challenges them when they need it. He does not leave them when things are hard.

Moshe is not “bli am.” He belongs to his people and they can rely on him. That’s the difference between talent and character. Bilaam only has talent; Moshe has talent and the characteristic of trustworthiness. And in the end, trust is what matters. In a world where it is increasingly common for public figures to adjust their opinion based on what’s popular, a select few remain consistent.

Among the most visible Orthodox Jewish public figures, Ben Shapiro often takes positions that elicit criticism and personal cost, especially in his public defense of Israel and in maintaining an openly observant Jewish identity in a very public arena. Whether one agrees with everything he says or not, a person who continues to stand by his commitment to the Jewish people and Israel even when it is uncomfortable, inconvenient, and dangerous, is admirable.

For him, and for any of us, sometimes it would be easier to shift. It would be more profitable, more comfortable, and more acceptable. But that has never been what Torah life is meant to be.

Being a Jew is about consistency, about showing up whether it’s convenient and comfortable or not. It’s about being someone whose word can be trusted and whose values do not change with the times. Moshe Rabbeinu is our teacher in perpetuity, not just because of his brilliance and greatness, but because of his reliability, consistency, steadfastness, and trustworthiness.

We may not stand to gain financially by changing our dress or our opinions, but we do live in a world where there is often a perceived benefit in minimizing the visible signs of our Jewish identity or staying quiet about our values and principles. The temptation is to blend in, avoid attention, and stay in the background. But that is not our calling.

Don’t be a grifter who detaches from his people when it’s inconvenient or costly. Be a student of Moshe Rabbeinu, who stood with his nation and stood for truth, choosing principles over profit, faithfulness over favor. 

Rabbi Efrem Goldberg is the Senior Rabbi of the Boca Raton Synagogue (BRS), a rapidly-growing congregation of over 850 families and over 1,000 children in Boca Raton, Florida.