Today President Trump authorized the declassification and release of a memo from Congress, alleging that the FBI “may have relied on politically motivated or questionable sources.”
Understandably, this uncommon move has caused a significant reaction from both sides of the aisle.
Putting aside the politics and the constitutional issues, this does bring to the fore a powerful question: What type of information is important to be shared with the public? What type of information is useful for the public?
This was not a major document dump, but the nature of the information released, sanctioned by the government, is indeed unique.
Was this a great public service, a political stunt, an abuse of power (on which side?!), or simply a dud?
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Going back in history, we Jews have a major precedent to releasing classified information.
In fact, the original #releasethememo moment is highlighted in this week’s parsha, Yitro.
When the Jewish people stood at Sinai, G-d revealed Himself to them. Revelation at Sinai was the moment that we became a people. We received the Torah and entered into a covenant with G-d.
At the surface, however, we didn’t really learn that much about G-d at Revelation. He told us Ten Commandments and said that Moshe will later fill us in on the other 603.
With perhaps the exception of Shabbat, studying the Ten Commandments doesn’t really reveal too much classified information. We were not commanded about the intricate laws of kosher, something truly novel in society. We were not taught about ultra-ethical commands such as not to charge interest to one another. What we got seemed like a simple, way-too-obvious document.
Is this really the Great Declassification we had been waiting for?!
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According to the Zohar, the answer is spelled out in the first word of the Ten Commandments, אנכי, ANOCHI. Anochi means “I,” as in “I am G-d.” But, it’s not the usual Hebrew term for I. Usually the word אני (ANI) is used. אנכי (ANOCHI) says the Zohar is an acronym, standing for אנא נפשי כתבית יהבית, which means “I have written and given over My soul.”
In Torah, G-d has given us His essence. On the surface, it may seem like very unclassified information. But, when talking about G-d, classified is a relative term. Is there really any chance we could perceive what’s truly classified? If not for G-d is anything really unclassified in the first place? Wouldn’t even the simplest concepts be ‘classified’ if G-d didn’t choose to allow our limited minds to grasp them?
In the Ten Commandments G-d gave us the biggest gift of all – Himself! Classified and Unclassified all at once!