וְיֵה֗וּא יָצָא֙ אֶל־עַבְדֵ֣י אֲדֹנָ֔יו וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לוֹ֙ הֲשָׁל֔וֹם מַדּ֛וּעַ בָּֽא־הַמְשֻׁגָּ֥ע הַזֶּ֖ה אֵלֶ֑יךָ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם אַתֶּ֛ם יְדַעְתֶּ֥ם אֶת־הָאִ֖ישׁ וְאֶת־שִׂיחֽוֹ׃
Iehu uscì verso i servi del suo signore, e uno gli disse: «Tutto bene? Perché è venuto da te questo pazzo?». Egli rispose loro: «Voi conoscete l'uomo e il suo discorso».
From David to Destruction
Next time one encounters someone who decries traditional Judaism in the most strident manner, one need not be concerned. Instead, realize that beneath the loud protests lies a subconscious recognition of traditional Orthodox Judaism as the true word of Hashem.140We find a similar phenomenon in Melachim II 9:11-13 where less-than committed members of Am Yisrael ridicule a Navi as Meshuga (crazy; see Radak to Melachim I 9:11) and yet proceed to express their devout recognition of the Navi as speaking the authentic word of Hashem. Sadly, many (but hardly all) Ba’alei Teshuvah report that some family members ridicule them for their commitment to Torah observance, but yet later turn to them for spiritual guidance in times of need.