Nadene Goldfoot
In April 1981 when I was in Israel after making Aliyah in September 1980, there evidently was a magazine out called NEXT, and featured on the cover was "100 Most Powerful People for the 80's." NEXT was published by publisher Carroll V. Dowden and edited by A. J. Vogl. It was a forward-looking magazine that featured articles on topics related to the future, including technology and world affairs. The publication featured articles on technology, finance, culture, and future predictions. In terms of physical condition for collectors, vintage issues are described as having good color and gloss, with tight spines and intact pages.
In the pages one found the 34 year old Manhattan developer, Donald Trump, whom the magazine reported, "Wants to be immortal."
It looks like Donald has a way to go.
- Ceased publication in September 2016 when its parent company, Multimedia Platforms, Inc., shut down. (I had never heard of it).
Emperors were leaders who thought of themselves
to be immortal, a sovereign ruler of great power and rank, especially one ruling an empire.
- Julius Caesar (reigned 49–44 BCE): While living, Caesar accepted divine honors. After his death, his adopted son Octavian had him officially recognized as a god by the Roman state, making Augustus the "son of a god".
- Caligula (reigned 37–41 CE): Caligula began referring to himself as a god and erected golden statues of himself in temples. He even replaced the heads of various statues of gods with his own. He was assassinated for his outrageous acts.
- Nero (reigned 54–68 CE): Nero, who believed he was descended from the god Apollo, pushed the idea of his own divinity. He had a giant statue of himself built in the image of the sun god and was referred to on occasion as "Nero Apollo".
- Domitian (reigned 81–96 CE): Like Caligula and Nero, the tyrannical Domitian was accused of demanding to be worshipped as a living god, using the title dominus et deus (master and god). The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Flavian dynasty. Described as "a ruthless but efficient autocrat", his authoritarian style of ruling put him at sharp odds with the Senate, whose powers he drastically curtailed. Domitian's government exhibited strong authoritarian characteristics. Religious, military, and cultural propaganda fostered a cult of personality, and by nominating himself as perpetual censor, he sought to control public and private morals.
- Donald exhibits some of Domitian's qualities to me. He has done an outstanding job in saving Israel of which I am highly grateful, don't get me wrong; but I also am a Jewish American living in Portland, Oregon, and see the many sides of his actions, and finding that Donald did mention wanting to be immortal gives me a clue as to what drives him to do the things he has done. He's already been told by Israel that his name will live on in Jewish history as the man compared to Cyrus II, the King of Persia who helped save the Jews by releasing them from Babylon and sending them back to Jerusalem, their capital and rebuild their Temple.
- Yet I watch David Muir's nightly news and watch stories of the Tariffs on goods, and on aluminum from Canada , the cost of electric cars being over $50,000 new today, and all the Federal employees being fired. Yet, and bringing in troops to curtail the crime that the Governor said was unnecessary and didn't want. Donald accepted a Jet plane gift from Qatar and will loan Argentina over a million dollars ($40 Billion) because he thinks that country is so beautiful! Isn't that the country that was a refuge to Nazis as well?
- It has occurred to me that we are in the futuristic Civil War of the mid 1800's only it isn't a war between the North and the South but of the Democrats and the Republicans. If you are a Democrat, you are likely to be losing your job. It seems to be a war of retribution, getting even for the feelings he felt from the Democrats, of which he started out to be once. He felt he had been elected fairly but they seemed to be the cause of many problems.
- Democats should have known him better. He was a TV star with his show, Donald Trump's TV program about being fired was called The Apprentice. The show featured contestants competing in business challenges, and each episode ended with Trump declaring one contestant was fired using his catchphrase, "You're fired!"Elon Musk and Trump: Mass firings: In mid-February 2025, mass firings began at various agencies, including the Department of Education, the Small Business Administration, and the IRS. The cuts initially targeted probationary employees who have fewer job protections.
- He's had our Federal employees of many "unimportant positions, according to him, by Elon Musk, I thought, who hired other young men to do the job.
- "Donald Trump appointed Elon Musk to head a new initiative called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in February 2025. As part of this effort to downsize the federal workforce, thousands of probationary federal employees were fired across multiple agencies."
- Now, as of October 2025, Donald Trump's administration has taken steps to remove thousands of federal employees, with White House budget director Russell Vought and "fed-firing mastermind" James Sherk acting as key personnel in the efforts.
- Our airports are lacking the men in them to direct air traffic, andthey are letting people know it's not safe to fly today. Our America is falling apart at this rate. No one will be employed and prices are higher than ever in the supermarkets. Donald's empire is being destroyed by the other half of his personality ! He has a good side and a bad side.
- Well now, I have to explain this, not in psychological terms but in Judaism. Our ancient fathers taught that a person's "good side and bad side" are represented by the concepts of yetzer hatov and yetzer hara. These are not external angelic or demonic forces, but rather the internal good and evil inclinations or impulses that exist within every human being.
- The yetzer hatov is a person's impulse toward good. It represents the moral, spiritual, and altruistic side of human nature. This inclination drives individuals toward holiness, righteous actions, and a deeper connection to God. In rabbinic thought, the yetzer hatov is associated with a person's conscience and rational ability to make positive, moral choices. It is often seen as being "born" later in life, particularly at the age of 13 for a boy (Bar Mitzvah), when a person becomes fully responsible for their actions. This is when the moral sense is developed enough to begin controlling the more primal urges. This is probably the age when Donald was sent off to a milit-ary academy.
- The yetzer hara is the inclination toward what is often translated as "evil," but is more accurately described as a drive toward self-interest, pleasure, and worldly desires. It is not a demonic force, but an inherent, amoral part of human nature that can lead to negative actions if left unchecked. The Talmud teaches that without the yetzer hara, society would not function. It is the drive that motivates people to build homes, marry, have children, and engage in business. The challenge is not to eliminate this impulse, but to channel it properly for a positive purpose. This ongoing struggle is the very purpose of human existence. The goal is not to destroy the yetzer hara, but to master and control it, using its powerful energy for righteous ends.
- Perhaps it's that emperors never did manage to channel their yetzer hara with the yetzer hatov properly. They certainly have remained in history as one of a kind among their population. Jews have been waiting since 1776 when an American President could step up to the plate and do what Donald has accomplished for Israel, and more is to come, G-d willing.
- Donald is achieving his immortality by Symbolic means: Achieving a lasting legacy through fame, art, or other contributions that ensure you are "immortal" in the hearts and minds of future generations.
- There wasn't a single "last emperor in the world," but rather the last rulers in different empires; Puyi was the last emperor of China (1908–1912), and Nicholas II was the last emperor of Russia (1894–1917). China's imperial system ended with the Xinhai Revolution, while Russia's monarchy ended with the February Revolution, although we have to watch Putin. He's trying for the position. Then there's always a Revolution. As of October 2025, Xi Jinping is the head of China, holding the titles of President, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CCP), and Chairman of the Central Military Commission. We might as well call him "Emperor." .
- Resouce:
- Book: Legal Gladiator, the Life of Alan Dershowitz by Solomon Schmidt, page 113.
- https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-birth-of-the-good-inclination/#:~:text=The%20rabbinic%20duality%20of%20yetzer,responsibility%20to%20engage%20in%20business.
- https://www.britshalomstatecollege.org/torah-commentaries/2016/11/30/yetzer-tov-and-yetzer-hara-working-together#:~:text=The%20suggestion%20of%20this%20Midrash,the%20top%20of%20our%20priorities.
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