From time to time, history repeats the same mistake in different forms. Names change, eras shift, but the error stays familiar: leaders far from the battlefield try to decide what is “rational” for those living under direct threat. In doing so, they often misunderstand reality—treating a careful and calculating enemy as reasonable, while viewing a nation defending itself as extreme or aggressive.

Chazal already warn how easily judgment is distorted when it is far from reality. The Torah says, “כִּי הַשֹּׁחַד יְעַוֵּר עֵינֵי חֲכָמִים” (Devarim 16:19)—even wise people can lose clear judgment when their view is distorted. And Chazal say, “אין לדיין אלא מה שעיניו רואות” (Sanhedrin 6b).

But when real distance replaces real sight, even what is “seen” can be misunderstood.

This is not theory. It is history.

In 1938, at Munich, European leaders said “peace for our time” after making concessions to Nazi Germany. They treated Hitler as a rational leader whose demands could be........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)