In this week's portion, Moses gives the people specific instructions for what they are to do when they enter the Land of Israel. Though he will not be accompanying them, he uses the term "tavo," which literally "when you come," as if he is inviting them in, not sending them somewhere (e.g. "when you go" ).
The first priority upon entering the land -- once it is possessed and settled? Gratitude: "[Y]ou shall take of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you will bring from your land, which the Lord, your God, is giving you...". The fruit is to be brought to the priest, as a donation to the Temple, to give thanks.
Notably, the first fruits are usually not the best, plumpest, biggest fruits. But they are a sign of things to come. We are commanded to show gratitude at the first sign of potential, as the first hint of better things that are to come.
Gratitude is a powerful thing. I have been missing my grandmother, who passed away yesterday. At the same time, I am so grateful I had so much time with her -- especially recently, several months after she was given mere days to live.
On days when I feel sad, I try to remember the things for which I must be grateful -- not in comparison to someone else who is worse off than I am, but in an absolute sense. This life is a gift, and there is joy, if we know where to find it.
This week's show will be slightly different from the norm: we'll focus on clips and topics, rather than guests -- and that, hopefully, will mean more input from the callers (unless you are all watching football on opening weekend).
Topics:
- The state of the economy
- The fight against crime
- The midterm election fight
- The struggle for peace between Russia and Ukraine
- The airstrike on the Venezuelan drug cartel
- The attempt to sink Kennedy
- The war in Gaza
- The case against Harvard
- The Trump presidency
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This week's Torah portion includes several laws about conduct in civic and personal life, the common theme of which is boundaries -- setting bounds to what one may do at home, at work, and even in the battlefield.
One noteworthy passage concerns Amalek, the evil nation that attacked the Children of Israel as they made their Exodus from slavery to freedom. Deuteronomy 25:17-19 commands Jews to obliterate Amalek's memory.
The South African government accused Israel of genocide on the basis of a story about Amalek in the Book of Samuel, in which King Saul was commanded to wipe out the entire evil Amalekite nation.
Because Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quoted this week's portion -- "Remember what Amalek did to you" (25:17), the South African government claimed he was commanding soldiers to commit genocide.
It was an absurd and malevolent misreading of the Bible and of Jewish tradition. The commandment, as observed by Jews today, is to remember the evil of Amalek and fight ...
