Tonight marks the beginning of Yom Kippur, the day of Atonement.
As in past years, I have tried to reach out to people privately with whom I have had painful disagreements or whom I may have wronged in some way. Not everyone reaches back, but some do, and we mend things and move on.
There's also a lot of soul-searching that goes on. I've done a lot of work on myself (if I can say that without sounding too narcissistic) during the pandemic, and I think the last year was one of growth. But there are still things to tackle.
Some days are very, very tough. I share a lot on social media, but not that. I wrestle with questions and feelings that I can't really talk about (and which you probably don't want to hear about). But if you're struggling, you're not alone.
The traditional greetings for Yom Kippur are "G'mar chatimah tovah," which means "May you be inscribed for a completely good signature [in the Book of Life, in which every creature's fate is said to be recorded]; and "Well over the fast," because of the 25-hour fast that lasts through tomorrow at nightfall.
I'm grateful for the year that's been. I'm hoping for the strength for the next.
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
Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET / 4-7 p.m. PT
Call: 866-957-2874
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 ...
