I said in March 2020 that the right thing to do on coronavirus was take every reasonable precaution without shutting down our lives, and learning to live through the pandemic until it was behind us. The Democrats and the media, partly because of genuine fear but largely for political reasons, refused that common-sense approach. The pandemic was a unique opportunity to remove Trump through destroying the economy -- which had, until then, defied the left's "hopeful" predictions of recession -- and the social fabric. Some even insisted Trump step down or yield power to a panel of so-called experts.
A year into Biden, and the pandemic is worse than ever (in terms of cases, not deaths), and the Democrats and the media are suddenly telling us we can't go too far with restrictions; we have to learn to live with the disease; we can't destroy the economy. What changed? Well, for one thing, people are used to the danger and it's no longer quite as terrifying; but the real motivation, if I want to be cynical about it, is to protect Biden, who promised to end the pandemic. Now Democrats want us to put a brave face on it all, and move on.
It's the right approach, but it's two years, and trillions of dollars, and an unfair election, too late. We should have done this right from the very start.
This week'd portion begins the book of Numbers. Interestingly, the Hebrew name for the book is "In the Desert," not "Numbers." The portion, which happens to be my bar mitzvah portion, focuses almost as much on the names of the princes of each tribe as the number of soldiers it fielded. It also focuses on the configuration of the tribal camps around the central Tabernacle and the Levites.
So why "Numbers" instead of "Names" or "Places"? The numbers are, to be sure, a unique feature of the opening of this Biblical book -- but they are not the focus of the rest of the narrative. The Hebrew focuses on the place where the events in the book take place, because essentially this is the narrative of the Israelites' wanderings from Egypt to Israel, across 40 years. We move from the giving of the Torah and the construction of the Tabernacle in Exodus and Leviticus, to the final valediction of Moses in Deuteronomy -- Bamidbar is the story of wandering that happened in between.
The question of ...
This week's portion begins with the laws of the Sabbath and the Sabbatical year, and the Jubilee year that restores all land to its original (tribal) owners. It also explores laws of property and labor that will apply in the Land of Israel, and the laws of vows and inheritance.
The Israelites are presented -- not for the last time -- with the essential moral choice that they must face, and the rewards for choosing well, along with the consequences for choosing poorly.
We learn that doing good things will earn God's protection from enemies. That does not mean that victims of terror, God forbid, were sinful. But it does mean that we can respond to evil by committing ourselves to a higher path.
This week's portion describes the major sacrifices that are to be offered by the Jewish people, including those that are offered only by the priestly Kohen class, and physical requirements of the people (men) who serve in that role.
Inter alia, there are interesting commandments -- such as an injection to treat animals with respect and care, first, by letting a mother animal nurse her offspring for a week before being offered in any sacrifice; and second, by refraining from slaughtering an animal and its offspring on the same day.
The commandments regarding animals remind us of the purpose of those regarding human beings: to uphold a divine connection, through ritual.
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/111878/jewish/Rabbi-Isaac-Luria-The-Ari-Hakodosh.htm
