This week's reading deals with the construction of the Tabernacle: the additional reading from the Book of Kings deals with the construction of the Temple. One of the fascinating things about the Tabernacle is that people were invited to donate -- and asked to donate whatever they could. In contrast, for a later collection, people would be asked to donate exactly half a shekel each -- no more, no less, regardless of wealth.
These two kinds of donations reflect two principles of a free society. The first emphasizes the importance of allowing people to achieve their full potential, regardless of inequality. We are all unequal in our talents; we may also be unequal in our efforts, and hence there will always be inequality of results. We all benefit from that inequality; our society is enriched by the pursuit of excellence, including material wealth.
The second donation would emphasize the total equality of individual human beings in the eyes of the law: rich or poor, at the core we all have equal dignity.
We need both principles to have a free, secure, and cohesive society.
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 ...
