This week's portion focuses on the artistry of the Tabernacle, where the Ark of the Lord was to be kept, and which would be the central focus of prayer. The work of the chief artisan, Bezalel -- for whom a famous art academy in Jerusalem is named -- is described in detail, as is the final dedication of the Tabernacle, the culmination of several chapters of detailed descriptions.
The additional reading, from the Book of Kings, relates the parallel story of the dedication of the Holy Temple by King Solomon. The Tabernacle was temporary; the Temple was the permanent dwelling for the Lord among the people. These were two major peaks of Jewish history. And yet the story continued. the Bible does not end on these happy notes, as it could have done.
We know what happens, eventually: the Temple is destroyed and the people are gathered. And though they return, and the Second Temple is built, that, too, is destroyed, and the people are exiled once again. Today, we live in an era where Jews have a State of Israel, a spiritual homeland that some see as the sign of further fulfillment to come. We can't know; but we can help it thrive.
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 ...
