This week launches the third of the five books of the Torah, known in English as Leviticus. Typically, we associate this book with the arcane laws of the priesthood and holiness. But it has far greater practical relevance, even today.
The portion focuses on the substance and procedure of animal sacrifices on the Altar. But it also distinguishes between sins committed intentionally and those committed unintentionally, in terms of the kind of repentance required in each.
The problem of unintended consequences from unintended misdeeds is, Hannah Arendt wrote in The Human Condition, one of the major problems faced by civilization, and the Torah attempts to deal with it through ritual.
The portion also commands us not to forget what the evil nation of Amalek did to the Jewish people as they left Egypt, attacking the weak, young, and old from the rear. Amalek is associated with later Jewish enemies, including Haman, whose evil deeds are recounted next week in the Purim holiday, which involves publicly reading the Book of Esther (the Megillah). The additional reading tells the story of how King Saul wrongly spared the king of Amalek.
This is my first broadcast from the new office and studio in Washington, DC, where I'll be for a couple of years my neighborhood back in L.A. cleans up -- and as we follow the Trump administration from a little closer up than usual.
Topics:
- The anniversary of the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump
- The escalating tariff battle with various different trading partners
- The future of the Middle East peace talks, and ongoing antisemitism
- The Jeffrey Epstein files and whether they mean anything at all
- The continued crisis of the Texas floods, and stories of heroism and survival
And more!
Special guests:
- James Rosen - Newsmax chief Washington correspondent
- Bob Price - Breitbart News Texas reporter, on the ongoing floods
- Robert Cahill - Trafalgar Polling, on a new alliance of reliable pollsters
- Rabbi Yaakov Menken - Coalition for Jewish Values - on Israel & antisemitism
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This week’s portion tells the grand story of the prophet who tried to curse people of Israel and instead ended up blessing them.
I am reminded that these portions continue to be relevant anew, as this particular reading lent the title for Israel’s recent 12 Day War against Iran, “Operation Rising Lion.”
This week's portion includes the commandment of the red heifer -- one of the classic "irrational" commandments whose fulfillment is an expression of faith. It also includes the regrettable episode in which Moses strikes the rock.
I referred to this story in a wedding speech last night. Why was Moses punished for striking the rock in Numbers, when he struck the rock without incident in Exodus -- both for the purpose of providing water to the people?
The answer is that in the interim, the Jewish people had received the Torah, which is like the marriage contract between the people of Israel and God. In a marriage, you do not resolve things by breaking boundaries, but through love.
The additional reading, from Judges Chapter 11, is the story of Jephthah (Yiftach), a man whom the leaders spurn, but to whom they must turn to save the nation. The parallels to our present political circumstances are striking.
Shabbat Shalom and Happy Fourth of July!
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