Julius Malema, the anti-white demagogue who leads the communist Economic Freedom Fighters party in South Africa, has come out in favor of Russia in the ongoing war with Ukraine. In the distant past, radical African nationalists used to let squabbling Europeans sort out their own mess, but Malema has decided to wade into the conflict on the side of the aggressor. I guess he finally found some white people he likes, and all they had to do was kill other white people.
This is an important marker for the future, because Malema has a political future in South Africa. He is charismatic and smart, and attempts to relegate him to the political margins have largely failed or backfired. There is a real chance that his party becomes part of the government of South Africa if the ruling ANC falls below 50% in the 2024 election, and needs a coalition partner other than the minority-led, centrist, liberal Democratic Alliance (DA).
There is one other point that makes Malema's stance relevant to Americans: he justifies his visit with the Russian ambassador by citing "neo-Nazi" propaganda in the pro-Ukraine camp. There is no doubt that there is a neo-Nazi presence in the Ukrainian military; there is also no doubt that some reports from Ukraine have been propaganda. But those who are inclined to dismiss the Ukrainian cause in its entirety as a result should also know with whom they are siding.
https://twitter.com/Julius_S_Malema/status/1504092125193019393
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
