This week's Torah portion is about the details of the priestly offerings, and the process of anointing Aaron, Moses's brother, as the High Priest.
I will admit that this stuff is not my favorite part of the Bible. I like the stories and the characters; I find the poetry of the prophets beautiful, but dense; and I find the details of the sacrifices in Leviticus rather dry. (I'm not alone in that.)
But there is a very interesting and enduring principle in this week's portion. Moses was the holiest person in the nation, and no human being, before or since, had such a close relationship with God. Yet he delegates the role of High Priest to his brother -- who had no direct relationship with God, and also had recently participated, indirectly at least, in the sin of the Golden Calf.
There is a lesson here about the separation of "church" and state -- and also about the need to trust other people with responsibilities. Delegating is one of the hardest things to do, but no successful leader can do everything alone.
https://www.chabad.org/parshah/torahreading.asp?aid=2492715&p=complete&jewish=Tzav-Torah-Reading.htm
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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