This week's portion includes one of the strangest episodes in the Bible: two sons of Aaron, Nadav and Avihu, are killed during a public sacrifice when, in their zeal, they bring their own fire to the Altar and are consumed by God's fire.
In the midst of what must have been extreme shock and anguish, Moses tells Aaron, essentially, that the show must go on. He also reframes the loss as an expression of love: God took Aaron's sons because they wanted to be near Him.
When we studied this example in religious school, we were also told that the severe punishment Aaron's suns suffered was part of the price of leadership: those in positions of power must be judged more harshly to set an example.
The portion also includes some more laws of kashrut, or the ritual purity of eating. The Torah presents a list of non-kosher birds. Tradition holds that each has some character trait that makes it unfit for human consumption.
The crane, or "chasidah," for example, is a kind bird; its very name in Hebrew derives from the word "chesed," or kindness. There is one problem: the crane is kind to other cranes, but it is not kind to anything else. Hence it is flawed.
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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