Today's exchange between President Joe Biden and the increasingly impressive Peter Doocy of Fox News was alarming because Biden appeared not to recall his own nearly disastrous gaffes in Europe -- about the U.S. potentially using chemical weapons in response to Russia's potential use of the same, about U.S. troops going to Ukraine, and about a supposed goal of regime change in Russia. Each of these could launch a World War III-type conflict, and yet Biden said they never happened. Well, that's not all he said: he also said he never walked back the regime change comment (in fact, he did), then he reiterated it, but said it was only a statement of "moral outrage" and not meant as a new policy.
Get that?
Anti-Trump pundits like Bill Kristol were at pains to compare Biden's Warsaw speech, at which the regime change comments were made, to Ronald Reagan's "tear down this wall" speech in Berlin. But Reagan did not ad lib the comments, nor did he walk them back. A better parallel would have been Reagan's 1984 joke, when he was warming up for a radio interview and said: "My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes."
He had to walk that one back once it leaked, for obvious reasons. But at least Reagan knew he was joking, even if the Russians couldn't or didn't.
So the question is: can we afford to have a president in office who can't recall what he said, and contradicts himself even as he's trying to correct the record, when the consequences of those public words could have major consequences?
Let's play that old game: what if Trump did it? You already know the answer.
This is the portion that all journalists should love: the Torah tells the story of the 12 spies, only two of whom tell the truth when the other ten shade it in a negative away (perhaps to suit a political agenda that is opposed to Moses).
It's not that the ten "lying" spies misconstrue the facts about the Land of Israel; rather, they interject their opinions that the land is impossible to conquer, which strikes unnecessary terror into the hearts of the people.
We have many examples of such fake news today -- from the Iranian propaganda outlets spreading false claims that they are winning the war, to California politicians spreading false horror stories about ICE raids in L.A.
The people realize, too late, that they have been fooled, and once they are condemned to die in the desert, they try to rush into Israel -- only to be defeated by the inhabitants, as the spies predicted that they would be.
But as consolation, God gives the people new commandments -- focused on things they must ...
This week's portion discusses the procedure for lighting the menorah, the holy seven-branched lamp, in the Tabernacle (and later the Temple). It also describes an episode where the people crave meat, and God punishes them by giving it to them in excess. We also read the story of Miriam, Moses's sister, who is punished with the spiritual skin blemish of tzara'at for speaking about her brother, thus violating the prohibition against lashon hara (evil tongue).
I heard a fantastic sermon this week about the lighting of the menorah: that while only the priests were qualified to clean and purify the menorah, anyone could light it. A reminder that each of us can inspire others along the way.
This week we study the vow of the Nazirite; a reminder that sometimes trying to be too holy is excessive, and the best we can do is to be the best that we are.
https://www.chabad.org/parshah/torahreading_cdo/aid/2495720/p/complete/jewish/Naso-Torah-Reading.htm
