This week's portion focuses on the laws of ritual purification for a person -- or an object -- that is stricken with an ailment called "tzara'at." Commonly translated as "leprosy," this is really a different kind of disfigurement -- one that denotes spiritual uncleanness, not viral, bacterial, or fungal infection. The portion also includes the laws for purification for other reasons, such as a woman's normal menstrual cycle. This remains a part of religious life today. (The menstrual cycle does not include tzaraa't; it is not the same kind of problem, though some of the rituals are the same for renewing one's spiritual status.)
Those with tzara'at are generally disqualified from doing many things in society until they can be purified again. That is why the additional reading, from the book of King (Kings II 7:3-20), is so remarkable. IT tells the story of four lepers who had been banished from the city of Samaria, and then saved it from an Aramean siege by inadvertently frightening off the enemy soldiers' camp.
The lesson: there is spiritual potential in each of us to do great good, even when we are down and out, even when we might be responsible for our own isolation. Deeply flawed though we may be, we can still achieve miracles for our society.
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
Tune in: 7-10 p.m. ET, 4-7 p.m. PT
Call: 866-957-2874
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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