The star of the Show Trial has been Republican Liz Cheney, whom the Democrats have used to make their principal case against Donald Trump. Media have praised her for this act of self-sacrifice, noting that she is likely to lose her seat in Congress for her trouble.
So, too, is fellow committee Republican Adam Kinzinger. But he's not being ousted by the voters. Rather, Illinois Democrats rewarded him for his service by drawing him out of his own district.
There are occasionally politicians who do the right thing at the cost of their own careers. That is not the case with Cheney. She has done the wrong thing, not by opposing Trump but by participating in a sham process, a kangaroo court.
And she is going to lose her seat because she is doing nothing about what voters actually care about. She is not holding the Biden administration accountable for its failures. She is basically using her seat to carry out a family political crusade.
She will find herself a cushy job as a lobbyist, pundit, or professor. She knows she is feathering her nest every time she attacks Trump. She is no martyr. She is the archetype of the unprincipled politician with too much power.
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
