This week, we read the story of the twelve spies that were sent by Moses to scout out the Land of Israel. Ten of them brought back an evil report, saying that while the land was good, the Israelites would never manage to conquer it. Two brought back a good report, saying that while there were challenges, the Israelites would manage to prevail, with God fighting on their side. The majority prevailed; the Israelites lost heart, and spent 40 years wandering thereafter.
This weekend, my family and I are in Cape Town, South Africa, to observe the memorial for my mother-in-law, Rhoda Kadalie. She was many things -- a scholar in anthropology, a social development expert, and a political activist. She was best known, however, as a writer. In her columns, she spared no one -- always telling the truth. She was deeply critical of the government, but was also optimistic -- and in her "day job," was actually helping it achieve its goals.
Rhoda was like the two "good" spies, Joshua and Caleb. She would tell the truth, regardless of the consequences. And she believed that most problems could be overcome with the right leadership. She was never afraid to be in the minority. That is the lesson of this week's portion: that while the majority may seem like a safer option, it is the worst option when the majority is wrong. Rhoda's example continues to inspire me, and I am looking forward to sharing it with the world.
This week's show will be slightly different from the norm: we'll focus on clips and topics, rather than guests -- and that, hopefully, will mean more input from the callers (unless you are all watching football on opening weekend).
Topics:
- The state of the economy
- The fight against crime
- The midterm election fight
- The struggle for peace between Russia and Ukraine
- The airstrike on the Venezuelan drug cartel
- The attempt to sink Kennedy
- The war in Gaza
- The case against Harvard
- The Trump presidency
Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET / 4-7 p.m. PT
Call: 866-957-2874
This week's Torah portion includes several laws about conduct in civic and personal life, the common theme of which is boundaries -- setting bounds to what one may do at home, at work, and even in the battlefield.
One noteworthy passage concerns Amalek, the evil nation that attacked the Children of Israel as they made their Exodus from slavery to freedom. Deuteronomy 25:17-19 commands Jews to obliterate Amalek's memory.
The South African government accused Israel of genocide on the basis of a story about Amalek in the Book of Samuel, in which King Saul was commanded to wipe out the entire evil Amalekite nation.
Because Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quoted this week's portion -- "Remember what Amalek did to you" (25:17), the South African government claimed he was commanding soldiers to commit genocide.
It was an absurd and malevolent misreading of the Bible and of Jewish tradition. The commandment, as observed by Jews today, is to remember the evil of Amalek and fight ...
