This week's Torah portion tells the story of the failed rebellion of Korach, who led followers against Moses and Aaron after the people were turned away from the Promised Land. The rebellion's timing is instructive: leaders are at their weakest when they fail. But challenges also offer an opportunity to reassert authority and to make the necessary changes to lead more effectively in future.
This weekend, many Jews will also mark the 28th anniversary of the passing of the 7th Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menchaem Mendel Schneerson ("may his righteous memory be a blessing," as the honorific goes). His incredible leadership was the opposite of Korach. Instead of seeking the leadership position, he turned it away for a year, instead of seeking power for himself, he sought to uplift others.
I'm spending a second Shabbat in South Africa -- my last on this trip, and I'll be in Johannesburg. This country is still wonderful, but troubled by decades of poor leadership (following the exemplary leadership of the early 1990s). Likewise, in the U.S., we lack leadership -- and not just in the White House. There is much to study in this week's portion, and to learn from the Rebbe's example.
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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