This week's portion begins with the story of the heroic Pinchas, who stopped a plague by killing a prince and a foreign woman who were openly fornicating in public. This is a disturbing episode, one that has always troubled me, because it appears to shroud sex, and love across boundaries, in shame. However, the real reason Pinchas was justified was that the couple was flaunting their private sex to mock those with different moral standards. Keep private things private.
The portion also outlines the division of the Land of Israel among the tribes, and the sacrifices to be brought on each holiday. It concludes with the story of the daughters of Zelafchad, who successfully argue for their own portion in Israel.
The latter is one of the most interesting -- and most "feminist" -- episodes in the Bible, one in which women collectively raise their voices to express a grievance -- and in which they are listened to, vindicated, and redeemed.
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 ...
