I'm working on trying to wean my kids off screens. They're not as addicted as some kids are; they have the Jewish Sabbath every week to give them some time off from iPads and iPhones. But it's becoming a problem; they can't stop watching, once they start. And it's affecting their other summer activities.
My daughter noted that they really didn't have screens as a ubiquitous presence until the coronavirus pandemic and the "Zoom school" phenomenon. That made me wonder how many other parents are struggling with this problem schools thrust into our lives. TV shows are also made to entice kids to stay glued.
I don't want to battle my kids over this. I'm torn -- I have thought about trading in the iPads and just getting rid of them, but then the kids would miss out on some educational opportunities and would pine after friends' devices. We're trying a few different strategies. They're good kids; they need the right system.
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 ...
