This week's portion continues Moses's valediction to the Israelites. He promises them that God will reward them if they obey His commandments, and reminds them of how good He was to them during years of want and desert wandering.
Crucially, Moses reminds the people not to believe that when they become wealthy, and when they defeat their enemies, that they have done so because of their own efforts alone. He tells them God is the determinant of success.
In doing so, he reminds them of how God had mercy on them after the sin of the Golden Calf; had He not been merciful, they would have been destroyed.
He also tells them that the Land of Israel is a land watered by rain -- not by the Nile, as Egypt was. The implication is that Israel requires faith, and frugality, and careful planning -- while Egypt could be lazy and still see its fields watered.
The prosperity of Israel would depend on the people's faith and their morality.
This is the seed of the idea, embraced by the Founders of the American Republic, that morality was the foundation of any successful nation -- that the best constitution would be undone by a lack of personal and civic virtue.
The additional reading, from Isaiah (49:14 - 51:3), is the second of the portions of comfort that are read between the end of Tisha B'av and the launch of the Jewish New Year. It promises that God will not long forsake His people.
This week, we are tackling two major areas of contention between the Trump administration and Democrat governors: fighting crime, and redistricting. The president is sending the National Guard to blue cities -- and blue states are trying to stamp out Republican representation. Is this a civil war situation?
Special guests:
- Bradley Jaye -- Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on redistricting
- Tom Manza, California Business and Industrial Alliance, on Gavin Newsom
- Jon Fleischman, veteran California political expert, on the special election
- Dan Backer, veteran political lawyer and consultant, on corruption
- DJ Mark Anthony, on a recent visit to Rome and visiting Pope Leo XIV
Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET / 4-7 p.m. PT
Call: 866-957-2874
This week's portion is the last of the month of Av -- also known as Menachem (Comforter) Av -- which begins in mourning and ends in celebration and anticipation of the New Year and the process of repentance and renewal.
In a similar vein, the portion features Moses offering the Israelites a choice between a blessing and a curse. They are masters of their own fates: if they obey God's commandments, they receive the blessings -- and vice versa.
The key commandment is to reject idol worship. There is said to be something magnetic about the practice of worshiping idols in the new land, such that it would be constant moral battle, both individually and collectively, in the land.
Nowadays, according to Jewish tradition, humanity has lost the urge for idol worship (and the antidote, which is divine prophecy) -- but there are several near substitutes, such as lust or excessive appetites for worldly pleasures.
We are wired for compulsive behaviors, bad habits, and even addictions. These ...
We have so much to talk about this week -- Trump's efforts to negotiate peace through negotiation, and Gavin Newsom's efforts to divide Americans through gerrymandering. We'll also talk about Playboy leaving LA and California.
Special guests:
Frances Martel - Breitbart News foreign editor, on Russia & Ukraine
Bradley Jaye - Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on Newsom
Harmeet Dhillon - DOJ Civil Rights Division chief, on the fight against DEI
Jessica Vaugn - Playboy model on political commentator, on California
Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET, 4-7 PT
Call: 866-957-2874
