This week, we begin looking ahead to the midterms in a serious way. Are Republicans blowing it? The Senate is looking bad, and even the big House win that the GOP expected seems to be fading -- if polls are to be believed.
On the other hand, Republican voters are energized by the Mar-a-Lago raid fiasco. This coming week, the DOJ will have to figure out which parts of the affidavit it wants to redact -- and the public may learn some of what was in it.
We'll talk about the future of CNN, after the sacking of Brian Stelter and the cancelation of Reliable Sources, one of the most ironic names for any show on television. Plus we'll consider the media's portrayal of Liz Cheney as a heroine.
We'll chat with Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) about the so-called "Inflation Reduction Act," and its consequences. We'll also talk about the upcoming NFL season, and whether the league can be rescued from its wokeness -- or the latest scandal over Deshaun Watson. And with kids going back to school, we'll discuss a proposal by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to use retired police to fill in the gaps.
Guests:
Mark Mitchell -- of Rasmussen polling, on the upcoming midterm elections
Dylan Gwinn -- sports editor of Breitbart News, on the NFL season
Tim Graham -- of Media Research Center, on CNN and Liz Cheney
Michael Letts -- of InVest USA, to discuss retired police as teachers
Rep. Jim Banks (R-OH) -- on the "Inflation Reduction Act" and the economy
Tune in: SiriusXM 125, 7-10 p.m. ET, 4-7 p.m. PT
This week'd portion begins the book of Numbers. Interestingly, the Hebrew name for the book is "In the Desert," not "Numbers." The portion, which happens to be my bar mitzvah portion, focuses almost as much on the names of the princes of each tribe as the number of soldiers it fielded. It also focuses on the configuration of the tribal camps around the central Tabernacle and the Levites.
So why "Numbers" instead of "Names" or "Places"? The numbers are, to be sure, a unique feature of the opening of this Biblical book -- but they are not the focus of the rest of the narrative. The Hebrew focuses on the place where the events in the book take place, because essentially this is the narrative of the Israelites' wanderings from Egypt to Israel, across 40 years. We move from the giving of the Torah and the construction of the Tabernacle in Exodus and Leviticus, to the final valediction of Moses in Deuteronomy -- Bamidbar is the story of wandering that happened in between.
The question of ...
This week's portion begins with the laws of the Sabbath and the Sabbatical year, and the Jubilee year that restores all land to its original (tribal) owners. It also explores laws of property and labor that will apply in the Land of Israel, and the laws of vows and inheritance.
The Israelites are presented -- not for the last time -- with the essential moral choice that they must face, and the rewards for choosing well, along with the consequences for choosing poorly.
We learn that doing good things will earn God's protection from enemies. That does not mean that victims of terror, God forbid, were sinful. But it does mean that we can respond to evil by committing ourselves to a higher path.
This week's portion describes the major sacrifices that are to be offered by the Jewish people, including those that are offered only by the priestly Kohen class, and physical requirements of the people (men) who serve in that role.
Inter alia, there are interesting commandments -- such as an injection to treat animals with respect and care, first, by letting a mother animal nurse her offspring for a week before being offered in any sacrifice; and second, by refraining from slaughtering an animal and its offspring on the same day.
The commandments regarding animals remind us of the purpose of those regarding human beings: to uphold a divine connection, through ritual.
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/111878/jewish/Rabbi-Isaac-Luria-The-Ari-Hakodosh.htm
