I'm watching President Biden's speech at the United Nations. Right now he's supposedly "defending democracy," which is his way of reciting Democratic Party talking points against his domestic opposition. But I'm more interested in his remarks about Russia, which are strident but don't seem open to diplomacy.
This is the United Nations -- the very forum in which nations were meant to work out their differences so that conflict could be avoided. Biden is saying a lot of good things about the need to deter aggression, to protect smaller nations, and so on, but he's not using the forum to call for talks to stop war in Ukraine.
Not only is this the right place, but it would also be the right time. Ukraine has regained leverage with a successful counteroffensive in the Donbas, and Russia is about to escalate the conflict with a mobilization of its civilian population in the war effort. Now is the time to talk: it is an urgent yet advantageous point.
Yet I hear nothing about talks from Biden: "It's Russia's war, and only Russia can end it." So the U.S. policy is not, as Biden declared when he took office that "diplomacy is back," but rather to isolate, punish, and threaten Russia in the hope it will give up, or that there will be internal political change. Is that wise?
This is the portion that all journalists should love: the Torah tells the story of the 12 spies, only two of whom tell the truth when the other ten shade it in a negative away (perhaps to suit a political agenda that is opposed to Moses).
It's not that the ten "lying" spies misconstrue the facts about the Land of Israel; rather, they interject their opinions that the land is impossible to conquer, which strikes unnecessary terror into the hearts of the people.
We have many examples of such fake news today -- from the Iranian propaganda outlets spreading false claims that they are winning the war, to California politicians spreading false horror stories about ICE raids in L.A.
The people realize, too late, that they have been fooled, and once they are condemned to die in the desert, they try to rush into Israel -- only to be defeated by the inhabitants, as the spies predicted that they would be.
But as consolation, God gives the people new commandments -- focused on things they must ...
This week's portion discusses the procedure for lighting the menorah, the holy seven-branched lamp, in the Tabernacle (and later the Temple). It also describes an episode where the people crave meat, and God punishes them by giving it to them in excess. We also read the story of Miriam, Moses's sister, who is punished with the spiritual skin blemish of tzara'at for speaking about her brother, thus violating the prohibition against lashon hara (evil tongue).
I heard a fantastic sermon this week about the lighting of the menorah: that while only the priests were qualified to clean and purify the menorah, anyone could light it. A reminder that each of us can inspire others along the way.
This week we study the vow of the Nazirite; a reminder that sometimes trying to be too holy is excessive, and the best we can do is to be the best that we are.
https://www.chabad.org/parshah/torahreading_cdo/aid/2495720/p/complete/jewish/Naso-Torah-Reading.htm
