On the one hand, it's no secret that Israel would support a two-state solution -- with some kicking and screaming -- if the Palestinians would ever really accept one. On the other, Lapid is making a terrible mistake in an unfriendly forum.
That's right -- Israeli PM Yair Lapid told the UN, which is hostile to Israel, and where the Palestinians have been trying for decades to declare their "statehood" as an end-around to negotiations -- that Israel accepts a Palestinian state.
This jibes with Joe Biden's nonsensical claim yesterday that Palestinians are "entitled" to a state. No, they are not: they, like everyone else, have to build a state and agree to the basic rules of living in peace with their neighbors.
Perhaps Lapid made his announcement as part of some concession to the Biden administration -- perhaps to get Biden to back off the Iran deal, or to relieve some other form of pressure. If so, I doubt that deal will hold for very long.
The major criticism of Lapid's move comes from within Israel: that he is just an interim PM leading a collapsed government on the way to elections in November, and has no authority to offer such a momentous compromise.
The joke's on the little right-wing parties and politicians who, for reasons of personal ambition or narrow ideology, refused to allow Netanyahu to govern. Don't complain: you got what you should have known you were going to get.
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
