Today, the 3rd day of the Jewish News Year 5783, is a "minor" (dawn to dusk) fast known as the fast of Gedaliah. It pours the assassination -- by Jews -- of the Babylonian-appointed Jewish governor of the conquered territory of Judea. He was a puppet ruler, but he was also the last of the Davidic line of kings.
The rabbis instituted the 3rd of Tishrei as a fast day in mourning for the groundless hatred that led to the assassination. It is still a relevant lesson.
We are living through a time in which leaders, though democratically elected, are seen as illegitimate, even as threats to the nation. Their enemies will stop at nothing to destroy them. It is a time of disconnect and growing instability.
The fast is a difficult yet timely one. Conveniently, it also allows the penitent to starve off some of the calories of the two-day Rosh Hashanah holiday, and to warm up for the major fast of Yom Kippur -- sunset to nightfall -- next week.
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 ...
