He's brilliant, and a little bit batty, and I think he's a little too forthcoming with personal grievances against close relatives, but I understand his major grievance: he doesn't like being used by anybody. Not Kim, not Jared, not Trump, nobody.
At one point Kanye told Tucker that he believed Jared Kushner was arranging the Middle East peace deals solely to make money. That's a little bit dangerous -- I'm sure there are some who will say West was inching close to antisemitism.
But suppose it's true. So what? The fact that people will make money from Middle East peace is another reason to do it. It's not the main reason to do it, or at least it's not the main reason people like me care about it so deeply.
What I would say to Kanye, as a Jewish man to a Black man (capital B), is that when Israel is accepted by her Arab brothers and sisters, then my soul's days of wandering are at rest. That is what peace means to me, no matter who profits.
I think Ye was just coming from a place of irritation that complete strangers owned a piece of his ideas -- a piece of his wife, really -- and that it was only so they could make more money on the next deal. I think I get that, I really do.
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
