I have been working especially hard this week -- not only on my usual job at Breitbart, but also on Rhoda Kadalie's biography. I discovered a new trove of her files when my wife and I pulled our remaining boxes out of storage on Friday -- remnants of our 2019 move that we could never unpack for lack of space. (We finally had the garage redone, and closets installed. It looks and feels amazing.)
In the interim between handing in what I thought was the final draft of the book, and finding the boxes, my publisher received criticisms from a reviewer of an early draft that were quite negative and strident. Rather than getting upset, I decided to focus on the constructive criticism and improve the draft. And in the interim, I found documents that addressed the criticisms, almost exactly.
So now I am working on what will be a much better final draft, aiming to finish by the end of October. Not only am I proud of the way I handled the situation, but I am actually glad for the negative comments, because they contained some good ideas and they delayed the completion of the project long enough for me to find ways to ensure that it is a truly extraordinary tribute to Rhoda.
I should have noted in my message about the weekly Torah portion that this week is Shabbat Chazon, the Sabbath of Vision. We are about to mourn -- but see through that pain to something better that lies beyond, on the other side.
Wishing you the best vision -- and an incredible reality to follow. It happens!
We begin the final speech of Moses to the people of Israel before they enter the Promised Land. He relates the ups and downs of the years of wandering in the desert, before, finally, the people have the merit to enter the land itself.
This Sabbath always precedes Tisha B'Av, the Ninth of Av, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. It is the anniversary of the destruction of both of the Holy Temples, and a catch-all for many calamities that befell the Jewish people.
A word on Tisha B'Av. This year I am leaving for an overseas trip during the afternoon of the holiday -- in the middle of a fast day. Not idea, but there was no other choice. But my flight is in the afternoon, which is significant.
We relax some of the harsh, mournful customs of the day in the afternoon. We start to pray normally; we sit on regular chairs; we start to have hope again in the redemption that will, one day, lead us all back from exile to our home.
I'll be taking a trip to a land where an important part of ...
President Trump is in Scotland, playing golf and making big trade deals -- a major deal with the EU, in fact. Meanwhile, there is a global outcry about humanitarian aid to Palestinians (not about the Israeli hostages, mind you).
On top of that, Democrats are at their lowest polling numbers ever -- so they are trying to win control of the House by redistricting in the middle of a 10-year Census cycle. Oh, economic optimism is up, so they have a tough road.
And Tulsi Gabbard's revelations about the Russia collusion investigation make it clear that Obama's lieutenants lied to Congress. How deeply was he himself involved? The media continue to ignore the evidence, but we certainly won't.
Special guests:
Nick Gilbertson - Breitbart News White House correspondent, on EU deal
Frances Martel - Breitbart News foreign editor, on Trump abroad and Russia
John Spencer - urban warfare expert, on humanitarian aid and war in Gaza
Bradley Jaye - Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on the ...
