I'm ok with calling out conspiracy theories, and correcting people who cling to irrational explanations for events in the real world that happened to disappoint them. I'm OK with raising sincere questions about vulnerabilities in our systems.
What I'm not OK with is the double standard that our media uses to label any Republican effort to question elections, or change election laws, a threat to democracy, while questions or challenges raised by Democrats are lauded.
Look, for example, at the latest article by Politico on voting technology being hackable -- this time, in modems that report results. Just days after the Jan. 6 committee ripped Trump for such claims in 2020, they are suddenly OK.
What's the difference? It's clear: the Democrats are on their way to a beating in a few weeks, and the media need to give them an excuse other than their failing policies and their "woke" ideology. They ruined lives over claims like this.
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/10/14/wireless-modems-could-endanger-midterms-00061769
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
