This week, the Jewish holiday of Sukkot changes the traditional reading. Instead of the final portion of the Torah, Ve'Zot Ha'Brachah -- which we read a couple days later, on the holiday of Simchat Torah, before starting over with Genesis -- we read a special portion from Exodus for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
The portion revisits the reconciliation between God and the Jewish people, when Moses begs Him to forgive them for the sin of the Golden Calf.
As with many reconciliations, the end result is that the two sides are even closer than they were before. In addition to revealing his presence to Moses, God gives the Jewish people the three yearly pilgrimage festivals, including Sukkot.
I was reflecting this morning on how special this holiday is, as I performed my morning prayers outside, in my family's sukkah (temporary dwelling). On this holiday alone, we not only have special rituals; we create our own sacred space.
That's unique, in terms of Jewish practice. Normally one does not pray alone; it is preferable to pray with a quorum, or minyan, of ten men in a synagogue. In Biblical times, people were discouraged from having personal altars at home.
And yet, on Sukkot, while we still are supposed to pray with the community, we are also commanded to create our own little sacred space. It is temporary, and fragile, but it is also very real -- bringing holiness into our home, and vice versa.
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 ...
