So... Kanye West went "full Nazi" today, telling Alex Jones that he sees himself as a Nazi, admires Hitler, hates the Jews who control everything, and so on...
All right, so Ye has destroyed his own career. He would have trouble getting hired to take out the trash at the local morgue. Does it have a broader effect?
On the one hand: no. Americans are the least antisemitic people in the world and most people will recognize his lunacy for the self-destructive mania it is.
On the other hand: I am seeing a surprising amount of support for Ye on social media for people who might otherwise simply be Christians and nationalists.
The one point Ye made during his lengthy interview that might stick, because the left has already been pushing it , is that Christians cannot also be Zionists.
We'll see how this ends. Probably not well. Hopefully without any real wide resonance for Ye and his contemptible views. What a colossal loser.
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This week’s portion tells the grand story of the prophet who tried to curse people of Israel and instead ended up blessing them.
I am reminded that these portions continue to be relevant anew, as this particular reading lent the title for Israel’s recent 12 Day War against Iran, “Operation Rising Lion.”
This week's portion includes the commandment of the red heifer -- one of the classic "irrational" commandments whose fulfillment is an expression of faith. It also includes the regrettable episode in which Moses strikes the rock.
I referred to this story in a wedding speech last night. Why was Moses punished for striking the rock in Numbers, when he struck the rock without incident in Exodus -- both for the purpose of providing water to the people?
The answer is that in the interim, the Jewish people had received the Torah, which is like the marriage contract between the people of Israel and God. In a marriage, you do not resolve things by breaking boundaries, but through love.
The additional reading, from Judges Chapter 11, is the story of Jephthah (Yiftach), a man whom the leaders spurn, but to whom they must turn to save the nation. The parallels to our present political circumstances are striking.
Shabbat Shalom and Happy Fourth of July!
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