This week's portion tells the story of Jacob's flight from his brother, Esau, as he seeks refuge with his mother's family. He meets his future wife (wives) and he establishes the basis for his own fortune before breaking with his father-in-law.
This portion has always been special to me, for three reasons. First, it is my father's bar mitzvah portion. Second, it has one of the most romantic meetings in the Bible. And third, the journey of the main character is quite compelling.
Jacob does something none of the Fathers (or Mothers) do: he embarks on a solo journey. (Even Abraham, when leaving his native land and father's home, brings his wife and family along with him.) This is a true journey of faith.
Accordingly, it is not just a journey of discovery, but also of self-discovery. Hence the dream of the ladder: Jacob finds, in his solitude, who he is meant to be. And when he returns, he will make the final crossing alone -- again.
This week's show will be slightly different from the norm: we'll focus on clips and topics, rather than guests -- and that, hopefully, will mean more input from the callers (unless you are all watching football on opening weekend).
Topics:
- The state of the economy
- The fight against crime
- The midterm election fight
- The struggle for peace between Russia and Ukraine
- The airstrike on the Venezuelan drug cartel
- The attempt to sink Kennedy
- The war in Gaza
- The case against Harvard
- The Trump presidency
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Call: 866-957-2874
This week's Torah portion includes several laws about conduct in civic and personal life, the common theme of which is boundaries -- setting bounds to what one may do at home, at work, and even in the battlefield.
One noteworthy passage concerns Amalek, the evil nation that attacked the Children of Israel as they made their Exodus from slavery to freedom. Deuteronomy 25:17-19 commands Jews to obliterate Amalek's memory.
The South African government accused Israel of genocide on the basis of a story about Amalek in the Book of Samuel, in which King Saul was commanded to wipe out the entire evil Amalekite nation.
Because Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quoted this week's portion -- "Remember what Amalek did to you" (25:17), the South African government claimed he was commanding soldiers to commit genocide.
It was an absurd and malevolent misreading of the Bible and of Jewish tradition. The commandment, as observed by Jews today, is to remember the evil of Amalek and fight ...
