This week's portion includes the most emotionally poignant moment of the entire Bible (in my view): the reunion of Joseph and his brothers, a moment so intense that Joseph has to banish his courtiers because he cannot restrain his emotions. It is the climactic moment of the greatest story ever told.
Notably, this moment comes about because Judah, the leader of the brothers, shows that they have repented for selling Joseph into slavery -- at Judah's own suggestion -- 22 years before by pleading that he himself be taken as a slave in place of Benjamin, who is also Joseph's fully biological brother.
There is a lovely commentary on the story that notes that Jacob was convinced to believe Joseph was still alive when he saw the wagons that had been sent from Egypt to collect him. In Hebrew, the word for "wagon" and "calf" are similar. The wagons were an allusion to a Jewish law about a calf sacrifice.
This sacrifice was done as an atonement for the community when a dead body was discovered but no killer or cause could be identified. The community itself would hold itself liable for failing to protect the individual. In that sense, though Joseph was not, in fact, dead, it was relevant to the story of his disappearance.
According to the Sages, the law of the "eglah arufah" was the last piece of Torah that Jacob and Joseph had studied together before the latter was sold into slavery (the commentators believe that the Torah was studied by the Patriarchs before it was given at Sinai). Hence Jacob was convinced his son was alive.
This week, we are tackling two major areas of contention between the Trump administration and Democrat governors: fighting crime, and redistricting. The president is sending the National Guard to blue cities -- and blue states are trying to stamp out Republican representation. Is this a civil war situation?
Special guests:
- Bradley Jaye -- Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on redistricting
- Tom Manza, California Business and Industrial Alliance, on Gavin Newsom
- Jon Fleischman, veteran California political expert, on the special election
- Dan Backer, veteran political lawyer and consultant, on corruption
- DJ Mark Anthony, on a recent visit to Rome and visiting Pope Leo XIV
Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET / 4-7 p.m. PT
Call: 866-957-2874
This week's portion is the last of the month of Av -- also known as Menachem (Comforter) Av -- which begins in mourning and ends in celebration and anticipation of the New Year and the process of repentance and renewal.
In a similar vein, the portion features Moses offering the Israelites a choice between a blessing and a curse. They are masters of their own fates: if they obey God's commandments, they receive the blessings -- and vice versa.
The key commandment is to reject idol worship. There is said to be something magnetic about the practice of worshiping idols in the new land, such that it would be constant moral battle, both individually and collectively, in the land.
Nowadays, according to Jewish tradition, humanity has lost the urge for idol worship (and the antidote, which is divine prophecy) -- but there are several near substitutes, such as lust or excessive appetites for worldly pleasures.
We are wired for compulsive behaviors, bad habits, and even addictions. These ...
We have so much to talk about this week -- Trump's efforts to negotiate peace through negotiation, and Gavin Newsom's efforts to divide Americans through gerrymandering. We'll also talk about Playboy leaving LA and California.
Special guests:
Frances Martel - Breitbart News foreign editor, on Russia & Ukraine
Bradley Jaye - Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on Newsom
Harmeet Dhillon - DOJ Civil Rights Division chief, on the fight against DEI
Jessica Vaugn - Playboy model on political commentator, on California
Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET, 4-7 PT
Call: 866-957-2874
