I was briefly in New York on Thursday to attend the wedding of a good friend at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, the international headquarters of the Chabad Lubavitch movement and the home of the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous and blessed memory.
It was my second wedding at 770, which is a popular site for religious weddings, given the auspicious nature of the location. It also rained at the last wedding I attended at 770... which I take as a sign of good luck, but may be a hint that you should not invite me to your wedding if you're planning on holding it outdoors.
It's a special place, in a special community; it has changed the lives of millions of people, and of nations... and yet it's quite humble, in an ordinary neighborhood of ordinary people, with ordinary struggles, and an extraordinary tradition that somehow connects them to things that transcend, and anchor, and endure.
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?
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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