Who was Rhoda Kadalie? Anti-apartheid activist, feminist within the anti-apartheid movement, human rights commissioner, social development leader, opinion columnist
What made her unique? Rhoda was one of the few people within the anti-apartheid movement and the ANC who was willing to speak out against the ruling party’s abuses.
What changed her? Rhoda was changed by the experience of being targeted by the ANC abroad, by her experiences within government, and by Thabo Mbeki’s centralized style.
What was the nature of the change? Rhoda went from being a revolutionary who wanted to undo the entire order, to being a conservative who wanted to defend what was fundamental.
What are some specific examples? Rhoda supported, then opposed, affirmative action; she backed abortion, but not late-term abortion; she was a socialist, then a liberal (without labels)
What made her controversial? Rhoda called out her friends; she stood up for the opposition when it was called racist; she defended Israel; she predicted Donald Trump would win in 2016.
What didn’t people understand? That through all of her changes, she remained committed to freedom — and that she had an underlying sense of Christian faith in a moral universe.
What was her impact? She inspired many women to take charge of their lives, she inspired others to speak out, and she also is remembered in a scholarship at Hillsdale College.
What is her core principle? Rhoda believed in democratic pluralism — that citizens must have choice to hold leaders accountable, and they must seek both vigorous debate and tolerance.
How can we emulate her example? Rhoda did not just criticize; she also did. So do something. And cultivate friends who may have a different political outlook, as Rhoda did.
Buy the biography: https://rhodakadalie.com
This week'd portion begins the book of Numbers. Interestingly, the Hebrew name for the book is "In the Desert," not "Numbers." The portion, which happens to be my bar mitzvah portion, focuses almost as much on the names of the princes of each tribe as the number of soldiers it fielded. It also focuses on the configuration of the tribal camps around the central Tabernacle and the Levites.
So why "Numbers" instead of "Names" or "Places"? The numbers are, to be sure, a unique feature of the opening of this Biblical book -- but they are not the focus of the rest of the narrative. The Hebrew focuses on the place where the events in the book take place, because essentially this is the narrative of the Israelites' wanderings from Egypt to Israel, across 40 years. We move from the giving of the Torah and the construction of the Tabernacle in Exodus and Leviticus, to the final valediction of Moses in Deuteronomy -- Bamidbar is the story of wandering that happened in between.
The question of ...
This week's portion begins with the laws of the Sabbath and the Sabbatical year, and the Jubilee year that restores all land to its original (tribal) owners. It also explores laws of property and labor that will apply in the Land of Israel, and the laws of vows and inheritance.
The Israelites are presented -- not for the last time -- with the essential moral choice that they must face, and the rewards for choosing well, along with the consequences for choosing poorly.
We learn that doing good things will earn God's protection from enemies. That does not mean that victims of terror, God forbid, were sinful. But it does mean that we can respond to evil by committing ourselves to a higher path.
This week's portion describes the major sacrifices that are to be offered by the Jewish people, including those that are offered only by the priestly Kohen class, and physical requirements of the people (men) who serve in that role.
Inter alia, there are interesting commandments -- such as an injection to treat animals with respect and care, first, by letting a mother animal nurse her offspring for a week before being offered in any sacrifice; and second, by refraining from slaughtering an animal and its offspring on the same day.
The commandments regarding animals remind us of the purpose of those regarding human beings: to uphold a divine connection, through ritual.
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/111878/jewish/Rabbi-Isaac-Luria-The-Ari-Hakodosh.htm
