I'm back! And LIVE... to discuss all the news that's coming our way. This week, we're looking abroad a bit more than usual, to the one-year anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war. President Biden is still talking tough and bringing cash... but Europe is hinting that it's time for talks. Normally I disagree with European leaders... but...
We'll also talk about the recent Canadian commission that cleared PM Justin Trudeau of any wrongdoing in using (or abusing) emergency powers to crush the truckers of the "Freedom Convoy" last year.
And we'll talk about Israel's judicial reforms -- and what they mean for the future of that country, and for judicial debates in ours.
Special guests:
Ezra Levant - founder of Canada's Rebel News Network, on Trudeau
Alan Dershowitz - Harvard Law professor emeritus, on Israel's courts
Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET, 4-7 p.m. PT
Call in: 866-957-2874
This is my first broadcast from the new office and studio in Washington, DC, where I'll be for a couple of years my neighborhood back in L.A. cleans up -- and as we follow the Trump administration from a little closer up than usual.
Topics:
And more!
Special guests:
Tune in: 7-10 p.m. ET, 4-7 p.m. PT
Call: 866-957-2874
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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