This week's portion continues a discussion of the collection of public money for the building of the Tabernacle. But beyond the half shekel that each member of the community contributes as a census, there is also the opportunity to contribute voluntarily -- and without limit.
The portion describes the instructions for building the Ark of the Covenant and other holy items used for worship. Everything was carefully designed, planned, and created,, including the curtains around the Tabernacle that divided sacred from mundane.
The additional reading, which includes Kings I 5:26 - 6:13, describes the building of the Temple itself in the time of Solomon. The reading ends with God's admonition that he will dwell in the Temple just as long as the people keep all of the commandments (Kings I 6:12).
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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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 ...
