This week's reading covers the various implements and practices of the priesthood, which is handed down from Aaron to his sons and their descendants (the Cohanim), who still bless Jews today.
There is an extra reading that is linked to the upcoming Jewish holiday of Purim -- a selection from Deuteronomy that exhorts the people to remember the evil done by the nation of Amalek.
The connection to Purim is that Haman, the villain of the Book of Esther who tried to destroy the Jewish people, is thought to be a descendant of Amalek -- whom King Saul declined to eliminate.
The additional reading from the Prophets comes from I Samuel 15:1-34, and recalls the sin committed by Saul when he declined to execute the king of Amalek, perhaps showing mercy as a fellow royal.
On this Sabbath -- the Sabbath preceding Purim -- we are always commanded both to remember Amalek and to remove Amalek from memory. This seemingly contradictory command is hard to reconcile.
As with the Nazis -- who had to be destroyed, even as we remember them in Holocaust museums -- the story of Amalek is a story about the persistence of evil even in a word created by a God who is Good.
I should have noted in my message about the weekly Torah portion that this week is Shabbat Chazon, the Sabbath of Vision. We are about to mourn -- but see through that pain to something better that lies beyond, on the other side.
Wishing you the best vision -- and an incredible reality to follow. It happens!
We begin the final speech of Moses to the people of Israel before they enter the Promised Land. He relates the ups and downs of the years of wandering in the desert, before, finally, the people have the merit to enter the land itself.
This Sabbath always precedes Tisha B'Av, the Ninth of Av, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. It is the anniversary of the destruction of both of the Holy Temples, and a catch-all for many calamities that befell the Jewish people.
A word on Tisha B'Av. This year I am leaving for an overseas trip during the afternoon of the holiday -- in the middle of a fast day. Not idea, but there was no other choice. But my flight is in the afternoon, which is significant.
We relax some of the harsh, mournful customs of the day in the afternoon. We start to pray normally; we sit on regular chairs; we start to have hope again in the redemption that will, one day, lead us all back from exile to our home.
I'll be taking a trip to a land where an important part of ...
President Trump is in Scotland, playing golf and making big trade deals -- a major deal with the EU, in fact. Meanwhile, there is a global outcry about humanitarian aid to Palestinians (not about the Israeli hostages, mind you).
On top of that, Democrats are at their lowest polling numbers ever -- so they are trying to win control of the House by redistricting in the middle of a 10-year Census cycle. Oh, economic optimism is up, so they have a tough road.
And Tulsi Gabbard's revelations about the Russia collusion investigation make it clear that Obama's lieutenants lied to Congress. How deeply was he himself involved? The media continue to ignore the evidence, but we certainly won't.
Special guests:
Nick Gilbertson - Breitbart News White House correspondent, on EU deal
Frances Martel - Breitbart News foreign editor, on Trump abroad and Russia
John Spencer - urban warfare expert, on humanitarian aid and war in Gaza
Bradley Jaye - Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on the ...
