It has been very hard to watch the chaos in Israel. Netanyahu has been carrying out long-overdue judicial reforms, and the opposition has gone outside the rules of the game to shut down the country.
It seems to me that if you give in to such tactics, you lose the country. Military desertion, for example, which the left has used to pressure the government, is a complete disaster if it is legitimized.
It does seem, though, that the Israeli left is prepared to destroy the country rather than to live under a more democratic system in which Netanyahu and his political allies have a say in judicial selection.
The Israeli right is not prepared to give up the country, and so it is preparing to pause the judicial reforms, in the hope of returning the country to normal. The left plans to continue protests, regardless.
Some very smart people are arguing that it is all right to pause the reforms, because Netanyahu has exposed the rot for all to see, and that judicial reform is now inevitable, even a consensus position.
Maybe so. But I have to say, as someone who has always thought of Israel as a refuge, that the sight of that country transformed into yet another political battlefield by the radical left is really disheartening.
I have yet to hear one argument -- even one -- in favor of the system as it currently is. I have yet to hear one lefty consider the risk that if left-wing reservists desert, right-wing reservists may one day do so.
I am coming to the conclusion that the only real refuge for the free is in our own hearts and minds, and the only place for faith to reside is between the individual and God. There may be no real sanctuary.
This week's portion provides instructions for creating and assembling the holy Tabernacle. According to tradition, we also read an additional passage about the red heifer, a mysterious concept about a special kind of ritual purification.
What I like most about this portion is the character of Betzalel, the artisan to whom the craftsmanship of the Tabernacle is entrusted. Like Hiram of Tyre, later in the Bible, he is recognized for his unique talents and craftsmanship.
Imagine being so skilled at art that you are memorialized for all time by the Bible! It is a reminder that exceptional talents exist -- and we learn, through such people, that we each have our own gifts, humble though they may be.
What a weekend it's been. On Friday, the Trump administration expelled South African ambassador Ebrahim Rasool for claiming that the president is leading a global white supremacist movement. On Saturday, President Donald Trump signed a bill to fund the government -- a major win for the GOP.
Also Saturday, the U.S. finally launched large-scale attacks on the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have bedeviled international shipping through the Red Sea. El Salvador agreed to take in Venezuelan gangsters deported from the U.S. And -- well, there's just been so much news, I can barely keep up with it all.
Special guests:
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) - on suing California to end post-Election Day ballot collection, and the L.A. fires
Assemblyman Carl DeMaio (R-San Diego) - on California's Medical program going insolvent over illegals
Neil Munro - Breitbart News immigration reporter, on Trump deportation policy (and St. Patrick's Day)
John Binder - on Trump's fight against Judge Boasberg over the ...
This week's portion covers the half-shekel donation that every Israelite, no matter how poor or rich, had to donate to the Tabernacle (as opposed to the earlier donations, which were to be as large as possible). The symbolism: ultimately, while we each have unique contributions to make, we are equal in the eyes of God.
Sadly, the portion continues with the story of the Golden Calf, when the Israelites grow impatient with Moses and turn away from God and back to the idolatry of Egypt. They sever their relationship with the Lord -- but when it is repaired again through repentance, it is closer than it has ever been before.
That is how many relationships heal after a break -- as long as the shared love and commitment still exist, underneath all of the difficulty that arises in daily life. We don't want to endure such fissures, but they are a fact of life. Repentance can therefore also become a fact of life, a glue that bonds human beings together.
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