I have spent 3 days in rural Texas. It's completely different from California -- flat as far as the eye can see, as the Great Plains roll from horizon to horizon. And there's a kind of freedom here -- the ability to do basically what you want, however you want.
That includes the freedom to do some things that ought not be done. We drove by a new suburban housing development that was... super ugly. Identical homes, bunched close together, no character at all, barely any space between the homes -- with so much space around!
I'd call that the downside of Texas. (That, and the heat and humidity in the summer, plus the cold in the winter.) I was reminded of the downside of California, too, when we were working with a tractor and had to remove a device that was required by California regulations.
This device is theoretically supposed to stop gasoline from spilling, in accordance with California law. But it doesn't work, so tractor owners remove it, meaning there is more spillage than there would have been otherwise. I guess you could call that "California stupid."
The orderly life envisioned by California's utopian politicians and is falling apart, because it's not really something made for human beings. (It's also expensive.) Texas is thriving economically -- but it's not the easiest place to live. You have to have some patience.
I wonder if this whole Texas vs. California distinction is even worth observing anymore, given that we are all seeing so more and more of our economy to be dictated by China. Will we raise up our own ways of life, or start building our lives around a new, distant metropole?
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:
- The anniversary of the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump
- The escalating tariff battle with various different trading partners
- The future of the Middle East peace talks, and ongoing antisemitism
- The Jeffrey Epstein files and whether they mean anything at all
- The continued crisis of the Texas floods, and stories of heroism and survival
And more!
Special guests:
- James Rosen - Newsmax chief Washington correspondent
- Bob Price - Breitbart News Texas reporter, on the ongoing floods
- Robert Cahill - Trafalgar Polling, on a new alliance of reliable pollsters
- Rabbi Yaakov Menken - Coalition for Jewish Values - on Israel & antisemitism
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!
...
