This week's portion is named for Pinchas, the man who stopped a plague in the midst of the Israelites by stabbing a Jewish prince and his Moabite lover as they were, ahem, in the middle of their tryst.
This is a tough portion to understand and absorb. The issue isn't so much having sex with someone outside the fold, but rather the brazen way in which it was done, i.e. with maximum publicity.
Then there's the vigilante aspect of it. Pinchas acted without being told to do so, or authorized. He is lavishly rewarded by God, but his act in any other context would simply have been brutal murder.
I think the most important message here is that sometimes boundaries have to be set in ways that we would normally refrain from using. You have to be cruel to be kind, to allow life to flourish.
Parents yell at kids sometimes, and it can be excessive, but it may also be necessary so that kids know where the hard lines are. They can't set boundaries for themselves. You have to strike a balance.
The reward is the richness of life that grows within those boundaries. Pinchas is also the portion that describes all the major Jewish holidays. So within clear moral bounds, there is room for great joy.
This week, we are tackling two major areas of contention between the Trump administration and Democrat governors: fighting crime, and redistricting. The president is sending the National Guard to blue cities -- and blue states are trying to stamp out Republican representation. Is this a civil war situation?
Special guests:
- Bradley Jaye -- Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on redistricting
- Tom Manza, California Business and Industrial Alliance, on Gavin Newsom
- Jon Fleischman, veteran California political expert, on the special election
- Dan Backer, veteran political lawyer and consultant, on corruption
- DJ Mark Anthony, on a recent visit to Rome and visiting Pope Leo XIV
Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET / 4-7 p.m. PT
Call: 866-957-2874
This week's portion is the last of the month of Av -- also known as Menachem (Comforter) Av -- which begins in mourning and ends in celebration and anticipation of the New Year and the process of repentance and renewal.
In a similar vein, the portion features Moses offering the Israelites a choice between a blessing and a curse. They are masters of their own fates: if they obey God's commandments, they receive the blessings -- and vice versa.
The key commandment is to reject idol worship. There is said to be something magnetic about the practice of worshiping idols in the new land, such that it would be constant moral battle, both individually and collectively, in the land.
Nowadays, according to Jewish tradition, humanity has lost the urge for idol worship (and the antidote, which is divine prophecy) -- but there are several near substitutes, such as lust or excessive appetites for worldly pleasures.
We are wired for compulsive behaviors, bad habits, and even addictions. These ...
We have so much to talk about this week -- Trump's efforts to negotiate peace through negotiation, and Gavin Newsom's efforts to divide Americans through gerrymandering. We'll also talk about Playboy leaving LA and California.
Special guests:
Frances Martel - Breitbart News foreign editor, on Russia & Ukraine
Bradley Jaye - Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on Newsom
Harmeet Dhillon - DOJ Civil Rights Division chief, on the fight against DEI
Jessica Vaugn - Playboy model on political commentator, on California
Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET, 4-7 PT
Call: 866-957-2874
