Roy Moore ran for Senate in Alabama in 2017 and lost. He had many weaknesses as a candidate, but the most important one was the accusation that he had made sexual advances to an underage girl four decades before. The Washington Post, which reported that allegations could not prove it, but bolstered it by adding claims that Moore had legal relationships with young women in their late teens when he was in his late twenties.
I was asked, on the spot, to comment on the Moore story when it came out. I said that the underage allegations, if true, were very bad, but I also pointed out that the Post had deliberately conflated legal relationships with an illegal one. I didn't say this at the time, but one of the reasons I was sensitive to the issue was that I myself met my wife when she was 17 and I was 27. We began dating at 18 and we have been happily married for nearly 14 years, with three children.
Long story short -- I was accused of defending a pedophile, and pedophilia. A writer for the Bulwark -- the Trump-hating, so-called "conservative" outfit -- repeated the false accusation today. I responded on Twitter. But it's worth noting the depths to which some people will descend in an attempt to smear their opponents in a political argument.
One more point: Moore recently won a defamation suit against a Democratic super PAC for the kind of conflation I am describing.
This is the portion that all journalists should love: the Torah tells the story of the 12 spies, only two of whom tell the truth when the other ten shade it in a negative away (perhaps to suit a political agenda that is opposed to Moses).
It's not that the ten "lying" spies misconstrue the facts about the Land of Israel; rather, they interject their opinions that the land is impossible to conquer, which strikes unnecessary terror into the hearts of the people.
We have many examples of such fake news today -- from the Iranian propaganda outlets spreading false claims that they are winning the war, to California politicians spreading false horror stories about ICE raids in L.A.
The people realize, too late, that they have been fooled, and once they are condemned to die in the desert, they try to rush into Israel -- only to be defeated by the inhabitants, as the spies predicted that they would be.
But as consolation, God gives the people new commandments -- focused on things they must ...
This week's portion discusses the procedure for lighting the menorah, the holy seven-branched lamp, in the Tabernacle (and later the Temple). It also describes an episode where the people crave meat, and God punishes them by giving it to them in excess. We also read the story of Miriam, Moses's sister, who is punished with the spiritual skin blemish of tzara'at for speaking about her brother, thus violating the prohibition against lashon hara (evil tongue).
I heard a fantastic sermon this week about the lighting of the menorah: that while only the priests were qualified to clean and purify the menorah, anyone could light it. A reminder that each of us can inspire others along the way.
This week we study the vow of the Nazirite; a reminder that sometimes trying to be too holy is excessive, and the best we can do is to be the best that we are.
https://www.chabad.org/parshah/torahreading_cdo/aid/2495720/p/complete/jewish/Naso-Torah-Reading.htm
