This week is a special Sabbath -- "Shabbat Nachamu," the Sabbath of Comfort. It is the first Sabbath of recovery after Tisha B'Av, the Ninth of Av, which is the saddest day on the Hebrew calendar and the culmination of three weeks of mourning for the Holy Temple.
The additional reading for this week comes from Isaiah 40: "Be comforted, be comforted, My people." In contrast to the visions of destruction and exile predicted by Jeremiah, Isaiah foretells a future of salvation, forgiveness, redemption, and, ultimately, return.
This year the message of Shabbat Nachamu is particularly poignant, because of the divisive debates in Israel and around the Jewish world about judicial reform in that country. After the passage of the first of Benjamin Netanyahu's bills, there is hope for reconciliation.
The Torah portion itself continues Moses's valediction to the people of Israel before he dies and they continue into Israel. It includes the Shema, the most famous Jewish prayer, recited several times daily, and in distress: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord, is One."
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
