Today is the first day of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. It is now 5784 on the Jewish, or Hebrew, calendar.
It is also the Jewish Sabbath, which means that certain Rosh Hashanah traditions, like sounding the shofar (or ram's horn), will be deferred until the second day, tomorrow.
The reason: we cannot carry items outside of a private domain on the Sabbath, and there is a worry that we might carry the shofar to the synagogue.
Why are there two days of Rosh Hashanah? It's not because of the usual reason many Jewish holidays last two days, at least outside of Israel, which is that people living outside Israel in the days before modern technology could not be sure exactly when the holiday was.
Rather, Rosh Hashanah is two days -- even in Israel -- because it was declared on the first day that witnesses saw a new moon in the sky, and if the witness testimony could not be confirmed until late in the day, that would mean that some of the Rosh Hashanah commandments could not be performed. Hence the second day -- because everyone needs a second chance, after all.
People observe the holiday by attending synagogue, and by eating festive meals, including apples dipped in honey. Some may even dip their Sabbath bread, or challah, in honey. We also wish each other a "Shanah Tovah" -- "Happy New Year" -- or "Shanah Tovah u'Metuka" -- a sweet and happy New Year.
The Torah reading for today is the story of the birth of Isaac, which is paralleled in the additional reading from Samuel. In both cases, a barren woman was given a child -- no doubt the subject of many prayers at this time of year.
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
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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!
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