I was wondering what, exactly, had happened this week such that a) Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman backed away from a Palestinian state; b) President Joe Biden backed away from a Palestinian state; c) Biden dropped criticism of Israel's judicial reforms, at least in public.
The answer dropped late on Wednesday.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. (with Israeli assent) will assist Saudi Arabia in enriching uranium on Saudi soil. This is another anonymously sourced report, but I believe it because the Biden administration's promises to adhere to "non-proliferation" while doing the opposite sound authentically lame to me, and there is little else that could explain the sudden change in Saudi tone.
So the peace deal would mean that the Saudis get nukes (quietly), Israel gets peace with Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Sunni world, and the Palestinians get concessions that fall short of statehood.
As to the problem of a nuclear Saudi regime: we'll worry later?
It might, after all, be worth the risk, for a variety of reasons.
This week’s portion is among the most severe in its prohibitions — on improper sacrifices, on inappropriate sexual relations, and much more.
At the same time, it also contains some of the most compassionate principles of the Old Testament, including the commandment to consider a convert as if he/she had been a member of the people since birth.
The idea is that restraint and ritual, while complex and incomprehensible at times, have a foundation of love that is deep and unconditional.
The additional reading, from Amos 9:7-15, is one of the shortest of the year, but also one of the most profound. It describes the exile and subsequent redemption of the Jewish people, it returns so complete that the new nation is literally built from the ruins of the old.
Happy Star Wars day and all of that. Today's episode will consider the changing environment as we head into the next 100 days of the Trump presidency, with the stock market recovered and some hope in foreign affairs.
Will the tariff battle work out? Will Ukraine and Russia finally sit down for peace talks? Will the Trump administration's eagerness for a deal in Iran led to trouble? And will the "big, beautiful bill" Trump needs actually come together?
Special guests
John Carney -- financial editor, Breitbart News, on jobs, stocks, and tariffs
Mac Harman -- Christmas tree manufacturer, on the tariff threat to importers
Bradley Jaye -- congressional correspondent, Breitbart News, on the big bill
Frances Martel -- foreign editor, Breitbart News, on Trump's global efforts
Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET, 4-7 p.m. PT
Call: 866-957-2874
This week's Torah reading deals with the laws of tzara'at, which is loosely (though inaccurately) translated as "leprosy." It can happen to clothes and homes as well as people. The Torah describes how to deal with and purify it.
In addition, the Torah describes what to do about the ritual impurity that accompanies bodily emissions from sexual organs -- menstruation for women and ejaculation for men -- which are a normal part of everyday adult life.
The additional reading, from II Kings 7:3-20, tells the story of the lepers who helped conquer an Aramean army that had surrounded Samaria during the reign of King Jehoram -- the ultimate example of what even the meek can do.
