I know my posts in the last few weeks of December must have seemed somewhat depressing. But I had a few days at the end of 2023 to reflect more broadly on the year, and I changed my mind.
I had been feeling down, and powerless, regarding the situation of the world in general -- the war in the Middle East, the grim election we face here in the U.S. in 2024 -- and I et that color everything.
But on December 31, I sat down and looked thru my phone at all the pictures I had taken over the course of the entire year. And I realized just how spectacular the year had been, in every way imaginable.
I felt a sense of gratitude and I resolved to make 2024 as good as it can be. There is no reason to believe I can't make a difference -- I have several projects on the go, and I can make them successful.
So -- in terms of how I am feeling about things at the moment -- I would say my mood has improved substantially. And actually, the first few days of 2024 have gone incredibly well. It's been beautiful.
Hoping that continues.
This week's show will be slightly different from the norm: we'll focus on clips and topics, rather than guests -- and that, hopefully, will mean more input from the callers (unless you are all watching football on opening weekend).
Topics:
- The state of the economy
- The fight against crime
- The midterm election fight
- The struggle for peace between Russia and Ukraine
- The airstrike on the Venezuelan drug cartel
- The attempt to sink Kennedy
- The war in Gaza
- The case against Harvard
- The Trump presidency
Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET / 4-7 p.m. PT
Call: 866-957-2874
This week's Torah portion includes several laws about conduct in civic and personal life, the common theme of which is boundaries -- setting bounds to what one may do at home, at work, and even in the battlefield.
One noteworthy passage concerns Amalek, the evil nation that attacked the Children of Israel as they made their Exodus from slavery to freedom. Deuteronomy 25:17-19 commands Jews to obliterate Amalek's memory.
The South African government accused Israel of genocide on the basis of a story about Amalek in the Book of Samuel, in which King Saul was commanded to wipe out the entire evil Amalekite nation.
Because Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quoted this week's portion -- "Remember what Amalek did to you" (25:17), the South African government claimed he was commanding soldiers to commit genocide.
It was an absurd and malevolent misreading of the Bible and of Jewish tradition. The commandment, as observed by Jews today, is to remember the evil of Amalek and fight ...
