As I write this, Donald Trump is at 51% of the vote in the Iowa caucuses, with almost all of the precincts reporting. Trump hit his majority and won with a record margin -- for Iowa, for any contested primary. Yes, he's the presumptive nominee. But it's more than that.
First: the voters have sent a message to Democrats that none of the stuff they have tried against Trump has worked. He is bigger than ever before, and it's not because of some "cult"; it's because the Democrats suck at governing, and now they're behaving like tyrants.
Second: the voters have sent a message to the judiciary. Judge Chutkan in DC made the point that Trump can't evade "justice" just because he's running for president. But now he's not just a candidate; he has massive support. Can you jail that man for trifles?
Third: this is a message for Trump. He lost Iowa in 2016; he won in 2024 by big margins. What changed? History, yes, but also -- Trump didn't do too much stupid stuff this rime.. He didn't snub voters or tweet nonsense. He was disciplined. He shook hands. He rallied.
If Trump can carry that discipline with him through the rest of the campaign, then he will be our president-elect, this time next year. Because nothing they have thrown at him has worked. Or will work. He is his own worst enemy and best opponent. Good luck to him.
This week'd portion begins the book of Numbers. Interestingly, the Hebrew name for the book is "In the Desert," not "Numbers." The portion, which happens to be my bar mitzvah portion, focuses almost as much on the names of the princes of each tribe as the number of soldiers it fielded. It also focuses on the configuration of the tribal camps around the central Tabernacle and the Levites.
So why "Numbers" instead of "Names" or "Places"? The numbers are, to be sure, a unique feature of the opening of this Biblical book -- but they are not the focus of the rest of the narrative. The Hebrew focuses on the place where the events in the book take place, because essentially this is the narrative of the Israelites' wanderings from Egypt to Israel, across 40 years. We move from the giving of the Torah and the construction of the Tabernacle in Exodus and Leviticus, to the final valediction of Moses in Deuteronomy -- Bamidbar is the story of wandering that happened in between.
The question of ...
This week's portion begins with the laws of the Sabbath and the Sabbatical year, and the Jubilee year that restores all land to its original (tribal) owners. It also explores laws of property and labor that will apply in the Land of Israel, and the laws of vows and inheritance.
The Israelites are presented -- not for the last time -- with the essential moral choice that they must face, and the rewards for choosing well, along with the consequences for choosing poorly.
We learn that doing good things will earn God's protection from enemies. That does not mean that victims of terror, God forbid, were sinful. But it does mean that we can respond to evil by committing ourselves to a higher path.
This week's portion describes the major sacrifices that are to be offered by the Jewish people, including those that are offered only by the priestly Kohen class, and physical requirements of the people (men) who serve in that role.
Inter alia, there are interesting commandments -- such as an injection to treat animals with respect and care, first, by letting a mother animal nurse her offspring for a week before being offered in any sacrifice; and second, by refraining from slaughtering an animal and its offspring on the same day.
The commandments regarding animals remind us of the purpose of those regarding human beings: to uphold a divine connection, through ritual.
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/111878/jewish/Rabbi-Isaac-Luria-The-Ari-Hakodosh.htm
