We are hours away from the International Court of Justice ruling on whether Israel's actions in Gaza could amount to "genocide." It is so absurd... but I am not optimistic and I am worried that Israel will be ordered to stop fighting just at the moment it has Hamas beaten.
I think we know there will be a split decision. The Chief Justice is from the U.S. and there is one Israeli justice (as a courtesy). There are justices from Arab countries who cannot return home alive if they vote in Israel's favor. The question is: a split favoring whom?
South Africa's case was based on garbage propaganda and citations (often inaccurate) of Israeli officials saying offensive (or simply misunderstood) things. Israel's case, as even (informed) South African observers admitted, was very strong on the law itself.
I predict that the court will probably agree with Israel that the case was improperly brought -- but go on to address the merits anyway. It may not accuse Israel of "genocide" but will recognize some kind of vague genocidal potential and issue some non-binding rebuke.
This will be enough for Israel's critics to claim that the ICJ agreed that Israel was on a path to genocide, even if it may also allow the Israeli war effort to continue. South Africa, which actually supports Hamas's genocidal agenda, will claim victory and go back to sucking.
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
