I am confident that the Trump verdict will, in the end, propel him back into office. If it doesn't, I think Democrats will be left governing a dead country. Many of us will begin making survivalist plans, exit strategies and the like.
Again -- I feel that this probably works out as a win. And when Trump takes office again, I think he should do whatever he can -- martial law, whatever -- to investigate and punish the entire "lawfare" apparatus of the Democratic Party.
But in the meantime, I'm pretty upset about things. Upset that there are people in our country who actually think what happened to Trump was right. Or who are too timid to challenge their party, to admit the truth of what is going on.
Because whether Trump wins or loses, we are still stuck with those people. Or at least with the people and the forces who make those people see the world the way they do, or frighten them into silence. It's a tough thing to accept.
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.
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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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