This week's Torah reading explains the duties of the Levite families in the holy service of the Tabernacle; outlines the law of punishing adultery; and provides the laws of the Nazirite, a special category of ascetics, among other laws.
The additional reading, from Judges 13:2-25, is the story of Samson. He is a Nazirite for life, from birth, and has superhuman strength. His one weakness appears to be his desire for Philistine women -- not a carnal desire, as such, but a yearning that is deeper than mere physical pleasure. He is drawn to them.
He overcomes his desires through an act of self-destructive repentance -- which takes the Philistines with him. That is a story for another day, perhaps.
But it does point to the importance of the region of Gaza to the Biblical story -- and the fact that it has posed problems for the people of Israel since the days of the Bible until today. Perhaps there are insights for us in that ancient drama.
https://www.chabad.org/parshah/torahreading.asp?aid=2495720&jewish=Naso-Torah-Reading.htm&p=complete
My son’s Little League All-Star team won a tournament yesterday. He went 2-for-2 with a single (here) and a double, both solid hits.
Is paternity leave worth it? I've never really taken it, and don't plan to this time... my wife isn't formally taking maternity leave, either, both because her job depends on being in touch with the markets, and also because it's not really a great deal. Last time, she had to wait to be paid through California's state unemployment compensation fund... which is not great, or at least it wasn't, during COVID.
One positive legacy of COVID is the ease of working from home. That has made balancing parenthood and work life a lot easier for those of us fortunate enough to be able to swing that particular schedule.
Of course, there are days and times you enjoy, and times to take off, and so much to savor in the early days of your baby's life. I'm fully intending to take advantage of all of that -- especially with the Jewish High Holidays arriving.
Today's show is very special, not least because ... I have a new son, born early this morning. My wife's s a champ. Very grateful that I can still do the show!
We have a special show today in other ways. We'll be talking about the state of the 2024 presidential race, where the polls -- some of them, anyway -- suggest Kamala Harris has a slight lead, but Trump seems to have done everything right in the past week, while she still has very little to say about anything important.
There's also a war looming between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Actually, it's pretty much a war already. We'll discuss what's going on at the moment -- and what the future prospects may be, plus the issue of antisemitism.
Special guests:
Michael Levine - author, discussing who the remaining undecided voters are
David Friedman - former ambassador to Israel, on his book, "The Jewish State"
Jonathan Cahn - pastor, discussing his book, "The Dragon Prophecy"
J. Christian Adams - of U.S. Civil Rights Commission, on...
