I'm feeling a bit ambivalent this Father's Day.
I am spending it away from my son, who is away at a baseball tournament. The reason: I am taking my eldest daughter to lifeguard training, and taking care of my youngest daughter so that my wife, who is with my son, can spend the day doing some work.
So -- I guess I'm being a father. But there is something that bothers me about being away from my son when he is playing baseball. I know that he would like me to see him excel. The problem is that when I watch him play, he often gets nervous and then there is a weird tension between us. So I try not to go.
We're both happier that way. But I feel bad about it. Maybe we'll grow out of it.
I will probably see my own father, who is a hero and a great man. And I may get to spend some time today doing some writing work I love, as well as a few other things.
But I do wish I could see my son today, and my wife. Can't have it all.
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 ...
