I will have a new book coming out on August 20: "The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days."
The book is the product of a passionate and intense effort that began with Trump's unjust conviction in Manhattan on May 31. I finished it in 10 days.
People who have read it, and blurbed it, tell me they were amazed by how it made them feel -- that it gave them hope and a sense of direction for the future.
I think it succeeds simply because it moves beyond the politics of the moment.
You can pre-order here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/164821116X?ref=cm_sw_r_apin_dp_2GW9TJD7SY4W2CB9AKFT_1&ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_dp_2GW9TJD7SY4W2CB9AKFT_1&social_share=cm_sw_r_apin_dp_2GW9TJD7SY4W2CB9AKFT_1&language=en-US&skipTwisterOG=2
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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