The major television networks should set aside time for a Republican rebuttal to the Democratic National Convention later this month due to the unusual circumstance of Democrats' decision to swap Joe Biden out for Kamala Harris.
And if they don't, Trump should buy the airtime.
Typically, the political parties use their conventions to make their case for their own nominees -- and to make the case against their opponents. Much of the Republicans' energy in the first few nights in Milwaukee was focused on Biden's record in office. They largely ignored Harris -- understandably so. Perhaps the attacks on Biden were too effective: he dropped out after the Republican convention. Essentially, Trump won, but must now face an entirely new election.
Later this month, in Chicago, Democrats' will have their own convention. Their target remains the same: Donald Trump, the man they have demonized, and prosecuted, for nearly a decade. But they will also have the opportunity to present Harris to the country in the most positive light -- and Republicans will not have a chance to present the other side of the argument. This gives an unfair advantage to Democrats heading into the fall and the start of early voting.
The networks should allow Republicans at least one night to rebut Democrats' claims about Harris. The truth about Harris is that she has never accomplished anything except being elected or appointed to office, and that she has embraced the most radical policies, and the most destructive elements, in American politics. Americans need to know that, or at least have the opportunity to understand the case against her, before they make their voting decisions.
Three hours of airtime would be fair; one hour would probably be sufficient. And if the networks don't offer that time, the Trump campaign, or a Trump-backing super PAC, should buy it. Otherwise the public will never know the truth.
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
