I am flying back to L.A. from Chicago, and I'm relieved the convention is over.
I had a great time in Chicago. The weather was great. I stayed with my parents; I went to Lake Michigan at sunrise each day; I admired the architecture downtown; I had great food; I fell in love with the place all over again, really.
Also, I enjoyed some of the politics, because I always like a little excitement. I worked really hard and slept little; I was exhausted at the end of each day.
But I hated this convention. It was probably the worst I've been to, ever.
Why?
Well, logistically, it was poor, compared to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month. There was only one entrance, and long lines. There were poor food, bathroom, and workspace options inside, and the way the stadium was configured made it hard to move on the floor of the arena.
I also felt like Democrats were much more reluctant to talk to reporters -- especially from a conservative outlet like Breitbart, but also in general.
There was a sense that things were very tightly controlled. That was a necessity around pro-Israel and Jewish events, which had to be secretive, because they were being targeted by crazy pro-Palestinian (and antisemitic) protesters.
I do think Democrats had fun. They told each other how much fun they were having, how much they loved the speeches (which were generally not good), how much "joy" they were feeling. They hyped themselves up for this.
I think there was a genuine sense of relief at having a candidate who is not slipping into senescence -- someone who has a pulse, and someone who offers several "firsts" (women, black woman, Asian). Democrats love those "firsts."
But there was no substance to any of it. The only policy issue discussed at the convention was abortion, and that was a story of various bogeymen. Democrats attacked "Project 2025," which isn't Trump's policy, but it almost seemed like what they really objected to was having a policy about anything at all. What they wanted to talk about was "joy," and "coming together," and "historic," and ... Trump Trump Trump, terrible racist sexist bully Trump who hates America.
There'a a lot of bullshit at any political convention. And I didn't care for many of the speeches at the Republican convention, either. But there, the happiness and joy seemed authentic. Trump had just survived an assassination attempt!
At the Republican event, I heard people talking openly about faith, in a way I have never heard at any Republican or conservative event before. Also, people expected to win. (Biden was the candidate then; Republicans are nervous now.)
The Republicans also talked about policy, and about specific things they wanted to fix. The Democrats talked about people Trump had supposedly insulted and tried to pretend Kamala Harris had nothing to do with four years of bad policy.
So... I think Trump has the edge going into the fall. That is, if you assume that voting is still a fair process, and Democrats haven't figured out how to game the whole thing through vote-by-mail. Even if they have, I think Trump can win.
I think that because Trump is just ... bigger. On the way through the airport, I noticed that several stores -- in Chicago, in the week of the DNC -- had Trump (and Vance!) merchandise. There was nothing on Kamala or Democrats.
I think there's an American story we are watching, and telling, about Trump, and I think we want to see how it ends, where it takes us, and I don't think we want it to end in a prison cell, or in obsolescence, or bitterness. I think we want better.
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