The election is over, in many ways.
We've had the conventions and the debate. (No one really cares about the VP debate in October.) We've started early voting (!) in some places. People have made up their minds. Maybe 10% of the electorate has not, okay. But 90%.
I'm done traveling, for now. My wife is due to give birth sometime in the next two weeks. Baby #4! So I'll be very busy towards the end of September.
Then, in October, the Jewish holidays start. There's one literally every weekend for the first four weekends of the month.
I'll arrive at November, ready to roll -- with just a few crucial days left.
I think both candidates have made their cases as best they can. Trump is not going to be more controlled or controllable. Kamala Harris is not going to acquire sudden policy depth, or genuine moderation, or relevant experience.
I don't think we can survive another four years of rule by my Harvard classmates, which is why I think Trump will ultimately win, although...
The real drama may come between November 5th and January 6th. Watch.
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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