What a week it's been... my son was born last Sunday and we named him today: Rafael Micah Pollak. A symbol of life and continuity, amid the war of the past year -- and what a series of victories Israel and America can finally celebrate.
We begin with the latest on Hurricane Helene, which has left 64 dead in a trail of destruction across Florida and the South. Then the latest on Israel, which is on a roll against Hezbollah. Naturally, Biden wants a ceasefire, lest Israel win...
And that brings up China, a topic that never came up during the ABC debate, but which JD Vance should bring up this week in his debate with Tim Walz. We will talk to Gordon Chang about the big picture in U.S. foreign policy in 2024.
Also: what kind of prosecutor was Kamala Harris, really? Jeff Clark, a former DOJ official under Trump, has been doing some digging, and has come up with... nothing. It turns out she may never actually have led a case in court.
Special guests:
Jeff Clark - former DOJ official, on Kamala Harris's prosecutorial record
Lee Smith - author, on Israel's successful war against Hezbollah, and Iran
Gordon Chang, author of “China’s Project to Destroy America”
Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET, 4-7 p.m. PT
Call in: 866-957-2874
This is the portion that all journalists should love: the Torah tells the story of the 12 spies, only two of whom tell the truth when the other ten shade it in a negative away (perhaps to suit a political agenda that is opposed to Moses).
It's not that the ten "lying" spies misconstrue the facts about the Land of Israel; rather, they interject their opinions that the land is impossible to conquer, which strikes unnecessary terror into the hearts of the people.
We have many examples of such fake news today -- from the Iranian propaganda outlets spreading false claims that they are winning the war, to California politicians spreading false horror stories about ICE raids in L.A.
The people realize, too late, that they have been fooled, and once they are condemned to die in the desert, they try to rush into Israel -- only to be defeated by the inhabitants, as the spies predicted that they would be.
But as consolation, God gives the people new commandments -- focused on things they must ...
This week's portion discusses the procedure for lighting the menorah, the holy seven-branched lamp, in the Tabernacle (and later the Temple). It also describes an episode where the people crave meat, and God punishes them by giving it to them in excess. We also read the story of Miriam, Moses's sister, who is punished with the spiritual skin blemish of tzara'at for speaking about her brother, thus violating the prohibition against lashon hara (evil tongue).
I heard a fantastic sermon this week about the lighting of the menorah: that while only the priests were qualified to clean and purify the menorah, anyone could light it. A reminder that each of us can inspire others along the way.
This week we study the vow of the Nazirite; a reminder that sometimes trying to be too holy is excessive, and the best we can do is to be the best that we are.
https://www.chabad.org/parshah/torahreading_cdo/aid/2495720/p/complete/jewish/Naso-Torah-Reading.htm
