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
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This week’s portion launches the great story of Abraham, who is told to leave everything of his life behind — except his immediate family — and to leave for “the Land that I shall show you.”
There’s something interesting in the fact that Abraham is told to leave his father’s house, as if breaking away from his father’s life — but his father, in fact, began the journey, moving from Ur to Haran (in last week’s portion). His father set a positive example — why should Abraham leave him?
Some obvious answers suggest themselves — adulthood, needing to make one’s own choices, his father not going far enough, etc.
But I think there is another answer. Abraham (known for the moment as Abram) needs to establish his own household. This is not just about making one’s own choice, but really about choosing one’s own starting point. It’s starting over.
Sometimes we start over in fundamental ways even if much that surrounds us remains the same. Sometimes the journey we have to ...
The story of Noah is familiar; the details, less so.
Noah is often seen as an ambivalent figure. He was righteous -- but only for his generation. What was his deficiency?
One answer suggests itself: knowing that the world was about to be flooded, he built an Ark for the animals and for his own family -- but did not try to save anyone else or to convince them to repent and change their ways (the prophet Jonah, later, would share that reluctance).
Abraham, later, would set himself apart by arguing with God -- with the Lord Himself! -- against the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, saying that they should be saved if there were enough righteous people to be found (there were not).
Still, Noah was good enough -- and sometimes, that really is sufficient to save the world. We don't need heroes every time -- just ordinary decency.
Hi all -- as I noted last month, I'm going to be closing down my Locals page, at least for tips and subscriptions -- I may keep the page up and the posts as well, but I'm no longer going to be accepting any kind of payment.
Look for cancelation in the very near future. Thank you for your support!
