I'm starting to feel a sense that Trump will win the election, and I'm starting to think about what that means.
It will feel different from 2016. Back then, it was a miracle, and there were so few of us on the pro-Trump bandwagon.
This time, there are many more people abroad. But in a way, this time a Trump win will seem to have been more unlikely, considering the obstacles he will have had to overcome -- not the least of which was the assassination attempt in July.
There will be a sense of redemption, followed by a difficult period -- not just the so-called "resistance," but the reality that our country really has been weakened over the past four years and there is a lot that could go very wrong in the next.
There will be instant recriminations the moment Biden and Harris's problems become Trump's. And he may not react well to the pressure. I've written The Agenda to help guide him; I hope someone on his team is actually reading it.
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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