We end the Torah with Moses's final blessing to the Children of Israel before he passes away and is buried in a secret location on Mount Nebo, ending the Torah (and setting the stage for the Book of Joshua and all the great deeds therein).
Then we begin again, starting the Torah from Genesis: "In the beginning...". This is a common starting point for Judeo-Christian belief -- though there are some fascinating Christian interpretations of even the first few words that mark a point of departure.
The portion continues until just before the story of Noah. Along the way, we meet the longest-living person in the Bible -- namely, Methuselah, who lived 969 years. No one quite made it to 1,000 -- a Heavenly day.
Why did Methuselah live that long? Not necessarily through his own merit. His father, Enoch, is described as one of the few righteous men of that era. But he himself only lived to the age of 365, relatively short for that time in the Bible.
It is in the nature of parenthood to exhibit a sense of self-sacrifice. One cannot live only for one's children; one must live for oneself as well, as best one can. But on some level the idea that our children will exceed us is our greatest hope.
I should have noted in my message about the weekly Torah portion that this week is Shabbat Chazon, the Sabbath of Vision. We are about to mourn -- but see through that pain to something better that lies beyond, on the other side.
Wishing you the best vision -- and an incredible reality to follow. It happens!
We begin the final speech of Moses to the people of Israel before they enter the Promised Land. He relates the ups and downs of the years of wandering in the desert, before, finally, the people have the merit to enter the land itself.
This Sabbath always precedes Tisha B'Av, the Ninth of Av, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. It is the anniversary of the destruction of both of the Holy Temples, and a catch-all for many calamities that befell the Jewish people.
A word on Tisha B'Av. This year I am leaving for an overseas trip during the afternoon of the holiday -- in the middle of a fast day. Not idea, but there was no other choice. But my flight is in the afternoon, which is significant.
We relax some of the harsh, mournful customs of the day in the afternoon. We start to pray normally; we sit on regular chairs; we start to have hope again in the redemption that will, one day, lead us all back from exile to our home.
I'll be taking a trip to a land where an important part of ...
President Trump is in Scotland, playing golf and making big trade deals -- a major deal with the EU, in fact. Meanwhile, there is a global outcry about humanitarian aid to Palestinians (not about the Israeli hostages, mind you).
On top of that, Democrats are at their lowest polling numbers ever -- so they are trying to win control of the House by redistricting in the middle of a 10-year Census cycle. Oh, economic optimism is up, so they have a tough road.
And Tulsi Gabbard's revelations about the Russia collusion investigation make it clear that Obama's lieutenants lied to Congress. How deeply was he himself involved? The media continue to ignore the evidence, but we certainly won't.
Special guests:
Nick Gilbertson - Breitbart News White House correspondent, on EU deal
Frances Martel - Breitbart News foreign editor, on Trump abroad and Russia
John Spencer - urban warfare expert, on humanitarian aid and war in Gaza
Bradley Jaye - Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on the ...
