There's some concern in the Jewish community about the nominations of (now former) Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) to Attorney General and Director of National Intelligence, respectively.
Gaetz has generally been pro-Israel but has a couple of odd votes in his record. He also brought a guy named Charles Johnson to the State of the Union. I used to know Charles before he drifted to the fringe. Let's say it was an odd decision.
Tulsi is not anti-Israel or antisemitic (at all) but her somewhat isolationist views have placed her in the company of those who are, at times, anti-Israel. I would put that down to being a former left-wing Democrat rather than anything else.
In evaluating these choices, purely on the issues of interest to the Jewish community, I'd say that you have to look first of all at Trump's other nominees, who are all pro-Jewish/Israel (just check out Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon).
Second, I don't think Gaetz or Gabbard have particularly strong views on Israel -- that is, it's not an obsession for them, in the way that the issue is for people who are truly anti- or pro-Israel. They are more concerned about other things.
Third, Tulsi is skeptical of foreign wars and aid. I think this is fine, especially as Israel is in a position to wind down its wars and there is a healthy debate about how it can wean itself from American aid. I'm not concerned about her at all.
My main concern with Gaetz is about his judgment. He waged war against the conservative Speaker of the House for no real purpose. He's put politics and personal interest above a common cause. And he's made lots of enemies.
That's not to say he wouldn't be the right guy for the job at Justice, if the primary purpose of his appointment would be to clean out the anti-Trump "deep state" veterans. But I'm not sure he's the right guy for the rest of it.
So, overall: I'm not worried. I have my doubts about Gaetz as Attorney General but not on the particular issues of interest to Jewish and pro-Israel Americans. I'm more concerned about the general stuff. We'll just see how it all shakes out.
This week'd portion begins the book of Numbers. Interestingly, the Hebrew name for the book is "In the Desert," not "Numbers." The portion, which happens to be my bar mitzvah portion, focuses almost as much on the names of the princes of each tribe as the number of soldiers it fielded. It also focuses on the configuration of the tribal camps around the central Tabernacle and the Levites.
So why "Numbers" instead of "Names" or "Places"? The numbers are, to be sure, a unique feature of the opening of this Biblical book -- but they are not the focus of the rest of the narrative. The Hebrew focuses on the place where the events in the book take place, because essentially this is the narrative of the Israelites' wanderings from Egypt to Israel, across 40 years. We move from the giving of the Torah and the construction of the Tabernacle in Exodus and Leviticus, to the final valediction of Moses in Deuteronomy -- Bamidbar is the story of wandering that happened in between.
The question of ...
This week's portion begins with the laws of the Sabbath and the Sabbatical year, and the Jubilee year that restores all land to its original (tribal) owners. It also explores laws of property and labor that will apply in the Land of Israel, and the laws of vows and inheritance.
The Israelites are presented -- not for the last time -- with the essential moral choice that they must face, and the rewards for choosing well, along with the consequences for choosing poorly.
We learn that doing good things will earn God's protection from enemies. That does not mean that victims of terror, God forbid, were sinful. But it does mean that we can respond to evil by committing ourselves to a higher path.
This week's portion describes the major sacrifices that are to be offered by the Jewish people, including those that are offered only by the priestly Kohen class, and physical requirements of the people (men) who serve in that role.
Inter alia, there are interesting commandments -- such as an injection to treat animals with respect and care, first, by letting a mother animal nurse her offspring for a week before being offered in any sacrifice; and second, by refraining from slaughtering an animal and its offspring on the same day.
The commandments regarding animals remind us of the purpose of those regarding human beings: to uphold a divine connection, through ritual.
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/111878/jewish/Rabbi-Isaac-Luria-The-Ari-Hakodosh.htm
