I woke up in a rainy Jerusalem, feeling excited about the day, but also tired. It had been a long week of travel and work, however exciting and inspiring. I did some work, then walked in the rain to the closest Aroma Café for breakfast.
Just then, I received a message from an IDF soldier I'd been planning to meet at the border with Lebanon: the ceasefire meant that the soldiers were on the move to secure various critical goals before the fighting would have to stop.
My plans were canceled. I was disappointed, but I wished him well. I didn't quite know how my day would change, so I went on with my schedule. I had coffee with a cousin who is involved in engineering projects throughout Israel; I spoke to the Misgav Institute of Zionist Strategies about U.S. policy towards Israel in the second Trump administration. (Short version: likely to be good, but take nothing for granted, and find creative ways to meet Trump's own policy needs.)
I learned two things: one, that there are conservatives in Israel thinking of offering Trump a gradual cessation of U.S. aid in exchange for recognition of Israeli sovereignty in key areas; two, all of our knowledge is still so limited.
I returned to my Airbnb and decided to take a nap (with the aid of two glasses of wine) and reset my internal clock to Los Angeles time. I woke, worked, and decided to go for a run -- to the Kotel and the Haas Promenade, for the view.
I ran for two and-a-half hours and savored the winter afternoon light of the city. I prayed at the Kotel; I enjoyed the golden light of the walls of the Old City; I marveled at the colors along the promenade as the sun dipped low.
I ran back, past the YMCA in its Christmas glory. I showered, packed, and drove to Modi'in for dinner with one of my cousins. Then I headed to the airport, and finally to the flight home, which is where I am writing this.
I had a thought at random at the Kotel: my war is over. I don't know what that means. After all, there are still hostages in Gaza, and major threats. But I feel a sense of completeness. Was it Trump's win? Or maybe just hope? I don't know.
This week's show will be slightly different from the norm: we'll focus on clips and topics, rather than guests -- and that, hopefully, will mean more input from the callers (unless you are all watching football on opening weekend).
Topics:
- The state of the economy
- The fight against crime
- The midterm election fight
- The struggle for peace between Russia and Ukraine
- The airstrike on the Venezuelan drug cartel
- The attempt to sink Kennedy
- The war in Gaza
- The case against Harvard
- The Trump presidency
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This week's Torah portion includes several laws about conduct in civic and personal life, the common theme of which is boundaries -- setting bounds to what one may do at home, at work, and even in the battlefield.
One noteworthy passage concerns Amalek, the evil nation that attacked the Children of Israel as they made their Exodus from slavery to freedom. Deuteronomy 25:17-19 commands Jews to obliterate Amalek's memory.
The South African government accused Israel of genocide on the basis of a story about Amalek in the Book of Samuel, in which King Saul was commanded to wipe out the entire evil Amalekite nation.
Because Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quoted this week's portion -- "Remember what Amalek did to you" (25:17), the South African government claimed he was commanding soldiers to commit genocide.
It was an absurd and malevolent misreading of the Bible and of Jewish tradition. The commandment, as observed by Jews today, is to remember the evil of Amalek and fight ...
