Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah -- it's the last pre-holiday show!
We've made it through an odd budget fight, and now we have to figure out what happens next. Will this be the end for Speaker Mike Johnson? Will it portend ill for the Trump agenda? Or is this the beginning of draining the swamp, for real?
We'll also talk about the exclusion of Trump voters (or even skeptical Democrats) from the LGBTQ+ world -- a practice of cancelation that continues even in the aftermath of the 2024 presidential election.
We'll discuss an organization that funds search and rescue equipment for a reserve unit in the IDF. We'll explore how California Democrats appear to have stolen (legally) a congressional seat using methods illegal in other states.
And we'll talk about one of the remaining anti-Trump cases -- the so-called "fake electors" case in Nevada, which still remains even after a Georgia appellate court kicked DA Fani Willis off a similar case this past week.
Special guests:
Yuval David -- LGBTQ+ activist, Jewish activist, and new Trump voter
Zoe Marks -- YUTAR representative in New York, in IDF search & rescue
Shawn Steel - CA GOP committeeman, on Democrats stealing CA seats
Sam Mirejovsky -- legal expert, on the Nevada "fake electors" case
Tune in: 7-10 p.m. ET, 4-7 p.m. PT
Call in: 866-957-2874
This is the portion that all journalists should love: the Torah tells the story of the 12 spies, only two of whom tell the truth when the other ten shade it in a negative away (perhaps to suit a political agenda that is opposed to Moses).
It's not that the ten "lying" spies misconstrue the facts about the Land of Israel; rather, they interject their opinions that the land is impossible to conquer, which strikes unnecessary terror into the hearts of the people.
We have many examples of such fake news today -- from the Iranian propaganda outlets spreading false claims that they are winning the war, to California politicians spreading false horror stories about ICE raids in L.A.
The people realize, too late, that they have been fooled, and once they are condemned to die in the desert, they try to rush into Israel -- only to be defeated by the inhabitants, as the spies predicted that they would be.
But as consolation, God gives the people new commandments -- focused on things they must ...
This week's portion discusses the procedure for lighting the menorah, the holy seven-branched lamp, in the Tabernacle (and later the Temple). It also describes an episode where the people crave meat, and God punishes them by giving it to them in excess. We also read the story of Miriam, Moses's sister, who is punished with the spiritual skin blemish of tzara'at for speaking about her brother, thus violating the prohibition against lashon hara (evil tongue).
I heard a fantastic sermon this week about the lighting of the menorah: that while only the priests were qualified to clean and purify the menorah, anyone could light it. A reminder that each of us can inspire others along the way.
This week we study the vow of the Nazirite; a reminder that sometimes trying to be too holy is excessive, and the best we can do is to be the best that we are.
https://www.chabad.org/parshah/torahreading_cdo/aid/2495720/p/complete/jewish/Naso-Torah-Reading.htm
