SECOND UPDATE: Show is to be replaced this evening by a special program! Somehow I missed the memo! So, I won't be on tonight. Apologies to all concerned.
UPDATE: We will now add the passing of Jimmy Carter to the program...
Today is the last show of 2024 -- and it's been an incredible year. So many troubles in the world -- but so many miracles, too, and a change to make things right again. In the spirit of the show, we'll look forward, and not backward.
We'll start with what to expect this week and next: the new Congress, the first confirmation hearings, the drama over certifying Trump as the president-elect on January 6, and the plans for the Inauguration (I'll be there, hopefully).
Then we'll go through Trump's agenda. What is going on with the debate over immigration? Does it mean the MAGA movement has split on the cusp of taking power -- or is it a sign of a vigorous and healthy internal debate?
I'll walk through what Trump's agenda for his first 100 days could mean. You've seen (or read) my suggestions for Trump's agenda. We'll talk about what is realistic to expect, as well as what may have changed in recent weeks.
It's going to be three hours of me -- no guests -- so I hope you enjoy it! I'm looking forward to sharing my thoughts with you and hearing from you about yours -- if you're not watching football on this wintry Sunday evening.
Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET, 4-7 p.m. PT
Call in: 866-957-2874
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
