What a weekend it's been. On Friday, the Trump administration expelled South African ambassador Ebrahim Rasool for claiming that the president is leading a global white supremacist movement. On Saturday, President Donald Trump signed a bill to fund the government -- a major win for the GOP.
Also Saturday, the U.S. finally launched large-scale attacks on the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have bedeviled international shipping through the Red Sea. El Salvador agreed to take in Venezuelan gangsters deported from the U.S. And -- well, there's just been so much news, I can barely keep up with it all.
Special guests:
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) - on suing California to end post-Election Day ballot collection, and the L.A. fires
Assemblyman Carl DeMaio (R-San Diego) - on California's Medical program going insolvent over illegals
Neil Munro - Breitbart News immigration reporter, on Trump deportation policy (and St. Patrick's Day)
John Binder - on Trump's fight against Judge Boasberg over the deportation of Tren de Aragua
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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
