This morning, while looking for a link to my book about South Africa (https://amazon.com/dp/B08SCK2S16) to send to a friend, I noticed an old tweet from a person who describes herself as a writer for the New York Times and the Washington Post. In it, she (correctly) identified a typo on my book cover (oops!), but then launched a bizarre personal attack on me and my wife. (Ironically, her attack also included a typo.)
She wrote: "I remember you from Harvard [I have no idea who she is -- Harvard College? Harvard Law?]. I know you struggled to be taken seriously by your community when you were young [I have no idea what that means]—and when, in your 20s l, you realized you’d never measure up [LOL], you started dating a teenager ten years your junior (is that even legal in SA?) [my wife was 18 and I was 27 when we started dating] & became a right-wing provocateur [I'm the guy who wants to debate, not "provoke"], which you knew would get the attention you craved [sure, that's why I became a conservative, LOL]. (But it’s not like there was competition, since possessing basic literacy skills makes you stand out! [among whom? Conservatives?])"
This is the sort of low-grade personal abuse to which conservatives are subjected all the time. My wife and I are enjoying our 12th year of marriage and we are expecting our 3rd child next month. Yes, we started dating when she was 18. We dated for almost five years before getting married. So what?
This is what they do when they can't argue the issues. Rather mundane, which is why I didn't notice it at the time. But it's not the first time I've run into it -- including at Harvard. The moment you "come out" as a conservative, you're a target.
It's demoralizing at first, but ultimately liberating, because once you lose your fear of being attacked by these people, you can think and say what you like.
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
