The Israeli left has always hated Netanyahu because he favors free-market reform, opposes concessions to the Palestinians, and stands up to pressure from Democrats (see the Iran deal). But Netanyahu was ultimately done in by defections from the right. I have yet to hear a good reason for any of it. The fact that he is facing criminal charges might be the best possible reason, but no one really seems to think that they are serious, and we hear nothing about them in the media nowadays, suggesting that the prosecution's case is not great. Basically, the complaint appears to be that he has been in power too long and is not a nice guy when it comes to other politicians. This is not really a persuasive argument for changing governments, in the contexts of the threats Israel faces and given Netanyahu's recent successes from a policy perspective. In that sense, one cannot rule out corruption -- and possible pressure from the U.S. Obama tried funding the Israeli left; perhaps Biden has found a more subtle "Never Trump" type of path to influence and entice factions on the Israeli right.
This week’s portion launches the great story of Abraham, who is told to leave everything of his life behind — except his immediate family — and to leave for “the Land that I shall show you.”
There’s something interesting in the fact that Abraham is told to leave his father’s house, as if breaking away from his father’s life — but his father, in fact, began the journey, moving from Ur to Haran (in last week’s portion). His father set a positive example — why should Abraham leave him?
Some obvious answers suggest themselves — adulthood, needing to make one’s own choices, his father not going far enough, etc.
But I think there is another answer. Abraham (known for the moment as Abram) needs to establish his own household. This is not just about making one’s own choice, but really about choosing one’s own starting point. It’s starting over.
Sometimes we start over in fundamental ways even if much that surrounds us remains the same. Sometimes the journey we have to ...
The story of Noah is familiar; the details, less so.
Noah is often seen as an ambivalent figure. He was righteous -- but only for his generation. What was his deficiency?
One answer suggests itself: knowing that the world was about to be flooded, he built an Ark for the animals and for his own family -- but did not try to save anyone else or to convince them to repent and change their ways (the prophet Jonah, later, would share that reluctance).
Abraham, later, would set himself apart by arguing with God -- with the Lord Himself! -- against the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, saying that they should be saved if there were enough righteous people to be found (there were not).
Still, Noah was good enough -- and sometimes, that really is sufficient to save the world. We don't need heroes every time -- just ordinary decency.
Hi all -- as I noted last month, I'm going to be closing down my Locals page, at least for tips and subscriptions -- I may keep the page up and the posts as well, but I'm no longer going to be accepting any kind of payment.
Look for cancelation in the very near future. Thank you for your support!
