This week's portion tells the story of Balaam, the "evil" prophet whom King Balak hired to curse the Israelites -- and who blessed them instead.
The story is fascinating and mysterious. There is also a talking donkey involved, many millennia before Shrek.
Balaam blesses the people three times, and the last blessing has become a core part of the daily morning prayers in Judaism: "How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, your dwelling place, O Israel" (Numbers 24:5).
It might seem odd to bless a tent city; we have them in L.A., and they are terrible.
The Sages puzzled over what, exactly, about this particular tent city evoked praise.
For one thing, the tents were clean, and orderly, and arranged in a very specific geographic pattern, according to tribe (see Numbers 2).
One commentary suggests that the tents were arranged so that one never looked into another, preserving privacy and modesty.
But I think perhaps the praise is meant to emphasize the importance of the everyday -- the routine, the mundane.
If what you do on a daily basis -- your "system" for managing life -- is good, then even the humblest tasks can have immense power over the long run.
You can achieve incredible things if you just devote a few minutes per day to achieving them.
That was Israel's power -- not greatness and might, but a devotion to things that were ordinary, allowing the humblest tasks to reflect faith and devotion.
This week, we are tackling two major areas of contention between the Trump administration and Democrat governors: fighting crime, and redistricting. The president is sending the National Guard to blue cities -- and blue states are trying to stamp out Republican representation. Is this a civil war situation?
Special guests:
- Bradley Jaye -- Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on redistricting
- Tom Manza, California Business and Industrial Alliance, on Gavin Newsom
- Jon Fleischman, veteran California political expert, on the special election
- Dan Backer, veteran political lawyer and consultant, on corruption
- DJ Mark Anthony, on a recent visit to Rome and visiting Pope Leo XIV
Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET / 4-7 p.m. PT
Call: 866-957-2874
This week's portion is the last of the month of Av -- also known as Menachem (Comforter) Av -- which begins in mourning and ends in celebration and anticipation of the New Year and the process of repentance and renewal.
In a similar vein, the portion features Moses offering the Israelites a choice between a blessing and a curse. They are masters of their own fates: if they obey God's commandments, they receive the blessings -- and vice versa.
The key commandment is to reject idol worship. There is said to be something magnetic about the practice of worshiping idols in the new land, such that it would be constant moral battle, both individually and collectively, in the land.
Nowadays, according to Jewish tradition, humanity has lost the urge for idol worship (and the antidote, which is divine prophecy) -- but there are several near substitutes, such as lust or excessive appetites for worldly pleasures.
We are wired for compulsive behaviors, bad habits, and even addictions. These ...
We have so much to talk about this week -- Trump's efforts to negotiate peace through negotiation, and Gavin Newsom's efforts to divide Americans through gerrymandering. We'll also talk about Playboy leaving LA and California.
Special guests:
Frances Martel - Breitbart News foreign editor, on Russia & Ukraine
Bradley Jaye - Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on Newsom
Harmeet Dhillon - DOJ Civil Rights Division chief, on the fight against DEI
Jessica Vaugn - Playboy model on political commentator, on California
Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET, 4-7 PT
Call: 866-957-2874
