Democratic Party legislators in Texas have decided to leave the state to deny the Republican majority a quorum necessary to pass new bills on voting.
How ironic: denying a legislative vote, ostensibly to defend the right to vote.
This behavior is fundamentally anti-democratic, and we have seen it before -- in Texas in 2003, in Wisconsin in 2011, and elsewhere. The Madison "fleebaggers" -- a play on the pejorative term used by Democrats (and CNN) to describe the Tea Party movement -- upped the ante by bringing masses of demonstrators to the state capitol for weeks. Some of the left-wing protesters occupied the building, and damaged it. It was the first "insurrection" of the type that would later be repeated by left-wing activists in other state capitols -- and eventually by the January 6 rioters at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
If invading a legislative building to force (or prevent) a particular result is an insurrection, then leaving a legislative building for that same purpose is just as much an insurrection. Call it an "out-surrection." The movement is opposite, but the goal is the same: to use extra-legal means to exercise power.
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
