I don't usually wander into the thicket of coronavirus data, because most people who do end up regretting it. But I was trying to find the answer to a question about minorities and vaccination (after President Biden called unvaccinated people "not smart," which is the opposite of my experience -- people who resist vaccines tend to have "too much" information, some of it less than credible).
The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) has great data on the topic. The trouble is, different data sets seem to tell a very different story. On the one hand, data on reported "intentions" shows that rural whites, evangelical Christians, and Republicans are far more likely to resist the vaccine.
https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/poll-finding/kff-covid-19-vaccine-monitor-june-2021/
On the other hand, data from state reports on actual vaccinations shows that blacks and Hispanics are less likely to have received at least one shot thus far.
What's the story here? Is it just response bias? Are some people lying to pollsters because they fear being pressured if they give the "wrong" answer?
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
