Joel Pollak
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I will share my thoughts about American politics, as well as current events in Israel and elsewhere, based on my experiences in the U.S., South Africa, and the Middle East. I will also discuss books and popular culture from the perspective of a somewhat libertarian, religiously observant conservative living in California. I will also share art and ideas that I find useful and helpful, and link to my content at Breitbart News, Amazon, and elsewhere.
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Police are rooted in Deuteronomy, not slavery

I learned something very interesting yesterday at synagogue about the origins of the police.

I was reading a commentary on the weekly Torah portion, which I had written about (drawing attention to the theme of "justice" in the text). The commentary pointed out that while the emphasis in the Torah is on judges, it also mentions the importance of "law enforcement officials" in Deuteronomy 16:18: "You shall set up judges and law enforcement officials for yourself in all your cities that the Lord, your God, is giving you, for your tribes, and they shall judge the people [with] righteous judgment."

The commentary noted that while in the Messianic age, people would not need police officers to enforce the law, in todays age we do. (My rabbi noted that the Biblical ideal was to have "counselors," not police, to assist in the administration of justice, in the perfect world in which human beings never sought to flout the law.)

The relevance of Deuteronomy 16:18 was not lost on the congregants. We have been told for more than a year by the luminaries of Black Lives Matter -- in the streets, on cable news, and in the editorial pages -- that modern-day policing is a legacy of slavery, somehow tracing its origins to the officers who were dispatched to catch slaves that had escaped. It always came across as complete garbage, but it was spoken with great confidence and with an air of high dudgeon.

The reality: anyone who has a Bible can learn that police have existed for thousands of years. Moreover, the people Moses were addressing (or their parents) had just emerged from slavery themselves. The Bible recognizes that police are essential to the protection of freedom.

Think of Deuteronomy 16:18 the next time you encounter BLM.

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Today's episode is devoted to the second anniversary of the October 7 terror attacks. It was produced before the announcement of a ceasefire deal, yet remains current & relevant.

Please listen, and #bringthemhome.

SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET (4-7 PT)

Weekly Torah reading: Ha'azinu (Deuteronomy 32:1-52)

This week's portion is a beautiful poem, containing the Covenant between God and the people of Israel. But given the breaking news that Hamas may actually have agreed to release all of the Israeli hostages, I will devote my remarks to that.

One hopes it is true; if so, it makes this week's additional reading, from II Samuel 22, even more relevant: David's song of praise to the Lord for delivering him from the hand of his enemies.

"18 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support."

https://www.chabad.org/parshah/torahreading.asp?aid=2495834&jewish=Haazinu-Torah-Reading.htm&p=complete

Breitbart News Sunday: September 28, 2028

So much to focus on this week -- and much breaking news. A peace deal in the Middle East, perhaps? Eric Adams dropping out of the mayor's race? And a looming shutdown as Democrats push their demands beyond absurdity.

Special guests:

  • Bradley Jaye - Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on the shutdown
  • John Carney - Breitbart News financial editor, on the upcoming jobs report
  • Jerome Hudson - Breitbart News entertainment editor, on the Kimmel fallout
  • Frances Martel - Breitbart News foreign editor, on the UN and Gaza talks
  • Matisyahu - award-winning reggae artist, on his new album, "Ancient Child"

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