The parsha we read before Rosh Hashanah, Nitzavim, begins with a dramatic event: the entire people of Israel, men, women, and children, the strangers among them, from the hewers of wood to the drawers of water, even, as the Torah remarkably claims, “those who are not here with us today” – the future generations - are gathered together to reaffirm the covenant with God, and be established as God’s nation.

The ongoing attack on democracy, the constitution, civility, and the health of the nation and the planet, being led by Trump and his henchmen, continues apace. I am not going to bother to list his almost daily high crimes and misdemeanors, or explain the damage he is doing to the democratic process and the rule of law – read or watch the news (even, remarkably, on Fox!).

Parshat V’etchanan contains some lovely and powerful verses about the way Israel is, or should be, seen and understood by the other nations of the world, and how we should see ourselves. Moshe says: “Behold I have taught you laws and statutes which the Lord God commanded me, to do these things in the land which you are entering into to possess. And you shall take care and do them for this is your wisdom and understanding in the eyes of the nations, who will hear all these laws and say ‘how utterly wise and intelligent this great nation is’.

In all of the insanity and stupidity of this past week, all over the globe, it’s certainly difficult to choose the worst of the perverse decisions, statements, and policies that were rolled out by our “leaders”.

In the ongoing conversation/argument about women and Judaism (I know; can you believe this is still going on?)  a trope one still hears quite often from the religious right is: “But what is their motivation? Why do they really want to pray together with women (or with men)/read a ketuba/be Rabbis/study Torah so much? Do they really care about the Mitzvah, or is this just an attempt to get something?

The story of Moshe hitting, rather than talking to, the rock, and thereby producing water, is a vexing one. The various commentaries twist themselves into veritable pretzels trying to figure out what exactly was “the sin”; what was so bad about Moshe’s behavior that, because of it, he was punished by being kept out of the Land of Israel.

The innocent victims of the Trump presidency are many, ranging from parents and children who have viciously and illegally been torn apart and minorities – including the Jews – who are more marginalized and less safe than before, to the very notions of honesty, decency, and civility. I’d like to focus on one particular victim – language - and its sidekick, logical thought.

In Parshat Naso,  we have the final touches put on the Mishkan - the Tabernacle – which was built by the people of Israel in the desert. These consist of two sets of gifts brought by the heads of the tribes: six wagons, pulled by two oxen apiece to be used by the Levites to haul the vessels and components of the Mishkan, and twelve identical sacrifices, consisting of animal and grain offerings, and incense, as a celebratory dedication of the altar.

Having just celebrated Lag B’omer, I thought we’d take a look at Rabban  Shimon Bar Yochai, the hero of the day, together with the parsha we read this Shabbat (in Israel), Behar.

This week’s parsha, Emor, closes on a particularly sour note: