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Richard Nixon, resigned from office, told interviewer David Frost, “If the president does it, that means it’s not illegal.” Howls of scorn met that remark. Donald Trump and his supporters evidently agree with Nixon. Regarding the FBI’s seizure of documents from Mar-a-Lago, the far right’s protests against the Department of Justice and FBI include many…
What constitutes the great American sin? Consider an antecedent in this week’s Torah portion, “V’Etchanan” (“I implored”)—Deuteronomy 3:23–7:11. My commentary involves door-to-door sales, carried interest and mega yachts. Re Torah, Moses implores God to let him lead the Israelites into Canaan. God, angered by Moses’ previously striking a rock, rather than speaking to it, to…
The basketball great Bill Russell died a week ago at 88. During the 50s and 60s, he led the Boston Celtics to 11 NBA championships in 13 years. But this post isn’t about basketball. It’s about life. Russell was an outspoken man. He was never concerned about the impression he made, but his words made…
The House Select Committee on January 6 concluded its summer hearings last week with a detailed examination of the 187 minutes during which Donald Trump did nothing to halt the invasion of the Capitol. But testimony at an earlier hearing frightened me as much or more. On June 21, Gabriel Sterling, chief operating officer of…
My friend Collin, whom I mentored for conversion to Judaism, married Hanna in Maine. Carolyn and I attended, enjoying a small vacation in the Pine Tree State. Ziplining at the wedding was only of the delights we shared. Air travel concerns? Sure. But our Delta flight from SFO to New York’s JFK left on time.…
This week’s Torah portion, “Shelach-Lecha” (“Send” or “Send for Yourself”), shares something with Texas Republicans’ 2022 platform. It’s frightening. Numbers 13 tells of twelve Israelite chieftains sent by Moses to scout out Canaan, the land God promised to Israel. On returning, ten “spies” display a grievous lack of faith. They concede that the land “does…
From 1961 through the ’70s, Levy’s Real Jewish Rye Bread ran a celebrated advertising campaign in New York. It’s worth a thought when we talk about casting actors in films and on TV. The Levy’s campaign (agency: Doyle Dane Bernbach) featured obviously non-Jewish models across the ethnic spectrum. Smiling, each held up a piece of…
The British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli is cited for mentioning “lies, damned lies, and statistics.” Numbers can confuse us. This is true of Torah and American gun violence. This week, we begin the Book of Numbers. One year after the exodus from Egypt, God commands Moses to conduct a census of Israelite males age 20…
Last weekend in Los Angeles, Carolyn and I helped our son with a project for his summer anthropology class at Pasadena Community College. It involved a beloved family recipe and offers a lesson that should be familiar to Americans but too often isn’t. Yosi had to make a short video and write up a report…