News and commentary for Monday, 21 July, 2025.

Finally, the topic is TREASON. And it’s about time.

This week’s annual cycle Torah reading is parsha “Pinchas,” Numbers 25:10-30:1) and it contains what is sometimes perhaps one of the most perplexing stories in the Torah, that of the cohen or priest Pinchas, who runs through two open idolators with a spear, and is awarded the eternal “Covenant of Peace (Shalom)” by YHVH Himself for the effort.

The Erev Shabbat reading:

The Sabbath Day midrash is all about the ‘apparent’ contradiction. Actually, contradictions, plural:

No wonder it’s been called “problematic.”

And yet the story is undeniable. The connections to the prophet Eliyahu, or Elijah, who was also notably “zealous” (the Hebrew word is the same, as Mark points out) for YHVH are dramatic, and referenced in both the haftorah selection, and even Paul’s commentary in Romans 11.

And Eliyahu, too, had a hand in the deaths of SO many pagan “priests of Baal.”

How do we connect these dots?

The combined two-part reading and Sabbath midrash:

Host Mark Call takes a look back at some of the major events and incredible acts of self-immolation during still another of the most explosive weeks of the new administration, ending Saturday, 10 July, 2025.

And still no real sign of the truly different kinds of 180’s necessary to “repair the breach.”

David Justice and Mark Call discuss the major events of the week, just how badly the Trump Administration has been damaged, and what may thus matter next.

In just over a week, the incompetence and perfidy surrounding the botched “Epstein Hoax” has become as big a threat to the new administration as another assassination attempt. But it smells more like suicide.

Host Mark Call suggests that the latest “Trump 180” is in fact so jarring that it’s almost plausible to believe the man who ran so effectively for President on a platform antithetical to what has been happening lately is some type of body double, or AI replacement.

And whatever the Truth might be, it sure looks like something big has come apart at the seams. There are vital considerations at play now:

“From Complacency to Disillusionment – in less than 6 Months”

News and commentary for Thursday, 17 July, 2025.

News and commentary for Wednesday, 16 July, 2025.

News and commentary for Monday, 14 July, 2025.

This week’s annual Torah cycle reading is parsha “Chukat,” (Numbers 22:2-25:9) and represents a unique shift from the story of the mixed multitude “in the wilderness” to that of a pagan king who – much like Pharoah before the Exodus – is afraid of the people now lead by Moses.

And it’s a story that is part comedy, part prophecy, and a large part Today’s Headlines.

The Erev Shabbat reading:

The Sabbath Day midrash begins where the story leaves off. Can a nation once undeniably blessed manage to curse itself?

The combined two-part reading and Sabbath midrash:

Host Mark Call takes a look back at some of the major events and incredible whoppers unleashed during one of the most explosive weeks of the new administration, ending Saturday, 12 July, 2025.

And unless they start making different kinds of 180’s – that may not be all that ends.