Insights and Inspiration
from the
Holy Land
from
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend in Karmiel"
May 1st 2015 -Volume 5, Issue 25 -12th
Iyar 5775
Parshas Emor
Sefira Questions
Questions I have been asked this Sefirat Ha’Omer
period. “Am I allowed to listen to music if it keeps me awake while I’m driving?”
Answer- get yourself a coffee and stop driving and rest up. Certainly don’t
listen to any Torah Shiurim that may put you to sleep. “I’m just learning
how to play Guitar, am I allowed to continue to learn during Sefira? I’ve
heard you, my friend, that’s not music. However if you were actually playing
music there are many authorities that suggest it is better to be stringent
although there are those that are lenient as well. “I listened to music
during Chol Hamoed Pesach, can I still keep the first Sefira?” There are a
few customs as to what days of Sefira must be kept. One is permitted to switch
from year to year. Although it is kind of confusing and preferable to keep the
same thing. But you can’t just switch in the middle of the rodeo. If you maed a
mistake and listened it’s fine to continue. If you didn’t mean to start it then
you can’t count it as having started it. But don’t you think you should know
about it if you are in mourning. Hellaa-ohhh as my children would say.
And then of course you have the other important
Sefira Questions. “In the States I had to shave to go to work during Sefira
and my Rabbi told me it was fine. I moved to Israel and hoped I wouldn’t have
to but my boss has recently told me he wants me to shave. What should I do?”
Answer- move back to the States and ask your Rabbi there. Just Joking. Don’t
you work in a Falafel Store? The same law that applies in the States applies
here as well. But in Israel the custom is to make a bigger fight out of it. Because
it’s fun to fight. “Am I allowed to cut excess nostril hair or ear hair that
is bothering me??” Eeewwww. Yes, Bye. Note to self don’t answer phone
during dinner. May be that’s why some Rabbis have set times to answer calls. “Can
I buy new clothing during Sefira? How about second hand quality “gently used” clothing
from America at great prices from your wife?” Do I even have to answer that?
And so it goes, question after question. People who forgot the Sefira count or
more likely are not sure if they forgot. People with weddings, radio shows with
music. Acapella questions. For a period of time whose’ customs about music and
shaving are relatively new in the annals of Jewish history at most 1000 years
or so. Sefirat Ha’Omer the period of time when we commemorate the passing of
the students of Rabbi Akiva certainly keeps a Rabbi busy.
Questions I have not been asked during this Sefirat
Ha’Omer period. I noticed my neighbors kids walking around with clothing that
does not seem so nice. I want to help him out. Is it better if I jusrt drop off
a check or should I mention that I have credit in some stores that they can
use? I have a teacher who has made some anti-religious comments to me many of
them were very insulting. It is obvious that she really has no exposure to what
a true religious lifestyle is like. Do you think it is alright to invite her
for a Shabbat meal even if she might drive there or is better that I just
continue to treat her with respect and maybe just go out for coffee with her?
We are having elections and there are so many parties that have different views
that I have and some are even against the Torah and a Jewish lifestyle. Many of
my friends favorite pastime is sit around and plan how we will get more votes
than the other parties. Many times it leads to LAshon Harah, gossip and
speaking negatively about other people. Is it wrong of me to miss these
meetings and not help support the parties that really could use my efforts on
their behalf? I haven’t even been asked if it is wrong to play Acapella music
loudly of someone learning to play a guitar in your car if you are tired while
shaving your nose hair during chol hamoed if it bothers the person in the back
seat? It seems that these questions are not on peoples minds at all during
sefira. We’re too busy focusing on the music, the shaving, and even the
counting to pay any attention to what we are mourning. What it’s all about. Why
are we here and what could we do about it. What would Rabbi Akiva say?
This week’s Torah portion which discusses the mitzvah
of the counting of Omer, doesn’t mention any of the customs that we have today
during this period. That makes sense as it seems the customs which originated
way later after the passing of the students of Rabbi Akiva which according to
many of the early commentaries happened during the period of time of the battles of
the revolt against the Romans of Bar Kochva post-Temple. The Talmud says that
the reason for their death is because they did not treat each other with the
due respect. 24,000 students perished and all in this period of time between
Pesach and Shavuot. Some of the customs of getting married music and shaving
seem to have evolved during the periods of the Crusades which also took place
during this Sefira period. This is a time our sages described to focus on the
build-up from our Exodus from Egypt to the receiving of the Torah. Yet it is a
time as well to focus on how we treat one another.
Rabbi Akiva was perhaps the paradigm of someone
who understood that these two things are not separate. They are one and the
same. The same Rabbi Akiva who felt that the great rule of the Torah was that
one should love their neighbor as themselves, also was murdered while reciting
the Shema. Because it was the time to say Shema, not because those are great
last words to have. His love and his dedication for Torah was such that he
first started learning at age 40 going to kindergarden with his little child to
learn how to read Hebrew and ultimately learning his wife (with her permission
and even blessing) to go study for 24 years non-stop. He once described life
without Torah as a fish trying to live outside of the water. He understood the
significance of both worlds. Man and his fellow and man and his Creator. He
understood that Torah study was meant to refine a person in the way that he
treats his fellow man. He understood that ones love of his fellow man could
only be ultimately be fulfilled in its fullest if he was able to bring the
light of Torah from within himself to them as well.
Two fascinating stories in the Talmud of Rabbi
Akiva’s students and how they failed to appreciate his message. One describes a
student that answered a difficult question of his Rabbi and was beaming with
joy that he stumped his Rabbi. Rabbi Akiva expressed his shock “Yehuda, your
face is flushed because you have responded to the old man". You have
bested your rabbi, but not in a positive sense. Your response was in the nature
of an attack. Why are you so happy – look how you discomfited your teacher.
"I will be surprised if you live a long life”. The Talmud concludes
with the epilogue. ‘Rabbi Yehuda said in the name of Rabbi Ilai, that
incident occurred on the eve of Passover. 'On Atzeret (Shavuot) I inquired
after Yehuda ben Nehemia and I was told he had died.". The time of
year,it seems, this time of year seems to be a significant part
of the story.
Another story as well mentioned by the Talmud is
how once one of Rabbi Akiva's students became ill. None of the other students
visited him, but Rabbi Akiva personally went to see him and swept and cleaned
his room. This literally revived the student, who said, `Rabbi, you've brought
me back to life!' As soon as Rabbi Akiva left, he taught: `If a person does
not visit the sick, it is as if he shed blood!' Again the Talmud notes. No one
seemed to visit him. The students were probably busy learning Torah. Maybe they
excused themselves and said that student as well would have preferred they
study Torah in his merit rather than waste precious Torah time by schlepping out
to the hospital. I’m sure they even handed out little papers with the students
name and his mother’s name so they could study in his merit. But in the end
they were wrong. 24,000 of them and no one visited. No one swept and cleaned. No one treated him
with honor and respect. Except the Rosh Yeshiva himself; Rabbi Akiva. So they
died. They weren’t worthy of passing on the Torah to the next generation. They
saw Torah as an ends within itself and not as something that would enhance
their respect of one another. They died in the period between Pesach and
Shavuot because they weren’t counting up to the receiving of Hashem’s Torah
rather it was their own Torah they were concerned with the Torah that they
could smile and take pride and gloat
over. Not a Torah that would bring light and the beauty of Hashem to the world.
Not one that would bring honor to his people. To each and everyone of His
children.
So as we count our days to the receiving of the
Torah we want to remember what is important. We don’t shave, we don’t
celebrate. We don’t distract ourselves with music and festivities. We recognize
something is wrong. Something is missing. Our Torah’s light is not yet shining
fully to the world because I perhaps am preventing it from shining. My pettiness,
my self-aggrandizement and perhaps the wrong questions I am focusing on is
giving me the wrong answer still to our problems. Counting the Omer is a
beautiful mitzvah. Because it causes us to focus on how precious each day is.
You miss one, you can’t count with a blessing anymore. (Although you should
certainly continue to count without a blessing). Each day that we don’t grow
takes away from the entirety of our count to the Torah. Kind of like how each
Jew counts as well. If we’re missing one. We are missing a world. We are missing
our complete blessing. We have another few weeks left to count. To ask the
right questions. To become the right answers. And then we will reach that day
of Shavuot when we stood as one nation, under God, indivisible for holiness and
honor for all.
Have a beautiful Shabbos,
Rabbi
Ephraim Schwartz
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RABBI SCHWARTZ'S VIDEOS OF THE WEEK
Great cartoon about Rabbi Akiva and Lag Ba’Omer
Acapella on Israeli TV by Kippalive
American style Akapella Shiru Lamelech
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE
WEEK
While in the states I picked up a great book with
yiidsh quotes and wisdom and I have always wanted to teach my kids Yiddish so
here we go each week another great proverb in yiddish maybe you guys will learn
it too!!
“A
chaver iz nit dafke der vos visht dir op di trern nor der vos brengt dikh
bekhlal nit tsi trern..”
A
friend is not someone who wipes your tears; he’s someone who doesn’t make you
cry
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S FAVORITE QUOTES OF THE WEEK
“Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the
law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the
cemetery.”-Malcolm X
“Laziness is the mother of all habits
but ultimately she is the mother and we should respect her”- Anonymous
“Ben (the son of) Zoma said:
Who is wise? He who learns from all people, Who is strong? He who conquers his
evil inclination, Who is rich? He who is satisfied with his lot. Who is
honored? He who honors others.”– Ethics of our Fathers Pirkey Avot
RABBI
SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK
(answer below at end of Email)
At which
of the following sites is there an observatory for migrating birds?
A.
Ma’aleh
Shaharut
B.
Near
Eilat
C.
Timna
Park
D.
Ne’ot
Smadar
.RABBI SCHWARTZ'S COOL MIDRASH OF THE WEEK
At the conclusion of
this weeks Torah Portion it shares with us the story of the Blasphemer and Moshe
who orders his detention until he clarifies his punishment with Hashem. Incidentally
the death stoning. The Midrash notes this is one of four times in the Torah
that Moshe did not know the law until he consulted with Hashem. The other three
being the law of the gatherer of sticks on Shabbos in violation of the law
(stoning for him as well), The case of the Jews who were impure and couls not
bring the Pesach offering in it’s time-Hashem commanded them to bring it a
month later (this Sunday the 15th of Iyar). And finally the
inheritance of the daughters of Tzlefchad who died in regards to their
inheritance in the land of Israel (they do inherit!). The midrash Yerushalmi
notes that the first two cases that were a question of the death penalty Moshe
locked them up and delayed the judgement demonstrating that Jewish courts
should be circumspect in regards to matter of life and death. In the last two
cases he immediately finalized the judgement in order to teach that matters
regarding money and personal matters should not be postpones. In all the cases
Moshe announced publicly that he did not know how to proceed, in order to reach
the judges of all the coming generations that even the greatest of all teachers
could profess ignorance, so they certainly should feel comfortable doing so.
It’s good to have
leaders that don’t seem to profess to know everything.
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S COOL THINGS TO DO IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK
Camping out – In America I was used to my KOA and Yogi Bear
campgrounds. Nice set up, water electricity and quiet time. Israel not so much.
Here if I had to estimate at least half the country has done some camping out. People
bring their tents and bags and pretty much feel free to plop them down wherever
they like. A night on the beach, in the woods, and mountains and in the negev and
wilderness. Here camping is not just exploring the country on the cheap but its
actually experiencing Israel in the same way our ancestors did. It’s pretty
cool that people just make their campfires and spend the night wherever they
want. You can almost hear the echoes of our grandparents that once lived here
in the sparks of the flames. One can look up at the stars at night and think
about Gods promise to Abraham. Camping in Israel is the real deal!
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RABBI SCHWARTZ'S OMER JOKE OF THE WEEK
Top Ten Signs Your Rabbi has probably lost count
of the Omer
10. Claims "It's too early to count." It's 10pm.
9. Wishes the entire congregation a "Happy Lag Baomer!"
on day 23
8. When you ask him "what night did we count last
night?" He asks you for multiple choice
7. Keeps wondering when Tishah B'Av will be so he can shave
already
6. You're pretty sure you just heard him count the 84th day of the
omer
5. You just realized, he's counting down
4. Apparently Day 13 now has "9 weeks and 3 days" to it
3. First time in the history of man: rabbi actually passes an
honor off to cantor/Chazan
2. As he's reciting the blessing, you notice his son in the back
of the synagogue who is trying desperately to sign 17 with his hands
1. Proudly recites blessing and day off of his handy dandy
Omer-Count calendar, dated 2006
Answer is B: All of the sites listed
above are Deep down south sites. Maaleh Shacharut is a nice hike and even more
fun jeep ride of some beautiful overlooks. Timna Park about 35 miles north of
Eilat is the worlds oldest copper mines and all types of cool rock formations.
Neot Smadar is kind of a funky hippieish kibbutz in the Arava with a lot of
artists and eco conscious people. The birds though are of course in Eilat. They
know where to party.
