City of Brotherly Love- Vayeishev 2017 / 5777

Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land
from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

December 8^th 2017 -Volume 8 Issue 8 20^th Kislev 5778

Parshat Vayeishev

City of Brotherly Love

 

It wasn’t that much of change moving from Des Moines, Iowa to Norfolk, Virginia. Sure the weather was nicer in Virginia, We had a flayshig kosher option called the Kosher Place- although in Des Moines we had Maccabees Deli as well. There were less people in our shul driving there on Shabbos in Norfolk. But for your basic New Yorker they were both “Out of Town”. Well that’s not entirely accurate. Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago and even Baltimore are out of town. Norfolk and Des Moines are more like the midbar- the wilderness for NY’ers on the same planet as Timbuktu.

 But I’m not talking about the Jewish experience in these cities, I’m referring to the people there. See Des Moines and Norfolk are both salt-of the earth, warm, friendly and talkative people. Coming from New York it was a major adjustment. I remember the first time I came to Des Moines and was on my way home from shul and someone waved and wished me a good evening. I was taken aback. What did he want? Did I do something wrong? Was he trying to hit me up for money? I waved and walked on quickly. But he came running after me. I was getting nervous. I smiled and lowered my eyes as is the appropriate non-threatening NY greeting. But he insisted on schmoozing. How’s my family, how was my move, what did I have for dinner last night, is there something he could help me with in settling in. I just nodded no and looked at my watch. That is a polite New York gesture for ‘No thank you, I have to go. He gave me a big hug after my pretty much monosyllabic answers- which is what you’re trained to do in NY, and wished me a good night. Once again. hmmmm…. Something is strange here.

Slowly I learned that’s what people do in civilized places. People talk to one another. They greet each other and schmooze. I tacked on a few extra minutes to my schedule each day to say good morning to everyone after Shacharis and talk about the weather, my family and last night’s World News and the same for the evening after Maariv. It was nice.

Virginia was pretty much the same experience, just laced with that special southern draaawwwlll…” How y’all doin?” We were greeted with lots of home-baked apple pies, lots of friendly neighborly conversations. Even our gentile neighbors would schmooze each day as we picked up the newspaper from our front lawn. A lawn is this green stuff that grows from the ground in front of your house- for those New Yorkers that are reading right now. Y’know kind of like what you see in the park. No not Boro Park. I mean a Park-Park, where goyim walk their dogs. J.

Now Seattle was a jarring difference though. In Seattle nobody talks to anyone. They text. They message. They ignore and pretend that you don’t exist. People move to Seattle to get away from everyone else in the country and most of them really want to move to Canada. Most people work in Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing or some other hi-tech place where they don’t really have to interact with anyone that’s not on their computer. Hashem barely brings sunshine to the city because He knows that people really aren’t interested in seeing each other and it’s much easier to run past people or stay indoors all day if it’s raining outside. When I was expressing my culture shock to someone over there. He asked me if it was worse than New York. I told him that in New York people at least had the courtesy to swear at you. You existed. They had strong feelings about the way you drove, you voted, you smelled or you did business. In Seattle they didn’t even see you. He walked away from me. I don’t know if he heard me.

But the truth is, it was precisely that culture that made us successful there. We started off our first week of services in the West Seattle TLC (Torah Learning Center) after weeks of advertising and phone calls with an 11 year old boy and a goy. By the time we left 6 years later we had 30-40 coming every Shabbos ( Yes, Jews- See I know what you’re thinking, although we did have our fair share on gentiles as well). We had hundreds coming to classes and programs, we had a Monday and Thursday minyan as well. We became a family. It was wonderful.

See there’s a natural desire for human connection. It’s lonely being alone. The first statement Hashem tells Man is that it is not good for man to be alone. He gave us our wife. Her job is to make sure we never have any alone time again. And thus the quest for the ultimate man cave began. As well as the migration to Seattle.

Well it wasn’t only to Seattle that man began moving to in order to not have to talk and communicate with others. Our story of our first exile to Egypt pretty much began the same way. This week’s Torah portion tells us what happens when brothers can’t talk to one another. In fact not talking seems to be the subtle theme that follows through the entire saga. Our Parsha begins with Yosef, the favored of the 12 tribes, incurring the jealousy and ultimately the hatred of his brothers.

Bereshit (37:4) And his brothers saw that their father loved him from all his brothers, and they hated him and they could not-dabro- speak to him for peace.

Rashi seems to see in this their praise that they couldn’t speak with him “one with their mouths and one with their hearts”. They weren’t politically correct. They weren’t two faced. They were Israeli. Well almost Israeli. See Israelis, like NY’ers say what is in their hearts. They don’t pull punches. The brothers of Yosef-practiced what my mother used to tell me. If you have nothing nice to say, then don’t say anything. OK, she still tells me that… The problem with not saying anything though is that it just builds up resentment. It builds up hatred. Our souls want to connect. To be at harmony and peace within one another. With our brother. And if we don’t engage, there is that tension that is always bubbling on the surface. Yosef repeatedly tries to engage his brother in conversation. He shares with them his dreams. His vision of them uniting as sheaves of wheat, as stars, all bowing to him. It is a true dream and vision. They would ultimately do that. Yet, he doesn’t really get it. They are not interested. Their bowing is meant to come from inspiration from a realization of a shared mission and vision. That can only happen through brotherhood and communication. But as the Torah tells us in its perfect and precise language

“Vayosifu od sno oso al chalomosuv v’al devaruv- and they added on to their hatred of him on his dreams and on his-words”.

I say perfect and precise language, because those words keep coming back. Vayosifu- and they added- is the same root as Yosef-He should add. But rather than add brotherhood, they added od sno es devaruv. They added od-more hatred for his dibur; his words.

Yaakov, the father, who like all fathers wanted only one thing, for his children to unite and be one, “guarded the-davar-words”. He waited and hoped that the unspoken words between the brothers would finally come.

When the brothers leave to shepherd, Yaakov sees and hopes the opportunity has come. He sends Yosef on the mission that changed Jewish history forever. He is specific what he is seeking.

Ibid (37:14) Please go and see the peace of your brother and the peace of the sheep. And return me davar- words.

One can almost hear Yaakov talking. ‘Talk to them Yosef, work it out. Maybe talk about the sheep to get the conversation going, but talk, talk and talk. Bring me their words… Return them to brotherhood; to peace’

Yosef arrives at his brothers and the Torah tells us

Ibid (37:18) And they see him from a distance and before he came close to them and they plotted to kill him.

They saw him from a distance. They feared if he came close they might have to confront him with their feelings. They might have to talk. He might be successful in bringing those words of peace. They might have to bring up their resentments. They might have to do the painful self-reflection on their part of this dispute, this fight, this ideological battle. Better to kill him. Better to sell him down the stream. Anything but to talk.

It takes years. But the day comes. Much later on in Parshat Vayigash, decades, lifetimes, and countries apart, the brothers are all in Egypt and Yosef can hold it in no longer. He has met with them, he has schmoozed with them. He has found out about their families. About their father. That longing for family conversation has been actualizing, but it has all been a scam. They don’t know that it is Yosef. They don’t realize that it is their brother they have been talking with. Yosef was sent on a mission to bring back those brotherly words of peace and the moment has finally come to complete that mission. He sends out the Egyptians. He sends out everyone. It is him and his brothers finally alone together in a room, perhaps for the first time. Yosef begins to weep.

Ibid(45:3) And Yosef said to his brothers ‘I am Yosef Ha’od Vai Chai- is my father od- still-alive.

Remember how Vayosifu od- They added on more hatred? Can you now accept me as od Yosef. Can we talk? Can we add brotherhood? Can I bring back your words of peace to our father? It is all he was living for. Is he still alive?

And the brothers could not answer him for they were disconcerted before him

Awwwkwardd…. As my kids would say. They still couldn’t do it. What do you do when the other doesn’t want to talk? When your brother can’t and won’t speak with you?

Yosef gives us the lesson we should never forget.

Ibid (45:15) And he kissed all of his brothers and he cried on them.

Rashi tells us so beautifully and precisely

Hosif baneshika menashek v’holeich- he added kisses. He kissed and continued

Yosef, the man who had been adding words, realized that what he needed to add was kisses, hugs, tears. He was finally able to get close. He was no longer at a distance. There were no more plots. None of Yosef’s, behind their back, or theirs behind his. It was all on the table. It works.

After all these years the verse concludes

V’Acharey Kein Dibru Echov Ito- And after this the brothers spoke to him

The conversation has begun. The mission of us going down to Egypt has been accomplished.

Ibid (45:16) The voice was heard in the house of Pharaoh saying the brothers of Yosef have come. And it was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and they eyes of his slaves.

We have arrived. We can survive our 400 year exile in Egypt. We can make it through any exile that we are ever sent to. We can raise up the sparks of the entire world. We just have to connect with one another, as that is the only way that the rest of the world will ever connect to us. That they will see the good, as Pharaoh and his servants did in us. That they will connect to Hashem, as One.

I have no expectations that in Seattle people will ever talk to one another. It’s not the city that is meant to be the one of “brotherly love”. Hate to tell you, but neither is Philadelphia. There is one city whose name is an acronym of two words- They will see peace. It’s gotten a lot press this week. It is meant to be the capital of Israel. In the historic words of our President (It’s been a long time since I’ve used those two words together) it is “the capital the Jewish people established in ancient times.” We established it as our capital, not because of its strategic or central location. It really is not too strategically located and Shechem is a lot more central. Not because of its great weather, or even because of the great shwarma stores that they have there. It is located in between two tribes. Yehuda, the representative of the children of Leah and Binyamin, of Rachel. It is the place and symbol of brothers sharing. It is the place where all brothers will come and unite in prayer. It is not a place of demonstrations, divisions and strife. It is meant to be a place of extremism. Extreme love. Extreme brotherhood. Extreme peace. Yerushalayim- See its peace. That is the city of Hashem. That is our capital. United forever.

Have a historic peaceful Shabbos of the year!!

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

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RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

“Az du krigst zikh, krig zikh az du zolst zikh kenen iberbetn.” When you fight, do it in a manner that will allow you to make up.

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

Q. “Magic Carpet” is a name given to the Aliyah of Jews from:

a. Ethiopia

b. Morocco

c. Bulgaria

d. Yemen

RABBI SCHWARTZ COOL VIDEOS OF THE WEEK

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/haneiros-halalu - Rabbi Schwartz original Haneiros Halalu composition in honor of Chanukah !!

https://youtu.be/UpgMAmkxgBs   - Israel Prime Ministers on Yerushalayim

https://youtu.be/YRz7UsYhRg4   - Menachem Begin and Shlomo Carlebach Cool!

https://youtu.be/4A6JDyvhvAc  -Rabbi Shalom Gold on Yerushalayim POWERFUL!

https://youtu.be/GvEXuQvTtEM   -An Upbeat Im Eshkocheich Yerushalayim

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S HAFTORA CONNECTION OF THE WEEK

There are some Midrashim that become so famous and accepted that sometimes we mistake it for the text itself. One of the ones that I recall from my childhood days is that the brothers of Yosef sold him for a pair of shoes. It doesn’t say or even allude to this in the text as far as I am aware. However the source for this seems to be this week’s Haftora, and it just goes to show you how well versed in the Haftorah the Jewish people were that it became to be assumed that this is in the story itself.

The Haftorah begins with the with the statement

Amos (2:6) They have sold for silver a righteous one and the needy for a pair of sandals…”

Yet as we know the Haftorah choice is not just for one verse the entire reading is meant to really interpret and give us the insight of our sages into the parsha. And thus our Haftora talks about a man and his father going to a maiden and desecrating Hashem’s name. This would certainly seem to be a reference to the story in our parsha of Yehuda and his children Er and Onan who all sin with the maiden Tamar and how that was a Chilul Hashem (that ultimately was rectified with Yehuda’s confession). It can also be a reference to Yosef in Egypt being seduced by the wife of his taskmaster Potifar and ultimately he also stops as a result of the desecration of Hashem’s name.

The image that Amos gives us of

Ibid (2:8) “they recline on pawned garments beside every altar and they drink the wine of victims they penalized in the Temples of their gods.”

is not only a warning to the Jews in his era, but it is meant to bring up the memory of the brothers of Yosef who had taken away his colored coat, while he was laying in the pit that they threw him while they ate and drank.

The final part of the Haftora as well reveals to us one of the most important secrets of the Parsha. It is a series of questions Amos poses that all point us to the hand of Hashem in everything that happens in this world. Two people walk together- not by chance- but because Hashem thus decreed. This could be Yosef meeting the Butler and Baker in prison, The angel that Yosef bumps into on the way down to his brothers.

Does a lion roar if he has no captured prey, does a bird fall on a trap if it does not have a snare? Does the shofar sound in a city and the people not tremble? The Lord Hashem has spoken who will not prophesize.

Nothing is random, the Navi is telling us. Hashem sent us to Egypt. He sends us to all of our Exiles in order to hear His voice. That our souls should tremble. The Jews went down to Egypt because it was a divine decree. It was foretold to Avraham years before. It is part of the Divine plan. We need to view history in that way. That is the lesson the prophet and our parsha is teaching us.

Amos (760 BC)-  He wasn’t from a school or yeshiva of prophets. He was a simple shepherd and a dresser of sycamore trees. He lived in one of the most prosperous periods during the first temple. The two kingdoms of Israel the Northern and Southern were reconciling under Yeravam the second and Amatzia the King of Judah. And as in all times of prosperity, we Jews seem to lose our way and thnk that we have finally made it. Amos’s job was to set that notion straight. He speaks of justice, charity and decries the worship of idols and particularly the golden calves that were placed in Beit El. Yet despite all of his rebukes and prophecies of exile and punishment. He also speaks of the ultimate return to Israel that we experience today. The land flourishing once again and ruins being rebuilt.

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S ERA’S AND THEIR PLACES AND PEOPLE IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK

Abrahamic borders of Israel 1742 BC – The first time Hashem promises Avraham the land, by the Bris Bein Habesarim-the covenant of pieces. It is a big country. One that we have never conquered and still await. You know how the arabs talk about the greater Muslim empire. Well maybe we should start talking about the greater biblical Israel. Which is incidentally probably about as large as Russia and bigger than the United States. The borders Hashem tell us are

Bereshit (15:18-21) From the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates

This would put us not only through Egypt but all the way down through the Sudan in Africa and pretty much till Ethiopia.

The Keini, Kenizi, Kadmoni, Chitti Prizi. Refaim, Emori, Canaani, Girgashi and the Yevusi

Like me you have no clue where all these place are. But one thing I can tell you is that most of them are not in modern day Israel. But Rashi and other commentaries assure us that the first three are Amon, Moav and Edom- which is pretty much Jordan and the Negev. The other countries are in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Yemen Lebanon and parts of Turkey and Syria as well.

Here’s a little map so you can appreciate it.

                                    

I like to mention this map and promise whenever I am in places where people wonder if this is really Israel or not. For example the Negev or Eilat area which are outside of the borders that Moshe is given to tell the Jewish people. Or in the Golan or even up by Rosh Hanikra which were not part of the biblical borders- although the Golan and Jordan were in fact given to the tribes of Reuvein and Gad. As well pretty much when anyone looks out from any border of Israel. Be it in the South by Eilat into Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan or in the North to Lebanon and Syria, it’s good to tell your tourists that one day all of that will be ours as well. Take that UN!

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S JEWISH  JOKES OF THE WEEK

A Hebrew School teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds.

After explaining the commandment to "honor" thy Father and thy Mother, she asked, "Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?"

Without missing a beat one little boy (the oldest of a family) answered, "Thou shall not kill."

 Shloimy and Yanky were arguing incessantly. Finally their Mom had enough. "Quiet already! You two kids are always fighting.  Why can't you agree once in a while?"
 Yanky said "We do agree, Shloimy wants the largest apple and so do I."

Having had enough she sent them outside to go sledding. Not much later she heard them fighting again. She screamed out the “Don't be selfish. Let your brother use the sled half the time.”
Shloimy shouted back “I do, Mom. I use it going down the hill and he gets to use it
coming up!”

Mom had the perfect solution. Next time Yanky came home from school and said “I hate Shloimy’s guts” She said “OK I won’t put it in your sandwiches anymore.”

Chaim was listening to his sister practice her singing. ' Rivky' he said, 'I wish you'd sing
Chanuka songs.'
'That's nice of you, Chaim' she replied. 'Why?'
'Then I'd only have to hear you once a year !'

What is your father's job?' asked the Morah on the first day of the new academic year.
'He's a magician, Ma'am,' said the Yanky.
'How interesting. What's his favorite trick?'
'He saws people in half.'
'Wow! now, next question. Any brothers or sisters?'
'One half brother and two half sisters.'

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S CHANUKAH CARTOON OF THE WEEK

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Answer is D – OK I know its not easy to remember all of the different names of the aliyahs to Israel. As a tour guide we don’t neccesarily speak much about the different names or types of Jews. I find questions like this to be more like trivia then anything else. But it is certainly a legitimate question. So here we go. The Ethiopian aliyas were Operation Moses and Solomon and a little unknown one recently called Operaion Doves wings. The largesst Aliya to Israel from an arab country with close a quarter million Olim are Moroccans their Aliya is called Operation Yachin, after one of the pillars in the Temple and a lesser known operation called Mural that smuggled in children. I don’t even know any particular name for the Bulgarian Aliya, if anyone does let me know. But the Yemenite Aliya is the Magic carpet one in Hebrew though it is known as Kanfie Nesharim- or wings of eagles- a much more appropriate name if you ask me, as it refers to Hashem’s promise and return of his people back home rather than to Aladdin’s. But they never asked me. Interesting as well it was also called Operation Biat Mashiach-Mashiach is coming- now that’s a cool piece of trivia.