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Wednesday, February 28, 2018

The Crisis Solution Revelation of Esther- Purim 2018 /5778


In-Tights and Procrastinations
from the 
 Rolly Man
Your Friend (who you haven’t contributed lately to) in Karmiel
The Karmielereh Rebbe
Reb Froyem Shvartz Shlit”A

March 1st 2018 CE - Volume 8 Issue 20 14th Adar 5778
Purim Spoof Edition

Rabbi Schwartz's annual Top Ten List...
The Crisis Solution Revelation of Esther

It is the eternal book. It is the revealer of all hidden things. There are more secrets inside of this scroll, named after this famous woman. More intrigue, more revelations about scandals, infidelity, plots, conspiracies and yes even murder than any other book in the history of the world. No, I am not talking about Hillary Clinton’s personal diary. Why would you even think that? She never wrote a scroll J, and is pretty much not famous anymore JJ. Click Click…. Just lost some angry democrats who deleted this E-Mail. I don’t know why they take this so personally… Ahhh well they were never really sponsors anyways, although they did want the government or at least the top “one percenter” to pay for my weekly E-Mail or at least subsidize it. Something that I actually fully agreed with.
 No, the book I am I referring to of course is the Book of Esther. The book of Esther one of the last holy Jewish Books to be written in history. I mean holy books with divine spirit. We have plenty of holy books written since then. In fact there is an excellent one-that quite possibly was actually written with Ruach Hakodesh- that I can recommend that is humbly called “The Most Enjoyable Book You will Ever Read about Pesach” that can be purchased by clicking on the following link http://holylandinsights.blogspot.co.il/2016/04/rabbi-schwartzs-new-bookmost-enjoyable.html Incidentally and for your convenience once there you can also make that contribution and E-Mail sponsorship you have been telling yourself you really should have made already. But Esther is one of the last certainly. Our sages tell us that the Book of Esther will in fact be an eternal book. Whereas all other holidays will be nullified when Mashiach comes, Purim will be forever and its Meggilla always read. I bet you can’t wait until you don’t have to Pesach clean, or build a Sukka anymore, although I will probably miss Latkas and Doughnuts on Chanuka and Blintzes on Shavuot. The reason for this of course is because the Book of Esther is for every generation. “Bi’chol dor vador” It is written on every door. No I mean in it’s for every generation.
The Meggila is a mysterious holy book. Hashem’s name is hidden inside of it. One has to drink a real lot to see it. It’s kind of like most of Jewish history in fact. We have so much suffering, persecution, anti-Semitism, heartburn and psoriasis. There are times you wonder where Hashem is.  There are others where you wonder where your Tums or your Metamucil might be. Yet if we ponder deeply, reflect and look at the big picture we will see His hand. It is that light at the end of the tunnel. It is that salvation that always picks us up… well at least most of the time… OK maybe not most, but really a lot of the time. The other times He’s just testing us and rewarding us later…or atoning… or trying to get us to do teshuva…or speeding up the exile by intensifying it… Whatever… Hashem is always there… OK! I know it, you know it and Purim we celebrate it.
How do we know it? See that’s the special thing about Purim. We’re supposed to drink until we don’t know. Because once you don’t know that you know then you all of a sudden you know that you know. And that in fact you have always known. Even when you thought you didn’t know that you knew. And then you realize that it doesn’t even make a difference if you know or you don’t know because there are free Hamantashen and another glass of wine to drink and somebody to dance with and he’s not even Breslav. Get it? If you don’t then drink up.
Now once you understand all of that, what you then see is that all of the challenges and seeming crises that you may be facing or that our generation might be suffering from are really in fact not just random or even self-inflicted problems or challenges. They are from Hashem, our loving Father, our holy King, the Creator of Heaven and Earth and the One who enlightened Mankind with the idea of making Chulent. It is all good.
Now because I am dedicated to you my dear readers, I have taken upon myself to reveal some of the secrets of how Hashem within the Book of Esther revealed to us the solutions to the modern day “crises” facing the our nation. This was not a task I took lightly as there are many serious issues we are facing. I understood that although the solutions seem clear to everyone when they drink on Purim. But the problem is that we kind of forget them when we wake up the next morning with a hangover. It is like an angel taps us on our upper lip like when we were in the womb, or like someone wacked me in the mouth with their toy sword while I was rolling around on the ground in a stupor. That wasn’t you, Aliza was it? So this year I decided to get drunk before Purim for your sakes. That way I can have that great revelation and tell you the answers you seek to how to resolve these incredible issues our generation faces while you are still sober. Fascinatingly enough and just like our annual tradition here in our Purim E-Mai; Hashem has revealed to me, like the ten commandments and like the ten words that world was created with, and like the ten plagues and like the ten sons of Haman. Yes it is that long awaited for time of year….drumrollllllll….. Please stand up and raise your glasses to
Rabbi Schwartzes Top Ten Solutions to Current Issues found in the Megilla
Issue number 10) facing the Jewish world. Rabbi Schwartz has stopped smoking. He used to be a very nice and calm person. He had patience for everyone he met and dealt with. Particularly really whiny, kvetchy children that he would take on tours and who wondered if we were there yet 5 minutes after we left or why he got the front last time or he’s kicking pinching or looking at me types. As well old people that need to go to the bathroom five minutes after we left somewhere and I asked anyone if they had to go. For that matter mothers that think they know better than the tour guide what their children want to do “they really like to learn about rocks and the Torah personality and insights… no they certainly don’t want to shoot real guns and go jeeping through the desert”. Or even annoying drivers that come late, that don’t know the way or Israeli sites that open and close at random time and at their own discretion.  Yes Rabbi Schwartz had patience for all of these people. Because he would sneak behind the bus, pretending to take a very important phone call from a congregant of his that needed his incredible halachic expertise, and just light up and breath in and out, letting all his anxiety go away. He can’t do this anymore. He is aggravated he yells at everyone. He even gained like 50 pounds and can barely fit into the shower. This is a crisis for Klal Yisrael, for without Israel’s most popular tour guide the country will go bankrupt. Particularly all the mehadrin restaurants he brings everyone to. What is the solution?
Solution: Just as the Megilla tells us Haman as well stopped smoking. As it says vayimaleh Haman chayma- and Haman became vapid- Yes he quit smoking and was doing E-cigarettes and vaping instead. So obviously he would get aggravated by Mordechai. So what does the Megilla tell us he did to calm down. He built a gallows for the one the man that annoyed him. So the solution to the issue is to have Rabbi Schwartz build a gallows for all those people that annoy him in his backyard and it will seemingly have a very calming effect. Issue one solved!
Issue 9): Shidduch crisis- as you most certainly know there are millions of 15 and 16 year old boys in the Orthodox world that are not getting married. They are staying in yeshiva until they finish High School and by the time they graduate they are much to old already to marry 20 or 21 girl and get free added incentive extra money for marrying someone older than themselves that is currently being offered by the NAStI Project and the “He- knows- how- to- tie- his- shoes-by himself- already,-maybe he’s ready Project. This is a problem first of all what will all these boys do if they do not have mother figures in their lives to make their beds and do their laundry. As well many of these “older” girls might have to stop limiting their prospects to the top 10 guys in yeshiva and then no one would ever strive to become one of them. The yeshivas will crumble. Men might have to actually make something out of themselves. Girls might have to broaden their horizons for someone that might not be exactly like their Rebbetzins told them, the books they read, the shows they watched, chas v’shalom , might have presented to them. The Orthodox world as we know it might just crumble and disintegrate. This is bad… Perhaps
Solution: The Megilla tells us that Achashveirosh was having a hard time committing to get married as well. He was dating for a very long time. The kingdom needed a queen. The solution that Esther figured out and is teaching us for all times in how to get men interested enough to marry you. Don’t tell them where you are from. See Yeshiva guys always like to play the traditional Jewish Geography game. “Oh you’re from 18th avenue? You know Berel Greenbergenstien?” “Oh you went to Mesoras Shmeichel? What year? Oh do you know my sisters friend Shaindy Rosenstarkenfeld” or  Oh you were raised in Detroit? I think my car was from there?”  and of course the classic “Wow your’re from Los Angeles so do you know Rechnitz… I like his songs.. I once saw him crossing the street… he’s pretty tall….” Once they have won and identified you they have lost interest. They have conquered. No need to get married. The Megilla tells us the secret is that our girls should never say where they come from. They shouldn’t say what schools they went to, were their parents were from. Nothing. Yeshiva guys like mystery. Wait until you have the ring on your finger until you make them a feast and tell them. But then don’t make them another one. They’ll give you half the kingdom. You will be good to go. Mazel Tov!
Crisis 8) The disappearing woman. It seems that it is becoming more and more rampant for women’s pictures to be left out of magazines, publications, advertisements, Newspapers, periodicals, the Jewish Press and Ani Magazine which doesn’t really fit into any of the above categories. This is crazy. How will be people know what women look like anymore? What will I do if I need to know where I left my car keys and I don’t know what a woman looks like to ask her. Who will I ask where I should put my laundry? Will I have to have a man make my chulent? Clean my windows? They are even not putting pictures of little girls in things anymore. My wife sells clothing for a living. Girls buy a lot more than boys who pretty much wear their clothing until it dissolves on their bodies. I have even seen invitations to weddings or yeshiva dinners that don’t mention the wives of the parents of the groom or bride or of the honorees. Does that mean that there is not ladies section?! All the good food is on the ladies section. This is a terrible terrible crisis that is getting bigger each day.
The Megilla Solution: If you noticed in the palace of Achashveirosh after his wife Vashti was hung out to dry, there was also a shortage of women. All of the women in fact went in hiding. Esther became the symbol of all Jewish women her name in fact meaning hidden. She was called that because when she was brought to the King she scorned all of the perfume and makeup that was offered here. In fact she pixilated her own face. So who took care of all of the important things when there was no one there? The Megilla reveals to us the secret. It was eunuchs – serisim; men that were dressed up and were turned into women. The Megilla is packed with these guys/gals. They knew makeup, the cleaned, they could even pose for ads in newspapers and magazines. These guys/gals are the solution. We can use eunuchs in all of our orthodox advertising and even the most chareidi of publication won’t have a problem with it.
7) The tuition crisis- There was once a time in Klal Yisrael when parents were able to make ends meet. There was a slogan that said every kid deserves a Jewish education. It was affordable. Parents could send their kids to school and it didn’t make such a dent in their budget. People could still afford to buy shoes for their children, have meat in their chulent, even come to Israel and take a tour guide on their trip of a life time. OK so the education may not have been the greatest. Sure the Rebbeim and teachers would beat the children regularly in between their cigarette breaks. Physical education was running around a gravel field, we used old textbooks and lunches were peanut butter sandwiches our mother made us. But it worked. We survived. Today it is impossible. Even the wealthiest Doctor, Lawyer, Real Estate Mogul or Ponzi Scam Magnate has to lie on their scholarship forms like the regular baal habos and Kollel guy has been doing for years. This is not good. Lying should be kept for things that are sacred like how you don’t have a smartphone, or how you certainly have a filter on your computer that you would never subvert, you never would watch any TV, movies or even Youtube videos and of course you cover your hair with a short sheitel only even when you take a shower. Jews should never be forced to lie about how much money we make just in order to be able to continue sending our kids to schools and getting those scholarships so we can still go to our Pesach hotels, send our kids to the best camps and make weddings and simchas that will be the talk of the town. The tuition crisis is really bad.
Solution: There aren’t many children in the Megilla. So one really has to drink to find the solution to this problem. I have so it’s alright. See in the beginning of the story we are taught that all of the young maidens being brought to the King. Where they were schooled in the art of makeup and beauty for one year. 6 months in oil and myrrh and 6 months in perfume and cosmetics. So their entire education was one year and there you have it. All four major subjects that were necessary in life to teach them back then were able to be taught in one year. Just three months a subject if you do the math. So we can certainly do that today. We can drop meaningless subjects that just waste time and money like Phys Ed, Science, Social studies and History. Maybe just do Torah studies, English to fill out all of our Government Aid applications, Math to know how much we are entitled to  and maybe a bit of home economics for the women with optional extra classes in perfume, cosmetics and sheitel cutting. Imagine how little Tuition would be if we just started the Megilla method. See the secrets that you can find.
Crisis number 6) we are halfway through this wayyyy tooo loonnng E-Mail and you are still with me. This means you have a lot of time on your hands or you are a true askan-community activist that really wants to get rid of the problems in our community. Which really brings us to the next problem. See the next generation is not motivated to get involved in the community. They are much more self-centered. They take selfies to prove that point. Who will be the next generations of leaders? Who will make the conventions on thanksgiving that people need to get away from their families to go to. Who will arrange trips to visit concentrations camps in Europe and support the local Polish and Ukrainian economy that had nothing to do with the Shoah? In fact when the Amalekite Nazis said they were committing a Holocaust, the Poles thought they said AppleCrust and thought they were rounding up Jews for a pie making festival. Who will head all of those organizations that promise to rip great Rabbis away from their Talmud study that holds up the world in order to pray for you by a grave somewhere for 40 days so that you will have all types of salvations if you just donate $18 TODAY! And if there are no organizations then who will put ads in the magazines. And then there will be nothing left to read on Shabbos in the bathroom. This is getting worse and worse. What can be done?
Solution: This one is really quite explicit in the Megilla. See Mordechai saved the kings life. He had potential for greatness and for leadership but it was just not being realized. This bothered the King immensely. He lost sleep over it. Finally his great adviser comes up with the perfect plan. If you want Mordechai or anyone for that matter to be a leader or askan. Put him in the Kings Clothing and drive him around the streets all day and call in front of him. This is what will happen to the man whom the King wants to honor. Do that and voila he’s an askan. Now we don’t have a King or his clothes to put on him. Although we can fit quite a few askanim into one King-like figure’s clothing that I know from Los Angeles. He even has a twin so you could fit double in there. But the truth is we have enough frum Jews in the White House we could probably just ask Jared if he can borrow the shverrer’s (Father in Law) car for the day and give a few of our future leaders a ride around town. It would be even better if you could get Obama to chauffer them or Hillary. Trust me one ride like that we will have no problem finding tomorrow’s leaders.
Crisis number 5) The internet, smartphones, facebook, whatsapp, Instagram, snapchat and all associated evil technological “advances”. This is as bad as it gets. The entire world have become slaves to technology. We are constantly on, constantly connected, always distracted, always checking our phones, our messages, our posts and our blogs. The Jewish nation was chosen to be a light to the world. We were mean to show the way. And yet we as well have become mired into the dark evil clutches of the web…. We have made asifa conventions decrying these things we have ordered our congregants to use filters, if not they will be thrown out of our shuls, our schools, our Kiddush clubs and our religion. Yet it has not worked. Great Rabbis have beseeched heaven for this plague to stop and it hasn’t. We have even tried making all of these Kosher alternatives where you can like wait a half hour to download something once a month from a website that has been dipped in a Mikva three times while four rabbis are watching you from there house as you surf and amazingly that has not appealed to the masses. So what can we do? We are losing our humanity to these little bits of plastic and wires.
Solution: I know this might be a bit hard to swallow. But as Donald Trump, that wise leader of the Unitweet Stweets of America tweeted about the Middle East, it’s time for a radically new approach and we have to stop doing the same thing and hoping for same results. See by Purim the Jews had lost their Temple. They had sinned. They lost faith. Rabbis, prophets even Mordechai yells at them to repent and they don’t. Just like the internet. So what did the Jews do they kept sinning. This in fact actually led to the feast of Achashverosh where we really just kept on doing the bad things we were doing beforehand and you know what happened? Hashem had Vashti killed. Esther became Queen and miraculously we were saved. That’s right. The message of course is that Hashem is with us even when we are sinning. Even if we keep on surfing the net or playing with our phones. We are never too far from Hashem’s salvation. So just don’t worry about it so much. Hashem has our back anyways. Yeah sure Hashem had to scare us a bit with a genocide, and ultimately we got rid of everything we shouldn’t have had. But that’s really Him showing us that He cares about us. So the main solution is really just to relax a bit about the whole issue and just let our Loving Virtual Father take care of the problem. He’s really good at that.
Numbah 4) Fake news- we are told that before Machiach comes falsehood will be rampant. Welcome to the era of pre-Mashiach. There is really nothing that you can believe anymore in the world. If the News tells you one thing the chances are the opposite is probably true. There was an old joke that the Chasidim had. They always followed the ruling of the Baal Hatanaya when it comes to halachic matters. The question though was what to do when there was no clear ruling in the Baal Hatanaya’s Shulchan Aruch Harav of what to do. The answer they were given was to look at the Chayei Adam (the leader of their antagonists, the mitnagdim) and do the opposite. Same with the News. How is one supposed to know how to separate fact from fiction anymore? People call me and message me all day about how the situation in Israel is? Do I carry a gun? Isn’t it dangerous? It’s as if the US media is reporting that there is World War III going on here. The only real danger here is the Prime Minister or a member of Knesset pickpocketing you because they took away all of their bribe money. Or the Supreme Court coming and demolishing your house because some Arab claimed that his great grandfather thought about living there once and even grazed a sheep there. But if you listen to the News one doesn’t know what to think. This is a problem, because if you can’t trust the News than how do you know what to do, who to vote for, whether to come to Israel, who really is working for the Russians and most importantly which Pesach Hotel I should go to this year?
Solution: This is really easy. See the whole story of the Megilla and in fact the miracle of Purim is based on the notion of fake news. See originally the order went out that the King decreed that everyone in all 127 countries that he was ruler over should kill all the Jews. See but nobody did. They knew you couldn’t trust the News. “Fake News” they said. A little while later word went out and sure enough now the new line was that the Jews could kill the goyim. So really it was a result of fake news that we were all saved. So don’t worry so much about the news. Just do what the do here in Israel. Keep on doing what you are doing. Pretend that no one is corrupt, that the supreme court is justice, that Trump is really presidential, that the Arabs don’t really want to kill us and that Rabbi Schwartz is really funny and let Hashem take care of the rest.
Issue number 3) Protestors in Jerusalem. This is a major problem. This has messed up my life and many Israelis lives as well. There are the Disabled people protesting for more benefits, there are the anti- Bibi people protesting trying to get him arrested, there are the anti- Trump liberals that are even protesting seemingly not realizing they are in the wrong country. As well we have Ethiopians and other disenfranchised people, you have the guys laid off from Teva marching and of course the worst of the worst are the yeshiva guys that are protesting the governments draconian decrees that they may have to sign a paper to defer them from serving in the army and that of course would be bitul torah- a waste of precious Torah study time, unlike yelling and screaming in the streets at soldiers and messing up traffic for me. This is a crisis because I have important places to go. Now the government has tried to stop these demonstrations by spraying skunk spray. What they don’t realize is that the spray make them smell better than they do before hand. In fact many of them come just for the spray, it saves them water for showers later. So what can be done is the pressing question of the day.
Solution: Unfortunately difficult challenges lead for tough decisions and choices. This is a problem and the Megilla is quite clear that when there is a difficult situation and unrest an example has to be made. See Esther and Mordechai realized that the angry mobs might just continue to ignore Achashverosh’s order to not kill the Jews and instead to kill the Amalekites and the Jewish enemies. Demonstrators have a tendency to ignore reason. There was really only solution. They hung the sons of Haman the ringleaders in the town square. This served as a graphic reminder of what happens if you stop traffic and don’t follow the rules. I am generally opposed to the Death Penalty but in extenuating circumstances I realize there really is not much choice but to take at least ten of the ringleaders and hang them up. Conveniently there is a bridge when one comes into Jerusalem known as the String Bridge which really would be quite ideal for this Megilla solution to the Protestor problem.
And the 2nd to last issue that really is not that much of a Jewish issue, but rather a more universal issue and that certainly has gotten the most coverage is the #MeToo campaign of women being abused and harassed. This is not really a Jewish issue because as everyone know Jewish women are tough and their wives really do not let them abuse them. As I tell everyone I am the Baal HaBoss- She is the boss. Our Jewish Mothers taught us better than that.  We learned that important profound lesson taught by one of the greatest Rabbis Rashti and passed down through the generations. “If Momma ain’t happy no one’s happy!”. There isn’t even a #MeToo for Jewish men that are abused or harassed by their wives, because our wives told us we were not allowed to join that group. I’m talking about other women, Aliza, don’t worry… You are the best honey… whewwww…. But it seems that in the Gentile world this is a problem. It is our job to help them as I said. The Megilla of course speaks to them as well.
Solution: Really very simple. I know that I may lose my Rabbinic license over this. But really it’s quite simple and spelled out. The Non Jewish abusive men should all marry Jewish women. That’s what happened to Achashverosh. See he was this really terrible husband, extremely abusive. Vashti in fact was the head of the #MeToo she even had her name changed to #VashToo. So Hashem fixed his wagon. He gave him a Jewish wife. Esther. In no time she whipped him into shape. He thought he could get away with half the kingdom. Ha! She took his whole kit and caboodle. Yeah that ten thousand silver shekalim that he thought he had scrolled away under the table from Haman to sell out the Jews. Yeah that went to build her a brand new temple in Jerusalem ultimately. Now I know that Jews and non-Jews are not allowed to marry, but what can I tell you. It’s Purim and that’s what the book says.
Last but not least perhaps the greatest crisis facing the Jewish world is the one that most of our people, certainly excluding those that read this weekly E-Mail, are not even aware of. Yes the biggest crisis that we suffer from is the fact that we really don’t realize that Mashiach is not here yet and that we are still in Exile. What do you mean? Of course we know that. We daven three times a day for the redemption, we mourn on Tisha B’Av. Yeah right…. Admit it you feel pretty comfortable with your Judaism. You learn Torah, you give charity, you observe commandments, you eat Kosher. Those of us living in Israel even feel more fulfilled in our yiddishkeit.  We are actually doing the commandments in the right place. The country Hashem told us to live in, to shine out from. The place our ancestors longed to live in. Yeah a temple would be nice, but we’re doing pretty good right? That my friend is a crisis. Because if we can’t appreciate how fake, how artificial, how incomplete our lives are without the Beit HaMikdash, without Hashem’s presence in this world. Without all of the Jewish people living together where we are meant to. Without each and every one of us connected. Then we really have a problem. How we can hope and pray for a better tomorrow if we think we have it already today.
Solution: For this the Megilla tells us the most incredible solution. After all it is holiday that is established while in a foreign country; The holiday of exile. The solution is to celebrate Purim give charity to people you would never give to (ahem ahem…) give food baskets to friends of yours and make new friends in the process, read the story of Purim, of our exile. How Hashem is just waiting to save us even if we can’t see it. And then throw a huge feast and drink and drink and drink. Drink because you can’t really celebrate with real joy because we don’t have that ultimate redemption. Yet. So fake it. Because that’s the best we can do while Mashiach is not here. We’ll probably feel sick tomorrow morning. But that’s good. Because then we will long for the real redemption. The real happiness when Hashem returns to His Home. To the time when we all return to Him right here in his, in our country. The redemption came right after the story of Purim and its miraculous conclusion. May Hashem as well solve all of our crisis, see us through all our challenges and return our Home back to us as well forever this time with the joy of eternity.
Have an ecstatically exuberant Purim,
CRabbi Ephraim Schwartz
Vnahapoch Hu
This week’s Email has been sponsored by so many of you I can’t even mention all the names. Your outpouring of appreciation, your kind letters and notes, your precious dedications that you made to all of your relatives and friends were beautiful and heartwarming. But particularly notable was the thousands and thousands of dollars that you guys all sent. It was as if you knew the particular dire straits the synagogue and our programs here needed your assistance. It was if this was like some type of mystical buildup that brought out this response- almost as if you had a Rabbi reminding, imploring verbally gesticulating before you each week and poof, you finally got the message. It was like you finally realized how much your great Rabbi undergoes to provide you with this weekly inspiration. How you understood the hours of research on Youtube for funny movies, Googling jokes, delving the secrets of the Zohar for Kabbalistic insights and even look at the haftorah for the first time in my life. All this after a full day of touring all over the country. What dedication I have, knowing that I would much rather be preparing Shabbos, cleaning our house and taking care of my children.
I wanted to really thank you. It was like a Purim miracle to see that incredible outpouring. I may go to the Western Wall or Uman and pray for you for forty days out of gratitude.
Or not…. Ah well wishful thinking, maybe I will write this one week… maybe next week.
Link to sponsor is below… make a Rabbi happy
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RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE ALMOST YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

“Vine is Fein, Likker is Kvikker.”- Figure it out yourself…


RABBI SCHWARTZ'S POOR GLIDE EX-HAM QVETSHTION OF THE WEAK
answer below at end of Email

Q:  What makes Rabbi Schwartz the Best Tour guide in Israel?
A. His extensive knowledge of all of the best Mehadrin Restaraunts in Israel
B. The fact that upon looking at him for the first time you are relieved to know that you will never have to go on too hard or strenuous of a hike
C. His Rabbinic knowledge that allows you to delude yourself into thinking that anything he tells you must be permitted and true.
D. His uncanny ability to change the subject and make a joke every time you ask him a question he doesn’t know particular about botany and avocado trees.
E. His free disc and awesome music selection he plays in the car and bus

RABBI SCHWARTZ COOL VIDEOS OF THE WEEK

https://youtu.be/4yt_kHH-r5U     – New York Boys Choir Marbin BSimcha. Cool!

https://youtu.be/oUh2JPBs91g  - A Shushanian Raphsody pretty good!

https://youtu.be/Rc4FxDZLgqg - Donald Trump’s retells the Purim Story Awesome!

https://youtu.be/fH5viOkh_kg - Purim in text messages really cute

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/techelet-mordechai  - Cause not enough of you clicked on this last week- and you really need to!!!! It will make your Purim even more amazing guaranteed!
My latest fun composition Techelet Mordechai- the Next big Jewish Purim hit!!!

https://youtu.be/SuyprtLP70E  – Last Years Purim Seuda and the debut of Rabbi Schwartzes New song with a slightly inebriated Rabbi and Yonah and Tzvibel on the vocals!

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S UN-HAFTORA OF THE WEEK

So the Haftorah is traditionally the part of the Torah reading when one is meant to doze off. It is time to catch up on your sleep, to read the flyers that people leave on the tables, and for the braver of you to walk out to the Kiddush club. The laws of Haftora are quite extensive. One is meant to look at their watch a minimum of at least three times. One can also use this time to go to the bathroom, or find out how your favorite sports team is doing. In general the Rabbi will not bother you during the haftora if you exchange a few words with your neighbor. He is too busy preparing his drasha/ sermon. Traditionally as well following this theme the haftorah part of this weekly E-Mail is the least read one, except by my mother, who reads this first. Of course therefore leaving me no choice but to write it when I would rather be out in the Kiddush club myself. But see, she sponsors a lot of my E-Mails, so I don’t feel too bad writing it for her. As I wouldn’t for you as well if you ever decided to sponsor an E-Mail instead  of just free-Torah- loading off me each week. Whadaya think it grows on trees or something. Sorry… Anyways the haftorah for Purim is really interesting. Read it yourself this week. I’m going to Kiddush instead.

Eliyahu HaNavi (lived forever) He is like the prophet of Purim. Why, you say? I thought Eliyahu was Pesach. Well whadya know our sages tell us that he was in fact Charvona the servant who told Achashveirosh that Haman made a gallows for Mordechai. Truth is with all that wine he drinks on Pesacha and at Brit Mila, Purim is just a natural segue for him. Anyways the only reaon I am including him is so you can click on the world famous fan- favorite Rabbi Schwartz Eliyahu Hanavi song. Click here now and play all Purim long

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S EAR-A’S AND THEIR PLAYTZES AND PEEPLE IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK

Rabbi Schwartz, his family and Karmiel (2010 CE-Present)- Perhaps one of the most famous and interesting figures in the modern history of Israel tourists to Israel regularly hear about the life and times of Rabbi Schwartz and his exciting family. One might think that this great person and his remarkable family would only be discussed on a tour to the north of Israel as you pass the city of Karmiel that Rabbi Schwartz really put on the map. But yet, really excellent tour guides to this country know that Rabbi Schwartz and his family are a fun topic to discuss anytime and anywhere you are in Israel. You can spend hours discussing his life in Jewish outreach across the United States, fun stories about his children and how they adapted, how they made Aliyah and how they lived in the shadow of such a great hero for so many years and werenot even aware of the incredible merit this was for them. The Schwartz family is also a fascinating subject to get into anytime you have a question about anything in Israel that you really don’t know the answer to. Like
“Hey how old is that building over there? What biblical story took place there? What region of the country are we in? Why are you driving us into an Arab village?
Questions like that are absolutely the most appropriate time to get into a discussion about the customs and people that pray in Rabbi Schwartzes shul, or his daughter Shani’s dating habits or his wife’s clothing store. Yes Israel is a fascinating and inspirational country, but since Rabbi Schwartz has moved here it has only gotten better.

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S TERRIBLE PURIM JOKES OF THE WEEK
Why is Purim in America one day while a regular holiday has two days when at the same time in Israel Purim is two days and every other holiday is only one day? The answer is because when Hashem was giving the Torah he came down to America and asked them if they would accept it. They asked what does it say in it. Hashe, told them Yom Tov- the holiday. When they asked what does that mean. Hashem explained that it was a day of eating and drinking. The Americans said we will take two days, On the other hand when He asked them if they wanted Purim and they asked Him what it was about, He told them it was a day of distibuiting charity. They said one day would be fine.
On the other hand when God came to Israel and offered them Yom Tov and told them that it was a day of eating and drinking, they felt it was too expensive and only took one day. However when they asked Him about Purim He told them that it was a day for collecting money. The Israelis said “we’ll take two!”. And there you have it.

Where is there a hint to Obama in the Megilla? Orur HAman BAruch Mordechai0 the first letters of Cursed Haman and Blessed is Mordechai spell out Obama.
But how do you know that in the Megilla they spoke English- Haman says “Yes(h)No Am Echad”- Yes and No

Where is there a hint to Donald Trump in the Megilla- Well Achashverosh we are told was a foolish king and seems to have a lot in common. The Megilla tells us in the fourth verse he invited the PaRTUmiM  to his party he also hosts a reality Show, and marries models only. Both of them have Jewish grandchildren and they both institute tax reforms at the end of the Book. Incidentally both of them ultimately are the cause for Jerusalem to be recognized

So Nissim walks into shul on Purim a bit tipsy and sees his friend Itzik leading the davening. All of a sudden Itzik bangs on the pulpit. Al Hanissim. Nissim responds- Ahlan Itzik (Ahalan is the traditional slang Israel hello, from the Arabic)

What is the most important Non- Jewish holiday? Purim. Because if Haman would have been successful and killed all the Jews, we might not have had a holiday, but they would never of have had a God…

How do you know that Achashveirosh was not a chasid but rather a Mitnagid? It says “In the third year of his Kingdom Achashverosh made a feast” Only a Mitnaged waits three years before making a Kiddush after becoming King.
How do you know that Achashverosh was a chasid and not a mitnagid. Because it says he was a King “Me’hodu V’Ad…”.  He was a king from Hodu and that is clearly nusach Sefard as Ashkenaz begins with Baruch She’amar.

Why does the Megilla start with Achashverosh and not with the Jews? To teach you that you don’t start up with the Jews!

And Last but not least when it says the words HaMelech- the King, in the Megilla we know that is a reference to Hashem. So when the King gives the command that each man should rule in his own home over his wives, that is a mitzva. Thus on th final judgement day Hashem looks over the millions and millions of people and says to them, "Welcome to Heaven. I want the women to go with angel that way. Go now and follow him. And you men, I want you to form two lines. The first line, to the left of me, is for men who fulfilled the mitzva and dominated their women on earth. The second line, to the right of me, is for men who were dominated by their women." OK, now line up.
There was then much movement for some length of time, but eventually the women are gone and there are two lines of men. The line of the men that were dominated by their women is 150 miles long. The line of men that dominated women has only one man.
Hashem gets very angry and says, "You men should be ashamed of yourselves. I created you in my image and yet you were all dominated by your mates. Look at the only one of my sons that stood up and made me proud. Learn from him!"
He turns to the man and says, "Tell them, my son. How did you manage to be the only one on that line?"
The man says, "I don't know, my wife told me to stand here…."
************
Answer is none of the above – See this was a trick question none of the other answers are correct. The real reason Rabbi Schwartz is the best Tour guide in Israel is because he is in fact the only tour guide in Israel. See there are other people that are impersonating as tour guides. They may even have these red badges that look like licenses. Don’t’ be fooled. They are forgeries. They are not really tour guides. They might be able to tell you things about Israel but I would not believe them for a second. There really is only one person in this country that is authorized to be a tour guide and that is Rabbi Schwartz. So the next time you are in Israel. Don’t settle for anything else. May the Schwartz be with you.

Friday, February 23, 2018

Jewish Drunks- Parshat Tetzave /Zachor 2018 / 5778


Insights and Inspiration
from the
Holy Land
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend in Karmiel"
February 16th 2018 -Volume 8 Issue 19 1st Adar 5778

Parshat Tetzave /Zachor
Jewish Drunks?

I don’t have the greatest memory. I certainly don’t remember most things that my Rabbis taught me when I was in school. Yet every once in a while there was something that for some reason that got stuck in my brain, a deep insight, a cool midrash or story or a great line and I have it still. It’s weird. One of those teachings was from one of my teachers who repeated to me a memory that his teacher had of the alteh heim-the old country. The teacher was Rav Pam and he told his student that there were two things that they never found by Jews in the alteh heim in the old country.  A Yid that was a shikker and a yid that was a ganiv; A Jew that was a drunk and a Jew that was a thief. At least I think the second one was a thief. Maybe it was rotzayach- a murderer. I’m not sure. As I said I don’t have the greatest memory. But the drunk thing I definitely remember. It struck a chord in me. Alcoholism was a goyishe thing. It was something the peasant gentiles did back then to get away from their miserable existences in their filthy shanties and hovels. It was something that even the Polish, Lithuanian or Ukrainian anti-Semites would do when they came home from the long day working in the fields, the mines and the shmutz. They would head over to the local tavern and drink their nights away. Cable TV had not yet been invented, neither had the internet, so what else was there for a Goy to do?
Not so Am Yisrael. The nation of Israel had Torah. We had shuls we would fill. We had children that we would learn with. Or we would just eat some chulent and that would pretty much knock us out and put us to sleep. Regardless of the reason. We weren’t ever looking to escape from life. And that wasn’t because it was necessarily a bed of roses. The Jews in Europe, despite what Poland- which seems to suffer from a bad memory as well might claim, were persecuted by the locals, were stolen from and killed regularly- see our neighbors were ganovim and rotzchim, and pogroms or beating up the local yid was the evening entertainment. As well we lived in extreme poverty. Our ancestors pretty much got excited when they got an apple as a treat, not a new smartphone. And yet we didn’t get drunk. There were no Jews in Cheers. We didn’t have to go to “a place where everyone knows your name”. We had that already it was called shul. Jews don’t escape from life through alcohol. It’s just not what we do.
{PS email if you got that reference above… just curious. See I don’t remember Torah… but TV themes songs ahhhh… that never leaves your brain J}
To a large degree I believe that is still true today. At least I think it is. I have heard differently though. Just the other day I was talking to someone that is very involved with “issues and crisis” in the Jewish community and he told me I was hiding my head in the sand. I should wake up and smell the coffee. Or perhaps more accurately the single malt. He described to me scenes of Yeshiva guys cleaning off bottles in their dorm rooms at night, decent and normal, fun baalei batim-working men going out to drink with the boys after a day at the office and getting “wasted”. He even told me about minors picking up the habit from some friends of theirs, even some nice Jewish girls in Seminary going out and drinking. (I guess I’m a bit of a naïve misogynist here where even if I can fathom yeshiva guys or some party working guys doing this but certainly not girls). I dunno…. Maybe I am burying my head in the sand. Maybe it really is just a few “bad apples” with problems. I’d like to think so.
Now that is all true until we get to Purim. Purim is the day of v’nahapoch hu- where we do the opposite. We get dressed up in costumes. We party, we feast and yes we drink. According to our sages on Purim we are meant to do that ad d’lo yada- until one doesn’t even know the difference between Haman and Mordechai; The hero and the villain. Between the Jew and the Goy. Between us and them. And drink we did. But unlike our gentile counterparts. Jewish drinking on Purim is different. It is funny. It is uplifting. It is song, it is dance. It is love and hugs and kisses. And most of all it is about Hashem. How much I love God and He loves me. It is about how Hashem is always with me even when I am throwing up on the floor and how He will never abandon His people.
 I remember when I was engaged to my wife, our wedding was about 2 weeks after Purim. I had agreed in my silly naïve love dovey wanna be with my bride all the time to spend the Purim feast with my fiancée, her siblings and Mother-in-law to be who were dining with friends. It was not fun. They were not yeshivishe. They weren’t used to my type of Purims which usually ended with me in a drunken stupor somewhere singing about Hashem. They were civilized. They were talking about the Mets. They then talked about the Stock Market and some exciting TV show. Somebody made a joke. Ha Ha polite laughter followed. It wasn’t funny. I was longingly eyeing the bottle. I needed to leave. My last “single” Purim was passing before my eyes.
 My loving bride saw my pain. She came to the rescue. She made an excuse that she wasn’t feeling well and asked if I could take her home. I of course “reluctantly” apologized leaving early from this incredible fun party. I think someone had suggested that maybe they play a fun board game at that point…sigh…. And I expressed my disappointment at not being able to participate. But “duty calls”. What can I do? So we left and she agreed to take her suffering husband to yeshiva. As we got closer to the great Lakewood Yeshiva, the largest in the world at the time, we began to see signs that were a bit concerning to her. People were kind of dancing in the street. Kind of I say, because some of them were dancing vertically, or rolling around, others were jumping up and down. Some had clown hats on, others shmeared make-up. There were a few that were crying in the bushes. At least that’s what I hoped those sounds were. The closer we got to yeshiva, the more condensed the circle got as we saw more and more of them. It was like the Happy “Walking Dead” Rabbis. I told her she could drop me off already then. There was no need to go further. I was home. I don’t remember much from that Purim. It was fun though. I’ll never forget coming into the house later that night. Singing love songs to my Eishet Chayil to be. My mother-in-law and my fiancée and my three sister in laws were hiding behind the couch politely telling me that they believed me when I insisted I was totally fine. That they knew that I was most certainly grateful to have been blessed with such a special family. That of course they loved me as much as I kept singing I loved them. And that the bathroom and showers were down the hall and that I should probably make use of them. I did. They were very uncomfortable to sleep in though. But I’m not sure if that was what they had intended me use it for.
This week we celebrate the holiday of Purim. The Torah portion that precedes Purim doesn’t really have anything to do with the holiday. It doesn’t really have anything to do with drinking either. But that’s only at first glance of course. The first part of the portion of Tetzave is about the clothing of the Kohen and the High Priest that would be worn in the Temple. The Parsha tells us not only how to make the clothes but it goes through the whole process of telling us how they and the Kohen would be sanctified by wearing them and inaugurating them, and even having some blood sprinkled on their ear lobes and toes while they are being shaken up and down along the way. Fun, right? Now if you are a creative inspirational Torah E-Mail writer then you can connect this to Purim costumes somehow. Yeah, been there done that. You can check out my blog Holylandinsights.blogspot.com for previous year’s E-Mails and insights.

{Once you’re there by the way feel free to donate and sponsor an E-Mail by clicking on the link and PayPal-ing us. I guarantee it will make you feel very very happy. Me too….. }

 Even getting shaken up and down and having wine-which looks like blood- shpritzed on you is a quite common part of the Purim feast and party ritual. The conclusion of the portion as well, which discusses the building of the one Tabernacle item that seemed to have been left out of the instruction manual which mentions all of the other vessels in Parshat Teruma last week’s portion, the incense altar, also has an obvious Purim connection. Incense is smell. And there’s lots of smell in the Purim story. Mordechai is mor dror- not to be confused with the guy from the Tolkien series- although Mordechai was ultimately the Lord of the Ring of Achashverosh
{Again just curious if I am the only geek that gets my funny connections or if you are there with me.}
No mor dror is the spices of incense. Esther is Haddasa which is also known for its smell as we take that myrtle branch on Sukkot.  So we’ve got Purim covered there as well. The one part that really isn’t covered though is the odd in-between portion about 8 verses long that seems to have gotten lost from Leviticus/Vayikra and made its way here; the portion of the daily sacrifice or Korban Hatamid.
Shemos (29:38-39) And this is what you shall do on the altar 2 lambs one year old, twice a day. One lamb should be brought in the morning and one lamd should be made in the evening.
It continues with all the accompanying flour, wine and oil libations that accompany it and then
Ibid (29:45-46) And I will dwell within the children of Israel and I will be for them a God. And they will know that I am Hashem their God who took them out of the land of Egypt to dwell with them I am Hashem.
Now what does this have to do with Purim. These verses have obviously been pulled out of the Book of Vayikra which talks about all of the sacrifices and even has these almost identical words, and thrown in here on the parsha read right before Purim to teach us something. The question is what. Perhaps what is even more fascinating is that there is an opinion of one of the Rabbis, that this verse is in fact the most important teaching and lesson in the entire Torah. What am I talking about? As the Gemara says Ta Shema- Come and hear.
Ben Nanas in the name of Rabbi Akiva says the priori axiom of the Torah is ‘And you shall love your neighbor like yourself.’
Ben Zoma says the verse is ‘Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad= Hear Israel Hashem is our God Hashem is one.’
Alternative versions bring Ben Azzai as saying the verse is ‘This is the account of man’s origin: On the day that Hashem created man, He made him in his likeness’
These opinions are easy choices. We might have even picked them out ourselves. Yet the third opinion is puzzling as
Shimon Ben Pazi says the verse is “You shall offer one sheep in the morning and a second sheep shall you offer in the afternoon”
The Midrash concludes that Rav Ploni stood up and stated that the law follows Rebbi Shimon. What is going on? And of course what does this have to do with Purim?
Rabbi Yochanan Zweig suggests that the function of the entire Torah and our existence is really to prefect ourselves and lift ourselves and the world up to Hashem. Rabbi Akiva notes that the most fundamental way to do that is by loving and helping one another. By focusing on acts of kindness to one another one is imitating the ways of Hashem and that path will ultimately uplift him. Incidentally we do this on Purim by giving charity and Mishloach Manot to one another. The Bens, on the other hand, Azzai and Zoma see the essence of us perfecting ourselves as seeing the Godliness in this world. The unity of Hashem or alternatively the image of Hashem in each and every human being. If we see Hashem all over the world, and reveal that, we then become one as well. We appreciate and shine His light into the entire creation. On Purim as well we read the Megillat Esther. We read the scroll that does not mention Hashem’s name in it but we reveal it. We see Him through the darkness. As we have mentioned in the past the word Megilla comes from the word megaleh to reveal, while the word Esther comes from the word nistar-hidden. That is the next aspect of Purim.
But then we have Reb Shimon Ben Pazi, he suggests perhaps the deepest thought of them all. Yes I can do good deeds and emulate Hashem, Yes I can even see Hashem in myself and in the entire wondrous world He has created. There are even some times when I can even see myself as a Kohen- a priest or even a Kohen Gadol- that man dedicated entirely to the service of Hashem in his holiest of clothing. But usually, that is not that case. Most of the time at the end of the day, I’m flesh and blood. I don’t always do what’s right. I eat steaks, I drink wine. I’m a physical, materialistic human that makes a lot of mistakes. We were a nation that sins, which got thrown out of our land, that is drawn to the feast of Achashverosh and can even eat from a feast that has the vessels of the Temple being desecrated. Now what do you say?
 Reb Shimon Ben Pazi says- each day bring a sheep, each day bring some wine. Do it twice a day. Hashem wants your offerings. Your physical desires can be uplifted to him as well. I am Hashem and I am even inside of all of those desires and physicality as well. I am there at the party of Achashverosh and I am at your Purim feast when you are drunk and rolling around. I’m not only there when you are emulating Me. I’m not only there when you are seeing My image in the world. I’m even there while you are in your clown costume, your smashed queen Esther crown and wig, or your Na Nach Yarmulka with one fake payot sidelock ripped off as you raise your glass and dance in silly circles. Bring Me your sheep, bring Me your burgers, bring Me your wine and your oil. That is Hashem telling us He even treasures our most physical of gifts.

Goyim drink to forget, to ignore the reality of their miserable existence. Jews don’t drink. Our existence is glorious. It is holy and divine. But once a year we get carried away. We dull our inhibitions, those physical and psychological restraints on our souls truly dancing and singing and soaring to the heavens the way that it wants to. The Purim feast is and always has been the highlight of all the mitzvas of the day. That knowledge that Hashem sits up above and is looking down as we toast Him. We toast each other and the miracles He performs for us and His presence within us even in Exile, even while we are engaged in the most human of pursuits. That is the essence of our day. L’Chaim!



Have a Shabbat Shalom and boisterously inebriated Purim,
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

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RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

“Fun shikker and fun shenker shtinkt mil bronfen.”- The drunkard and the bartender both smell of whisky.

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK
answer below at end of Email

Q  The term “the eyes of the State of Israel” refers to:
A. Mount Tabor
B. The Mitzpeh haYamim Mountain
C. The Hermon Mount
D. Mount Meron

RABBI SCHWARTZ COOL VIDEOS OF THE WEEK

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/techelet-mordechai  - Cause not enough of you clicked on this last week- and you really need to!!!! It will make your Purim even more amazing guaranteed!
My latest fun composition Techelet Mordechai- the Next big Jewish Purim hit!!!

https://youtu.be/SuyprtLP70E  – Last Years Purim Seuda and the debut of Rabbi Schwartzes New song with a slightly inebriated Rabbi and Yonah and Tzvibel on the vocals!

https://youtu.be/jt-Z2St4rTk    – DR. Dreizich OORA Eat-A-thon hilarious but need a bit of Yiddish and yeshivish to get it entirely

https://youtu.be/_ehDCxSNcfU   - Awesome short clip Israeli soldier Benny Masas talking about the battle for Chermon and the “Eyes of the Nation”


RABBI SCHWARTZ'S HAFTORA CONNECTION OF THE WEEK

This week’s Haftora might arguably be one of the most important haftoras. For if, as we have mentioned in the past, the establishment of the haftorah was done in a period of time when it was forbidden to read from the Torah, as many of the Jewish historians and commentaries suggest. Then this Haftorah took the place of the biblically obligated reading of this week’s Torah portion of Zachor, the second of the four supplementary portions that are added around the holiday of Purim and prior to Pessach. Meaning that this reading of the story of the battle of Amalek and King Saul and Shmuel Hanavi’s eradication of them was in place of the Torah reading of the command to remember Amalek and our mitzva to wipe them out. Since the Torah tells us to ‘remember this’ we are obligated to read the story each year. When they didn’t have the freedom to read from a Torah this was used in its place.
The story of course carries within it a special lesson, one that not only connects with the holiday of Purim in which the entire story of Haman a descendant of Agag the King of Amalek that Saul allowed to live temporarily, plotted to wipe out our people and nearly succeeded but for the grace of Hashem who answered our fasts and prayers, but even one that connects with our Parsha. For our Parsha really introduces the offerings, as mentioned above, as well as the details and nuances of the Kohen. Everything is mandated, every bell on his clothes, on his breastplate and the color of his coat and his robes and crown. Meaning you can’t just make it up. The one lesson Saul and his failing was that he ignored Hashem’s command to kill the livestock and to kill Agag. He decided that he would rather use them as offerings to Hashem. Why just kill them? This is a problem. You can’t make up your religion as you go along. You don’t know better than Hashem how he wants to be worshipped. It is why the kingdom is taken from him and given to David. It is his fatal, albeit well-intentioned mistake. Similarly the clothing of the priest teaches us that lesson.
There is perhaps no greater way to display ones individuality then by the way they dress. Police wear police uniforms. Doctors have their white coats and cable TV repairmen and gas attendants have theirs. As do Judges and prisoners. The uniform is the opposite of individuality or personal expression. Wearing a uniform says that I am not independent. I am part of a group and nullify my personal clothing preferences because my boss, my job, my community, my religion demands that I do. That is the rectification of the sin of Saul.
Interestingly enough on Purim we all throw off our usual uniforms that identify us. Our jobs, our Rabbi hats, and our suits and ties. We dress us and let our individuality show. For that is the mitzva of the day. Hashem is showing us that each individual can destroy Amalek as well. Each one of us has that spark. We are all one. The clothing will not define us, rather the will to listen to Hashem is all that we need. This is very deep. If you didn’t get it. Save it for Purim take a few drinks and read again. I think I have to as well….

Shmuel HaNavi (1070-970 BC) His name means "The Lord heard her". Samuel was the 16th and final of the Shoftim (Judges). Eli the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) raised him. His book covers 120 years.. His term of prophecy lasted about 100 years, from 1070 - 970 b.c.e. Samuel was strong and unwavering. Samuel was 50 years old at the time of this Haftarah. He was known as the reluctant kingmaker. Samuel was born in Ramat-Tsofim in the hill country of the tribe of Ephraim. With the help of his scribes Shmuel wrote his own book. He truly represents the next stage in leadership after the Torah as Dovid Hamelech equates him with Moshe and Aharon in the psalm we recite-or sing ech Friday night Mizmor L’Dovid.

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

Wells and Cisterns -Borot and Be’erot- A significant part of the Torah is dedicated to these two sources of water. The Torah is very busy with our forefathers digging wells all over the place and fighting over them with our enemies particularly Avraham and Yitzchak. As well we find that most of our Biblical marriages or at least “first dates” take place by the well. Such as Moshe and Tzippora and Yaakov and Rachel, even Rivka is tested by Eliezer by the well if she will draw water for the camels. On the other hand we have something called a bor - or a cistern that was also used for water. We find the brothers throw Yosef into this bor, that interestingly enough does not have water although the function is clearly to have water. Water these two things?-I mean What are- J excuse the pun.
A well taps into water that is flowing underground; an aquifer. A bor or cistern on the other hand is a pit that is made to gather rain water. There are a few differences in these methods of water collection. A well is very place contingent. It can only be made where there is an underground water source. You have to know where to dig. That is what all the fighting is about. Back then digging for water was like digging for oil. You can’t just do it anywhere. I generally show this concept to my tourists when we are in the wilderness of Yehuda or the Negev and we visit Bedouins, who are geniuses at finding these water sources and it is how they choose their sites to tent and camp. As well-oy this is getting out of hand- Be’erot Mayim would not need to be plastered inside as the water was just coming up from below. Borot Mayim or cisterns on the other hand could be dug anywhere. The smartest place to dig them though is at the bottom of many hills. For that way one can direct all the rainwater from the hills all around it to flow into the cistern. The Talmud tells us that a bor doesn’t get filled from its opening. What it means is that the cistern will not merely get filled up with the water that flows directly down into it. If you want to fill up your bor you have to bring water from all around and direct the flow in. Incidentally this is a lesson, our sages our telling us to be open-minded and to learn from all over the place rather than from just one person. Borot Mayim are far more common to see than wells in Israel. Every city from ancient times had them. Some have incredibly elaborate ones, Like the biblical city found in Tel Beer Sheva which has both wells and an incredible elaborate system. On Masada the water system dug out into the mountan fortress held enough water to last them for years. As well in Tzippori one can actually walk through the huge cisterns some of the largest found in Israel. Even the more modern city 17th an 18th century Tzfat one can see the borot mayim in almost every courtyard. There are perhaps not too many things like water that we take for granted in our modern world. At the same time it is important to remember and reflect that as this is the most essential source of life there was nothing more critical in times very and not too long ago than the answer to the question of where would we get it from.

RABBI SCHWARTZES TOP BAR JOKES OF THE WEEK

A hamburger walks into a bar and the bartender says, "Sorry, we don't serve food in here."
 A horse walks into a bar. The bartender says, "So, why the long face?"
 A soccer ball walks into a bar. The bartender kicked him out.
 A magician walks down an alley and turns into a bar.
A man walks into a bar. OUCH! You would have thought he would have seen it!
A dyslexic guy walks into a bra.
A neutron walks into a bar and orders a beer. The bartender sets the beer down and says, "For you, no charge!"
An Irishman walks out of a bar. Hey, it COULD happen!

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S TERRIBLE DRUNK JOKES OF THE WEEK

Q: What is a drunk man's idea of a balanced diet? A: A Budweiser in each hand!

Q: What do Russians get when mixing Holy Water with Vodka? A: The Holy Spirit!

Q: What did the man with slab of pavement under his arm order? A: "A beer please, and one for the road
 Q: Why don't Jewish Mothers drink? A: It interferes with their suffering

If you drink too much alcohol you are an alcoholic. If you drink too much Fanta, does that make you Fantastic?

I'm a recovering alcoholic. Or as my mate describes me, hungover

 The drunken wino was stumbling down the street with one foot on the curb and one foot in the gutter. A cop pulled up and said, "I've got to take you in, sir. You're obviously drunk" The wasted wino asked, "Ociffer, are ya absolutely sure I'm drunk?" "Yeah, buddy, I'm sure," said the copper. "Let's go." Obviously relieved, the wino said "That's a relief - I thought I was a cripple."

A cop is doing standard patrol when he notices a car swerving all over the road. He quickly turns on his siren and pulls the guy over.
"Alright," says the cop, when the man gets out of the car. "Walk on the white line."
"I'd be happy to," says the drunk "just stop moving the line." 

A man and his wife are awakened at 3 o'clock in the morning by a loud pounding on the door.
The man gets up and goes to the door where a drunken stranger, standing in the pouring rain, is asking for a push.
'Not a chance,' says the husband, 'It is three o'clock in the morning.'
He slams the door and returns to bed.
'Who was that?' asked his wife.
'Just some drunk guy asking for a push,' he answers.
'Did you help him?' she asks.
'No. I did not. Its three o'clock in the morning and it is pouring rain outside!'
His wife said, 'Can't you remember about three months ago when we broke down and those two guys helped us? I think you should help him, and you should be ashamed of yourself!'
The man does as he is told (of course!), gets dressed and goes out into the pouring rain.
He calls out into the dark, 'Hello! Are you still there?'
'Yes,' comes back the answer.
'Do you still need a push?' calls out the husband.
'Yes! Please!' comes the reply from the darkness. 'Where are you?' asks the husband.
'Over here on the swing!!' replies the drunk

It’s Fay’s 80th birthday and she decides to celebrate it on her own at the Savoy Hotel because they make good drinks there. As soon as she arrives, Fay goes into the bar and orders a whiskey with 2 drops of water.
As the barman gives her the drink, Fay tells him, "I'm 80 years old today, you know."
The barman says, "As it's your birthday, this drink is on me."
"Thank you," says Fay, and she quickly finishes her drink.
Then a woman next to her says, "I’d like to buy you a drink, too."
"Why thanks," says Fay, "barman, a whiskey with 2 drops of water, please."
"Coming right up," says the barman. Fay again knocks back her drink.
Then a man next to her says, "Mazeltov, madam, may I too buy you a drink?"
"Why yes," says Fay, "barman, a whiskey with 2 drops of water please."
As he hands her the drink, the barman says, "Excuse me for asking but why the whiskey with only 2 drops of water? I'm dying to know."
Fay replies, "It’s simple - when you're my age, you know how to hold your liquor, but take it from me, water is something altogether different!"

Maurice and Isaac found themselves sitting next to each other in a New York bar. After a while, Maurice looks at Isaac and says, "I can't help but think, from listening to you, that you're from Israel."
Isaac responds proudly, "I am!"
Maurice says, "So am I! And where might you be from?"
Isaac answers, "I'm from Jerusalem."
Maurice responds, "So am I! And where did you live?"
Isaac says, "A lovely little area two miles east of King David's Hotel. Not too far from the old city"
Maurice says, "Unbelievable! What school did you attend?"
Isaac answers, "Well, I attended Yeshiva University."
Maurice gets really excited, and says, "And so did I. Tell me, what year did you graduate?"
Isaac answers, "I graduated in 1984."
Maurice exclaims, "Amazing! This is Berschert. Hashem wanted us to meet! I can hardly believe our good luck at winding up in the same bar tonight. Can you believe it! I graduated from Yeshiva University in 1984 also."
About this time, Moishe enters the bar, sits down, and orders a beer. The bartender walks over to him shaking his head & mutters, "It's going to be a long night tonight, the Goldberg twins are drunk again."

Aaron and Rivka move to the suburbs and join the new, very elite, Country Club. But just before their first meal at the club, Aaron is feeling somewhat anxious about Rivka’s lack of finesse and so decides to give her some advice.
"Rivka," he says, "ven ve go to dee club and dee vaiter asks you vaht you vahnt for ah drink, please don't say `ah glass Manishevitz vine.'  At a club like dis, you don't esk for Manishevitz vine."
"Well, Aaron," she replies, "if I can’t esk for Manishevitz, vot should I esk for?"
"You should esk for ah Martini," replies Aaron, "every lady drinks Martini. You'll like it."
That evening at the club, as the smartly dressed drinks waiter arrives at their table to take their order, Rivka is ready.  "Madam, may I bring you a cocktail?"
Rivka replies, "Yes, I'll have ah Martini."
"Dry?" asks the waiter.
"No," replies Rivka, "tzvei iz genug (two is enough)."

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S SHABBOS CARTOON OF THE WEEK
             
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Answer is C – See one of the reasons I do this section is too not only show you guys what it takes to being a tour guide and what type of petty information we were responsible for on our exams, but as well to test myself and even learn new things that I missed. I did that this week. Although I believe I got this one wrong, I think it is certainly arguable. See I answered Meron, and that is what I tell all my tourists because it is what I remember being told in my course. The reason why those Yarmulke looking domes on top of Mt. Meron are there, is not because it is a religious mountain and they do not say Na Nach Nachman Meuman on them… Rather they are called the “Eyes of Nation” as they look from there into Lebanon and Syria and being the highest mountain in the Galile also serve as air traffic control. However upon googling it seems that title of the “E of M” rightfully goes to Mt. Hermon and the battle in the Yom Kippur War for that mountain. A soldier Benny Masas gave an interview and he described the courage they had to conquer it being that it was the eyes of the country and it became one of the most important catch phrases in Israel’s history. I didn’t really understand why, but check out the short clip I included above of Benny that made it famous and you will appreciate it. So the truth is I think it is arguable that Meron can also get that title, but the answer they probably were looking for is Hermon.