Food for Thought- Parshat Ki Tavo 2018 /5778

Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land
from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

September 1^st 2018 -Volume 8 Issue 45 21^st Elul 5778

Parshat Ki Tavo

Food for Thought

It was embarrassing. Every single Shabbos, every house I went to it was the same thing again and again.

“What! You don’t eat chopped liver? How can you not eat chopped liver?! You’re such a chopped liver type of guy! I can’t believe that you don’t eat it? I went out special to buy chopped liver, because I thought that for sure Ephraim Schwartz is a chopped liver person. I’m in shock. Are you sure you won’t try some?”

I couldn’t take it anymore. I even started eating Shabbos lunch in yeshiva rather than go out for meals when I was  studying in Israel in my yeshiva days. Don’t worry, that didn’t last too long. Although I wasn’t a chopped liver person, chulent was essential and yeshiva chulent didn’t even have meat in it. They put in some chicken, but really, who are we fooling? Unless there’s a dead four legged mammal in the crockpot it ain’t chulent.

So I finally caved. I closed my eyes and started eating liver. If everyone says that I’m a chopped liver person, there must be something to it. At first I mixed in some of the egg salad that was usually conveniently placed right next to the liver in those little ice cream scoopy balls with a pretty shaped red pepper and a cherry tomato on top. I worked my way up to putting it on crackers with mustard on top. I advanced to burying it was buried in my pastrami and corn beef sandwich with pickles on club; which incidentally became the “Ephraim Schwartz” Essex on Coney special. I finally arrived at the point where I truly even enjoy the non-chopped liver with onions in a delicious wine sauce. Mmmmmmm, You’re getting hungry now. I know. Yes I will now eat my liver here and eat my liver there. I will eat it everywhere. In a box, with a fox, on a train in the rain, with a goat on a boat. A chopped liver guy is what I am, if you’re serving any just call me- I’m Ephrai-am. Oy…

It’s an interesting thing about human beings, how different people have different tastes. There are some people that are picky eaters. I have a nephew that only eats hot dogs and schnitzel. There are others that are more adventurous. There are people that actually eat cauliflower and broccoli and even having cravings for it. I’m not one of those. No one ever confused me as one either. There are some people that like olives. I don’t and can’t understand how people do. Trust me I’ve tried and that one is not happening. I’ve had people that didn’t like chulent. I questioned their Jewish lineage. But as my mother taught me the old Hebrew saying goes.

“Al taam v’reyach ein mitvakeayach- on taste and flavor one can’t argue.”

Yet it’s a strange thing. Why is it that some people like some things and others another. Why is it that some foods some people crave and the same food might make another cringe? Why would Hashem program us like that? I know there must be some spiritual lesson in it for us. I especially think before we come into Rosh Hashana when we taste all types of new weird fruits and eat those fish heads, leeks and black eyed peas that Artscroll tells us we must, we should understand why it is that some of us will be excited about different tastings while others will be sitting and contemplating how badly they really want to be a head and not a tail. I mean a tail is cool also right? And do I get extra points for they eyeballs?

Well what do you know, this week’s Torah portion gives a clue and the Baal Shem Tov really lays it out for us in what I believe can be a truly life-changing idea that can transform how we look and appreciate our food. Almost as much as eating chopped liver can. See the Parsha begins with the mitzva of Bikkurim, bringing the first fruits to the Beit Hamikdash. After the long procession with the rest of the people from his village and arriving with fanfare to Yerushalayim one goes up to the Temple Mount and then gives the Kohen his adorned basket and is obligated to say b’kol ram- in a loud uplifted voice, words that we recite at our Pesach Seder

Devarim (26:5-10) And he shall answer and say before Hashem your God,” My father was a fugitive Aramean.

{although some Rishonim read this as referring to Yaakov, being a fugitive for his life from Lavan the Arami, others read this as referring to Yaakov being an Arami- they never told you that by your Pesach Seder I bet…}

He went down to Egypt with meager numbers and sojourned there; but there he became a great and very populous nation.

The Egyptians dealt harshly with us and oppressed us; they imposed heavy labor upon us.

We cried to the Hashem, the God of our fathers, and Hashem heard our plea and saw our plight, our misery, and our oppression.

Then Hashem freed us from Egypt by a mighty hand, by an outstretched arm and awesome power, and by signs and portents.

He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.

Wherefore I now bring the first fruits of the soil which Hashem, has given me.” 

It’s a nice speech. It’s historical, it’s praise of Hashem and after years of Pesach Seders we all know the words. But truth be told what does this really have to do with the basket of mangos and avocados that I just schlepped here. Also why does this have to be done in a raised voice? We don’t find that any other declarations need to be done loudly. Finally, why does it start off “and he answers”? Who is he answering to or for? He wasn’t asked any questions.

There is a fascinating Baal Shem Tov that explains the concept of food, taste and the reason why Hashem created us with diverse palates that can help us understand what this Bikkurim is all about. The answer can perhaps be found in a psalm by Dovid Hamelech that describes our redemption.

Psalm (107) Hodu LaHashem Ki Tov Ki L’Olam Chasdo- O give thanks to Hashem, for He is good; for his loving kindness endures forever! Let the redeemed of Hashem say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy….They wandered in the wilderness in a desert way; they found no city to dwell in! Hungry as well as thirsty, their soul enwraps itself in them! Then they cried to Hashem in their trouble, and He saved them from their distresses! He led them forward the right way,so they might go to a city of habitation! Oh that men would praise Hashem  for His loving kindness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness!

What does it mean that the hungry and thirsty have souls enwrapped in them. And what is all this hungry and redemption connection that Dovid is making? Yes we are hungry at the Pesach Seder to get to the meal, but what does that have to do with this Psalm?

The Baal Shem Tov thus explains mystically what he describes is a sod gadol- a deep secret.

Why did Hashem create flavorful food and drink that man should desire to eat and drink? The reason is that they are the sparks of Adam HaRishon the first Man, that were dispersed after he sinned from eating from the forbidden tree. They needed to be gathered, elevated and restored to the holiness from where they came. They are spread out in the earth, it’s fruits and the animals that we eat. The part that each individual desires and wishes to eat is because it is connected to his or her personal soul, that only they can uplift, only they can restore to its holiness. This is the secret of the “children that are in captivity”…

Sounds deep doesn’t it? Gives new meaning to the snap crackle and pop that you thought your Rice Krispies were making to you. What the Baal Shem is saying in simple chulent-eating-layman’s terms is that every food has a spark of holiness that has been waiting for us to make a blessing on it and bring it back up to Hashem. Each person has special and unique tastes because his soul is “enwrapped” in that food. Dovid in his psalm is talking about those sparks, those souls that are “wandering in the wilderness” with no heavenly “city to dwell in”. In praising Hashem for that loving kindness that he gave us that food, we are in fact the representatives, the shliach tzibur of those sparks.  

There is a great story about the rebbetzin of the Sar Shalom of Belz how when she saw a chasid once quickly mumbling a bracha and downing with relish some good kugel that she had prepared for the chasidim that came to visit the Rebbe. She told him ruefully

“Do you know how much this piece of Kugel wen through to get to your plate? As a little seed buried in the ground he davened that Hashem should bring down rain upon him that he should grow. Once he popped out of the ground he prayed that no bugs or worms should infest him. When he was finally cut and ground into flour, oh how he prayed that his should merit to be baked by a Jewish man, and be brought to a table where someone will bless upon him and finally release the captive sparks whose desire is to return to their heavenly abode. This particular wheat must have prayed very good to make it here to thee holy Rebbe’s table, a table of god-fearing people, holy people. It has been waiting excitedly for the final culmination of all its prayers…. And then you came and grabbed it…”

Wow! Talk about food for thought. With this understanding Reb Pinchas Friedman suggests we can understand the mitzva of Bikkurim. When we bring our first fruits to the Kohen we are bringing all the sparks found in them to the holiest place and we are their representatives. They have finally made it. We speak for them, we answer for those sparks that can’t speak in a loud voice and talk about how we-and them, were sent down to the lowest place, we were buried in the ground. We were beaten, we were chopped up, we were ground down. And Hashem took us- and them out, and he brought us here. To the Land flowing with milk and honey, to the place that they have been waiting so long to be redeemed to. They and we have finally come home.

In another week and a half we will sit down in front of a plate of assorted fruits and vegetables, some fish,  maybe a head of a fish or even a lamb if you’re brave. Some of them strange looking, others calling to us. It is a strange custom. Really, on the holiest and important day of the year, after we come home from Shul and are literally praying for our lives, our health, our parnassa, our children, the first thing we do is have a strange smorgasbord of culinary oddities? The answer is yes. Our job on this world and the lives and gifts that we are so desperately praying for are so that we may lift up the sparks in this world and make the world a better place, a holier place and to finally restore that heavenly kingdom that it may shine once more. Every bite we take we ask Hashem that “Yehi ratzon milfanecha -May it be your will that….” Each bite is another spark. Each mouthful another prayer another spark uplifted. With each chew we are one  delicious swallow closer to achieving our final redemption. So don’t grimace, imagine how long that fruit has been waiting for you, that fish has been swimming around for, that chopped liver has been praying to become your pâté. You can do it. Its been waiting for you specifically because only you have the keys to release its soul. Who knows you may be a fish head type of guy after all.

Have a scrumptiously delicious Shabbos,

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

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RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

“Besser ain freint mit gekechts aider hundert mit a krechts.”– Better one friend with food then a hundred with a sigh.

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

Q. The remains of a sugar production plant from the Crusader period can be seen in:

A. Acre (Akko)

B. Kochav haYarden (Belvoir)

C. Khirbet Manot

D. Ma’iliya

RABBI SCHWARTZ COOL VIDEOS OF THE WEEK

https://youtu.be/ZcpbqMK2iWw - OK I don’t know what to with this a Yiddish Chasiddish Sound of Silence

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z1VIswTifY- Not sure about this one either but I love the song Hishbaati Eschem sung by hundreds of Japanese tourists in Israel

https://youtu.be/REKB078tpZ4- In honor of Selichos this Motzai Shabbos Avraham Fried and Choir oldie singing Machnisey Rachamim, awesome!

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S HAFTORA CONNECTION OF THE WEEK

Parshat Ki Tavo – What an amazing haftorah this week has! Read it, it’s worth it. It’s in fact essential to appreciating the fact that we are truly living the fulfillment of the prophecies of Yeshaya that he saw 2500 years ago. The haftorah begins with words that we have paraphrased each Friday night in our Kabbalat Shabbos.

Isaiah (60:1) Kumi ori ki va orech u’kvod Hashem alayich zarach- Arise shine for your light has come and the glory of Hashem has shone upon you.

We sing these words Friday night and do we ever realize that they are not as much a prayer as a realization that we have almost entirely arrived and realized this.

The prophet talks about the darkness that takes over the world. Everyone is running around in the dark. Yeah… to the light of their smartphones as they talk about the pathetic world leadership that we have

(ibid (60:2) For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and a gross darkness the kingdoms, 

And guess what they all come to Israel for our light

(60:3-4) And nations shall go by your light and kings by the brilliance of your shine. lift up your eyes all around and see, they all have gathered, they have come to you

He  tells us about the miraculous return that we experience

your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be raised on [their] side.

Does he even see the miraculous flights of Nefesh BNefesh

Who are these that fly like a cloud and like doves to their cotes?

Does he see the incredible foreign tourism and even unprecedented United States support that fills our coffers?

 for the abundance of the west shall be turned over to you, the wealth of the nations that will come to you.

And foreigners shall build your walls, and their kings shall serve you,

And they shall open your gates always; day and night they shall not be closed, to bring to you the wealth of the nations and their kings in procession.

And the children of your oppressors shall go to you bent over, and those who despised you shall prostrate themselves at the soles of your feet, and they shall call you 'the city of the Hashem, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.'

And you shall suck the milk of nations and the breast of kings you shall suck

The one prophecy that we still await is the one that he makes about our current enemy, incredibly calling them by name.

Lo Yishma od Chamas B’artzech- and violence (Hamas) will no longer be heard in your land, robbery and desolation in your borders.

But as all the other prophecies have been fulfilled I have no doubt that this one will be realized as well soon. May we merit to see the conclusion of the prophecy of Bei’ta Achishena- that Hashem hastens its time readily in our days.

Yeshaya Hanavi Era of Prophecy (780-700 BC)- Yeshayahu was the author of his own book. It has 66 chapters and it his prophecies that make up the majority of the haftoras 15 in total. He was considered the greatest prophet since Moshe and he died (or more accurately was killed by King Menashe) at age 120 just as Moshe did.

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

Moshe’s Spies- 1311 BC- I say Moshe’s spies as opposed to Yehoshuah’ which take place 40 years later. These spies which became the symbol of the tourism ministry of Israel, ironically enough, because they just came back kvetching about their trip and would seemingly be the last people you should use as your logo for tourism. It would be like PETA using Ronald McDonald for theirs. Yet they become an important message to give my tourists about the their visit to Israel. Don’t kvetch, don’t complain, the last ones that did, didn’t turn out so well.

Now there are plenty of places where I try to give the message, lessons and stories of the spies over. The first place is in Chevron were one can see the huuugge Canaanite period walls that remain there by Tel Rumeida. As well we can talk about how Calev, who received this city as his portion came here to pray by the cave of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, Mearat Hamachpela, that he not fall into the conspiracy of the other spies and really becomes the source of praying by graves that is an appropriate message to give by any Jewish grave that we pray by.

As well one can trace the route of the Meraglim from the Sinai Desert there is a place called Ein Kadis in Arabic which some have associated with Kadesh Barnea, this is not far from Nitzana a Nabatean city there, where they left from. This would of course be called Midbar Paran which the Talmud suggests was the earlier name of it was Midbar Tzin and Midbar Kadesh, all which are in Sinai and the Negev, that they went up from. The stream that they picked the large grapes from called Nachal Eshkol, seemingly is Nachal Chevron, as it is named after Avraham’s neighbour Eshkol who lived there. That stream flows down South to Nachal Beer Sheva and out to the Mediterranean. It says as well they travelled in the North until Lavo Chamat, this is certainly not the Chamat that is near Tiverya as well not the hot springs of Hamat Gader, as both of these are far away from the northern border of Israel. It would seem according to most historians and archaeologists based on different insights from the Talmud that we are clearly talking about a place that is currently way up in Syria or Northern Lebanon of Tzadad or Labweh. The prophet Yechezkel gives us borders that go much further than we have today and that would be occupied territory by the Syrians that are currently in our biblical portions.

Finally of course anytime I take tourists to any farm to pick fruit I point out the incredible miracles of the growth in Israel that stunned our first meraglim here. I take them to the lush Jezreel or Hula valley and point out that with the miraculous return of the Jews to Eretz Yisrael we are the number one producer of agriculture in per dunam in the world according the international organization of agricultural research producing 3 times as much produce per dunam as anywhere else. This despite the fact that we have next to Japan the least amount of arable land for usage and the not that much rain. I’ll take them to cow shed in the Golan Heights and note to them that we have the highest milk per cow production in the world beating out Holland and the US of A here in the land of milk and honey. In the vineyards of Chevron hills, in the Golan or the Shefela or the Galile, both upper and lower I tell them how we are serious players in the world with our wines and grape production with nary a winery in the country that doesn’t have a medal in some international wine competition. Our dates grown in the Jordan valley are the sweetest in the world and this is a pretty big planet in case you didn’t notice. See all this, my dear tourists and then realize this is the country those spies saw, these are the fruits and blessing they saw and it scared them. It was miraculous and they weren’t ready to live in that miraculous world? Are we…?

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S REALLY FOOD JOKES  OF THE WEEK

Little Yossi and his family were having dinner at his bubbe's house.  
When everyone was seated, the food was served. As soon as little Yossi got his plate, he started eating from it right away.
"Yossi, please wait until we say our prayer," said his father.
"I don't have to," Yossi replied.
"Of course you have to," said his mother. "Don't we always say a prayer before eating at our house?"
"Yes, but that's our house," Yossi explained. "This is bubbe's house and she knows how to cook." 

A Doctor was addressing a large audience in Miami. "The material we put into our stomachs is enough to have killed most of us sitting here, years ago. Red meat is awful. Soft drinks corrode your stomach lining. Chinese food is loaded with MSG. High fat diets can be disastrous, and none of us realizes the long-term harm caused by the germs in our drinking water.

"But there is one thing that is the most dangerous of all, and we all have, or will, eat it. Would anyone care to guess what food causes the most grief and suffering for years after eating it?"

After several seconds of quiet, a small 75-year-old Jewish man in the front row, raised his hand and said, "Vedding Cake?

An Italian, a Frenchman and a Jew arrive in Heaven and each is judged. The angel escorts the Frenchman to his heavenly reward. They enter a beautifully arranged banquet hall with all the foods that a French connoisseur could dream of. All the delicacies of a lifetime.
The Frenchman turns to the angel and says "this can't be mine. I was immoral most of my life and was hardly G‑d fearing." 
The angel replies "There is a hitch. Every day at 5:00pm they will bring in a large pot of soup boiling hot. You will be immersed in it. If you can take the pain you can partake of the banquet."
"Sorry" said the Frenchman "I just could not tolerate the pain." 

The Italian too is taken to his reward a similar banquet with pasta al dente and all types of caponatas and all the best Italian foods. Again a similar dialogue takes place, the Italian admitting to a life of financial fraud and debauchery. He too is advised that at 5:00pm each day he will be immersed in a boiling hot pot of minestrone and again states that the pain would be too much to bear.
Finally the Jew gets taken to his eternal rewards. A Kiddush like he never saw with all the galeretta, herring, kichel, danishes chopped livr, kugelse and of course chulent imaginable. He too cannot believe his luck.
"I never went to Shul, hardly kept shabboss and ate trayf my whole life How can this be mine?"
Again the same response; "5:00pm each day, boiling hot chicken soup. If you can take the pain the banquet is yours." 
"Fine said the Yidel, I'll take it".

 "Excuse me" says the angel, “but the Frenchman and Italian both declined, what makes you different?"
"I know Jewish functions" he replies "5:00pm is not 5:00pm and the soup is never that hot."

Harry was walking down Regent Street and stepped into a posh gourmet food shop.
An impressive salesperson in a smart morning coat with tails approached him and politely asked, "Can I help you, Sir?"
"Yes," replied Harry, "I would like to buy a pound of lox."
"No. No," responded the dignified salesperson, "You mean smoked salmon."
"OK, a pound of smoked salmon, then."
"Anything else?"
"Yes, a dozen blintzes."
"No. No. You mean crepes."
"Okay, a dozen crepes."
"Anything else?"
"Yes. A pound of chopped liver."
"No. No. You mean pate."
"Okay," said Harry, "A pound of pate then and I'd like you to deliver all of this to my house on Saturday."
"Look," retorted the indignant salesperson, "we don't schlep on Shabbos!"

A wealthy man threw a party in honor of his son's graduation from university. A poor man happened to be in the vicinity, and joined the party. Amidst all the commotion he was let in and seated at the far end of the table.
"Son," the wealthy man said, "share with us some of the great knowledge that you have acquired in the university."
"Well," began the son, "Copernicus proved that the earth turns on its axis."
"That is false!" came the objection from the poor man at the other end of the table.
"How do you know? Prove it!" shouted the student.
"It is very simple," replied the beggar. "If the earth turned on its axis, then the food that was placed at the head of the table would have by now come to this side of the room."

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Answer is C–  Sometimes you learn things from your tourists. I had a family that asked me for a tour of a sugar plant in Akko. I never heard of one and as far as I know there isn’t any. Now in the Crusader halls down below the city there is a room called the Sugar bowl where they found earthenware pots that were used to store sugar and finish off the crystallization process but I wouldn’t exactly called it a sugar production plant. But not knowing anything about Chirbat Manot, and pretty sure there was nothing there in Beloviour the only Crusader fortress on the eastern half off the country by the Jordan valley, although I have only been there with tourists one. And certainly I still don’t know anything about Ma’iliya I went with Akko based on my tourists suggestion. I was wrong. The answer is Chirbat Manot, which is right near Nahariya. There they found the factory for sugar that was a huuuuge source of income back then for the Crusaders as they sold Israeli sugar all over Europe and it was quite expensive back then. Moral of the story. Tourists didn’t go to tour guiding school.