Insights and Inspiration
from the
Holy Land
from
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend in Karmiel"
June 18th 2019 -Volume 9 Issue 37-18th of
Sivan 5779
Parshat Behaloscha
Lessons of the Lashon
There was one lesson that I remember which as children he would drill into us regularly. Whenever we were eating over his house -which is generally the activity we engaged in if we were in feeding range of my grandmother- and there was something we did not like, perhaps the oily latkes or the _____weeks old leftovers that she insisted were still good, As children we learned very rapidly that we could never say “uchh the food is bad"or “eeww it looks disgusting” for my grandfather's reaction was like lightning. A frown would quickly come over his usually smiling face and he would scold us and say “Never call food disgusting.” “If you don’t like it say I don’t like it but don’t speak badly of food.” Perhaps it was a reaction due to the lack of food he may have experienced during the war years, but I believe he was also training us to a perspective and sensitivity about how we should speak and the import of watching the words that comes out of our mouths.
This week's Torah portion also brings us an incredible lesson in the laws of watching the words that we speak. We are introduced to the unfortunate saga of the twelve spies of the Jewish people who were sent out to tour the land before the nation’s arrival. (Upon reflection, I'm sure they had wished that they had taken me as a tour guide- a tragic mistake that some people surprisingly make sadly enough, and that can lead to dire resultsJ… ourholylandtours.com- "the tour that will never have you bad mouthing Israel"- and now back to your regularly scheduled E-Mail). Upon their return and after their praise for the land they began their speech of impending doom
They brought forth to the Children of
“It is a land that devours its inhabitants! All the people were huge .. And we were like grasshoppers in our eyes and so we were in their eyes.”
The wondrous fruit that were so large was used as a tool to terrify the people as to the unnatural size of the inhabitants. The deaths and funerals they witnessed on their mission which God had miraculously provided so they would be inconspicuous (according to the Midrash), were viewed to be signs of a disease ridden country. And the people mourned. That fateful Tishah B'Av became the national day of mourning for opportunities missed and of lessons that had to be learned. The lesson of the spies …
“And the men who Moshe sent to spy the Land and who returned and spoke evil of the Land died in a plague before Hashem”
This rather harsh punishment The Medrash tells us is because they should have learned from the lesson of Miriam in the previous Parsha Behaloscha- the one you guys in America are still reading, the Torah portion juxtaposed to this one, which shares with us the incident of the Lashon harah- literally translated as “evil tongue” of Moshe’s sister Miriam who wrongfully accused Moshe of being “holier than thou” in his separation from his wife. For speaking evil about the greatest of all men she is punished with divine tzoraas (a spiritual/ physical malady resembling leprosy) and is sent out of the camp until she is healed. The Spies are accused of not having learned the lesson of Miriam and her punishment for speaking Evil.
What is troubling however is it seems that there should be a difference between the two. I think many of us can agree we should not speak lashon harah about great people or even not such great people. But about a land? About sticks and stones? About my grandmother’s week old to'tat paprikash (Hungarian stuffed peppers which seemed to breed in her fridge-oops there I go again) It doesn’t seem like anyone will get hurt.
The answer I believe reveals the essence of the Torah’s concept of lashon harah. The Sin of lashon harah is not necessarily a Sin about speaking gossip or slandering and hurting another. The greatest damage of lashon harah is to the one who speaks it. For in speaking and examining others and the world in a negative critical light, one trains oneself to becoming a negative person. And there is no greater damage that one can cause to himself then that.
Miriam was punished not because she hurt or harmed Moshe. Moshe was the humblest of all men. It was because she bred negativity and death within herself. Tzora’as was just the natural reaction to the “spiritual poison” she had bred inside of herself- as spiritually natural as a poison ivy rash is when ones body comes in contact with it. The Spies in the same vein should have learned it makes no difference if we are speaking about a person or a land or the food on your dinner plate, it is the perspective of viewing things with the eyes of lashon harah that leads to destruction.
The counter force to Lashon Harah is an Ayin Tovah, A Good Eye and that is also the perspective my grandfather always shared. “Itz vet Zein gut” “It will be good” was always on his lips. The ability to look at the world as the wonderful place that is a blessing from Hashem. The perspective that the things that may seem bad or disgusting on our plate of life is only from our jaundiced view but never inherently bad, is one that I sorely miss and that the world could surely use. May we all merit to avoid the pitfalls of negativity and lashon harah and rectify the sin of our nation so long ago by seeing the positive in all that we encounter.
Have a perfect Shabbos,
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
**********************************************************
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S
FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK
“Mit a meisseh un mit a ligen ken men nor
kinder farvigen”- With
a fairy tale and with a lie you can lull only children to sleep.
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S COOL
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
https://youtu.be/1dvw7yyK1As
– Atlanta Boy’s Choir with my nephew Yakov Golding
(can you spot him?-hint he’s the one that kisses the mezuza J))
https://youtu.be/sCnC2IxemS4
– Rocking song and cool video Netanel
and Sruli Ahavat Chinam
https://youtu.be/iuBSvMFpR-s
–New Shewekey video and song
At Times Square I am Alive
https://youtu.be/e6aZwSApTmI
- And a Neieh Shmili
Ungar song as well. Kilini!
https://www.aish.com/j/jt/Jtube-Frasier-Lashon-Hara.html-
and for those of you
Frasier fans- the perils of Lashon Harah at the office
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF
THE WEEK
answer below at end of Email
Q A period named after the use of metal:
A. Paleolithic
B. Neolithic
C. Chalcolithic
D. Holocene
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S “LOMDUS”
CONNECTION OF THE WEEK
Parshat Shelach– Ahhh, there’s
nothing like a good lomdushe question. A diyuk, a troubling word that
needs explanation. If you notice one while you’re learning, stop and write it
down. Come back to it another time, or maybe someone else will. Regardless. Lomdus
isn’t only the answers. It’s the question and diyuk as well.
This
week the great 19th century sage the Malbim writes a question and it
is fascinating to see how it has been answered over the next century by two other
great sages and lamdanim; The Shagas Aryeh and Reb Yehoshuah Leib Diskin- the
Rav of Brisk. The question he notes is that the Torah tells us the story of the
person who violated the Shabbos- the Mekoshesh- by gathering in sticks
who was ultimately put to death. The story is introduced by a seemingly
extraneous fact.
Bamidbar (15:32) And the
children of Israel were in the wilderness and they found a man gathering wood
on the day of Shabbos.
The
Malbim notes that it seems to be obvious that they were in the wilderness. All
40 years they were only in the wilderness. Why does it start off this story
telling us this? See, that’s the diyuk. The Shaagas Aryeh who was asked
this question responded. That there is an opinion in the Talmud that the sin of
the Mekoshesh was that he carried in a public domain which is forbidden
on Shabbos. The problem is the Talmud notes earlier that a midbar-
wilderness which is a place that is uninhabited is not considered a public
domain. The Talmud however answers when the Jewish people were there then it is
considered a public domain. Aha! If that’s the case, then we understand the
reason why the Torah introduces the story with the Children of Israel being in
the wilderness. For it is only when they are there that it has that status.
Reb Yehoshua
Leib however asks that the answer of the Shaagas Aryeh only works according to the
opinion that the sin of the Mekoshesh was carrying in public. However,
there is another opinion that he was cutting wood on Shabbos. If that was the case,
then why is it necessary to introduce with the idea that the Jews were in the midbar?
He answers that the truth is one has an even more important question- See
lamdanim and Jews do that in general; answer a question with a question. Where
did they get wood in the midbar from? It’s a wilderness not a place of forests
and trees?
He
answers that the midrash tells us Hashem made them grow special to give the
Jewish people a beautiful experience as they wandered through the wilderness. It
grew when they came and disappeared when they moved. If that is the case, then
perhaps one would not be biblically obligated for cutting them on Shabbos. They
are not natural gidulei karka- trees that grow from the ground. They are
miraculous trees. On that he answers that the Talmud tells us that when the
Jews were living there they have the status as being permanent homes and the
trees would as well have a status of regular trees. Once again, now we can
understand why the Torah needs, even according to this opinion, to introduce
the entire story with the header that “The children of Israel were in the wilderness.”
Because they were there the trees were considered permanent and thus cutting them
on Shabbos became a violation. A little diyuk and over a century of lomdus!
Amazing and inspiring…
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S ERA’S
AND THEIR PLACES AND PEOPLE IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK
Division of the Land –Tribe of Dan 1265 BC –
We are almost done with the 12 tribes and their portion in Israel. This week we
finish up dividing the land with the last tribe of Dan. (Although next week we
will really conclude with the biblical cities of Levi.) Now although last, it
doesn’t seem to be that they lost out much. In fact the Gush Dan area is the
most populated portion of Israel today. As well they had cities in the Shefela
and even ultimately up North as well.
The coastal border is right
in the center south of Tel Aviv near Palmachim and up to Hertzelia., basically
the Yarkon river to the Nachal Sorek downriver. The navi names
cities that are there until today. Bnai Brak. Yaffo, Ayalon (like the
highway) Yahud and Gat Rimon. The
City of Beit Shemesh was theirs as were the surrounding villages Tzora’a
and Eshtaoel. As well it included Shalavim and even Kiryat
Yearim today’s Telshe Stone.
Now Dan was not
successful in conquering all his area and therefore later on in the book of
Shoftim we will discuss how he moved up North. The entire Tel Dan area
was his tribe’s ultimate city where they spent most of their time. Yet it is
pretty incredible that this last tribe to be listed, and the one that never really
got their proper biblical portions because of the constant fights with the
Philistines. is in fact the first area that really developed in the mass return
of the Jewish people to the land of Israel as the various Aliya’s settled in Yaffo
and Tel Aviv areas. The ingathering of all the tribes that is the
legacy and blessing of Dan!
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S YENTA JOKES OF THE WEEK
The Rabbi
the Priest and the Minister are on a fishing trip. The Priest says "Since
we are alone here with God, perhaps we can tell our greatest sins. This would
relieve us and perhaps allow us to overcome our mistakes."
The other
two agree, and the minister begins "I'm an alcoholic. Every Sunday, I
look forward to the end of the sermon to go and drink my bottle of whiskey."
The Priest
then says "I love women. Every Sunday, I look forward to the end of
Mass to flirt with this pretty congregant in the front row."
The Rabbi’s
turn came and he said "I love gossip. And this Shabbos, I can’t wait to
get back to town...
The Shul
ladies club used to sit together every evening in a park and talk nonstop. One
day they were sitting very very quietly. Rabbi Bernstien who would walk past the
noisy group every day was surprised to see them all so quiet. He inquired about
this to which they replied, "You see, today all of us showed up, so we
don't know who to gossip about."
You heard
the rumor going around about butter? Never mind, I shouldn't spread it… OY…
The new
mailman is delivering a registered parcel and needs a signature so he rings the
doorbell. Sadie sticks her head out of the bedroom window and says, "Nu,
what is it?"
"I
have a registered parcel for Mrs. Levy," he replies.
"Is
it wrapped in fancy gift paper or just plain brown paper?" Sadie asks.
"Ordinary
brown paper, madam," he replies.
"So
who is it from?" Sadie asks.
"It's
from Macy's department store," he replies.
"Does
it say from which branch?" Sadie asks.
"Yes,
madam," he replies, "it's from Main Street."
"Does
it say what's in it?" Sadie asks.
"It
says it's from their Cooking ware department," he replies. "Will you
now come down and sign for it, please."
"Sorry,"
replies Sadie, "I can't do that."
"Why
not?" he asks.
"Because,"
Sadie replies, "I'm Sadie Cohen. Mrs. Levy lives next door."!
JEWISH
MOTHERS OF FAMOUS PEOPLE
MONA LISA’S JEWISH MOTHER:“This you call a smile, after all the money your father and I spent on
braces?”
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS’ JEWISH MOTHER:
“I don’t care what you’ve discovered, you still should have written!”
MICHELANGELO’S JEWISH MOTHER:
“Why can’t you paint on walls like other children? Do you know how hard
it is to get this junk off the ceiling?”
NAPOLEON’S JEWISH MOTHER:
“All right, if you’re not hiding your report card inside your jacket,
take your hand out of there and show me!”
ABRAHAM LINCOLN’S JEWISH MOTHER:
“Again with the hat! Why can’t you wear a baseball cap like the other
kids?”
GEORGE WASHINGTON’S JEWISH MOTHER:
“Next time I catch you throwing money across the Potomac, you can kiss
your allowance good-bye!”
THOMAS EDISON’S JEWISH MOTHER:
“Of course I’m proud that you invented the electric light bulb. Now
turn it off and go to sleep!”
PAUL REVERE’S JEWISH MOTHER:
“I don’t care where you think you have to go, young man,midnightis long
past your curfew!”
And then this one, who really did have a Jewish mother:
ALBERT EINSTEIN’S JEWISH MOTHER:
“But it’s your senior photo! Couldn’t you have done something
about your hair?”
************
Answer
is C– Yup, becoming a tour
guide in Israel entails learning about the “pre-historic” periods as well. This
one was pretty easy. Because I actually knew that calcolithic meant the copper
era which of course is one of the three metals (Broze and Iron age being the
other ones). Neo-means New so that’s the Neolithic. Paleo is stone. Holocene I still
have no clue what it is and that’s even after checking out my friend Wikipedia some
climate era or something. Who really cares? The only reason I even know the
calcolithic is because we went for an unforgettable 5 hour hike to the top of
ein gedi to see their farshtunkeh temple there, which is pretty much a pile of
rocks in a circle. That’s something you don’t forget. The hike I mean.. not the
temple. So the score is Schwartz 26 and 6 for MOT (Ministry of Tourism)
on this exam so far.
No comments:
Post a Comment