Dreams and Ladders- Parshat Vayeitzei 2019 /5780

Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land

from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

December 6^th  2019 -Volume 10 Issue 7 8^th Kislev 5780

Parshat Vayeitzei

Dreams and Ladders

I hate Europe. I know there are some people that get nostalgic about the alteh heim. They think fondly of the wonderful shtetl and the simplicity of life back then. The simple tehillim Jews that would rise early and learn or daven before going off to peddle their wares. The Rebbes and chasidim, the great yeshivos and the incredible sounds of Torah that rang out through the streets. For me, it's one big continent of death, blood, murder, massacre, Shoah and tumah/impurity. It's not just the last century, either. It's generations and generations and millennia of anti-semitism from the times of the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash. It's Romans, Crusaders, Expulsion, Cossacks Czars and Socialists, The Nazis just continued the time honored tradition and brought it to its ultimate conclusion. Why anyone would want to go there is beyond me.

I remember when I used to lead Shul missions to Israel, we would stop over at Amsterdam and tour the city before getting on that plane to the holy land. I hated it. Everywhere I went I felt tumah. I walked by the Danube river and wondered how many dead bodies were on the bottom. I passed these huge architectural palaces with huge halls and I pictured banners of swastikas hanging and waving from their roofs. We would pass by quaint café's and this cute little old men and ladies sitting there sipping coffee and I'm asking myself how many Jews they killed. How many did they hand over to the Nazis? How much did they plunder steal and rejoice as my brothers and sisters were carted away to the gas chambers and the camps. It was a sick feeling; one I never want to experience again. One that keeps me from wanting to ever go back there, despite how many great Rabbis are still buried there and how fun it looks like to pray and dance on the always advertised pilgrimages to their tombs.

The way I described it to someone is that it's like the opposite of coming to Israel. When you go to the Kotel and touch the wall, your hand begins to tremble from the sanctity. When you get off that plane for the first time and for me every time, I feel my soul soaring. I feel holy, I feel kedusha. I feel connected to my soul, to Hashem and to all of my ancestors that either merited to live here or that dreamed of one day coming here. It's amazing. It's just a wall. In fact, the Kotel is only a retaining wall around the mountain where the Beit Hamikdash once stood but it has that spirituality that is incredibly tangible that emanates from it. It is truly the opposite of what I feel like when I'm in Europe.

I don't think that this is an experience that I alone have. It's one that most of my tourists tell me that they have when they come here. Non- Jews as well, not that I take them on tours, describe the prayers that they recite at the Kotel to be the most inspired they have ever had. And if that's the case then I think that we should all be troubled by the opening story of this week's Torah portion. The portion that tells us that in fact the Temple mount is the gateway to the heavens.

That parsha begins with our patriarch Yaakov leaving Be'er Sheva on his way to Charan. He turns back to go daven at the place where our ancestors davened. Along the way he stops off to sleep and according to Rashi and the Midrash the ground crunched up under him and his head rested by the Makom Hamikdash. There he has the famous dream of the angels going up and down the ladder. Yaakov awakens and ask the question that seemingly we all should ask however the Torah doesn't give us the answer.

Achein yeish Hashem bamkom Hazeh v'anochi lo yodaati- Is it so that Hashem is in this place and I didn't know?!

Vayira vayomar- and he feared and he said

Ma nora ha'makom hazeh- how awesome is this place

Ein zeh ki im beis Elokim- This must be the House of Hashem

V'zeh sha'ar Ha'shamayim- and this is the gate to the heavens.

Why doesn't Yaakov know that this is the gate to heaven. Did he not feel the kedusha that even a simple non- Jew, even Donald Trump, must have felt as he approached this sacred site? It's not like Yaakov didn't know that there was such a place. The Midrash tells us he actually was travelling there to pray at the place where his forefathers had prayed. Where his father, Yitzchak was brought up as a sacrifice. He must certainly have felt all of the prayers that would be offered here throughout the generations. This is the gate to the heavens after-all. So how come he doesn't feel it. How come he doesn't realize, how come his hands don't tremble, how does he just fall asleep?

Rebbi Noson, the primary disciple of Rebbe Nachman, shares a powerful insight into this story. He tells us that when Yaakov left his father's house he had many questions. How is this possible? What has happened to me? My brother wants to kill me. My mother had me dress up and trick my father and steal his blessings. I'm being forced into exile, forced to leave the holy land; the land my father Yitzchak or I have left before. Why?

When one has questions and is in the dark the shechina does not rest upon him. Ein Ha'Shechina shoreh ela mitoch simcha- the Divine presence only rests when one is in state of happiness. But it is dark now for Yaakov. The future looks bleak. He doesn't see or feel any holiness. As the first Jew going into exile for an extended period of time {Avraham also goes into galus but that is a just a brief interval- for all you nitpickers reading this} he feels the hiddenness of Hashem. He davens maariv for the first time and one can imagine him saying the words

u'maavir yom u'mayvi layla- Hashem causes the day to pass and he brings night.

He brings darkness. There is no light. And so he goes to sleep and dreams. In that dream he has the revelation of eternity.  He sees angels going up and down the ladder and that ladder rises from him; the gateway to heaven begins its journey upwards where he lays his head in the nighttime and darkness. Generally speaking, one would imagine that angels would be coming down from heaven and then going up again. But in Yaakov's dream he sees the opposite takes place. The angels start from him. The gateway to heaven starts down here on Earth. The angels, our sages tell us, are created from the mitzvos and good actions that we do, the Torah that we learn, the prayers we offer and the faith in troubling times that lifts us up. Finding and recognizing Hashem in that hiddenness are the building blocks of what ultimately will become the "Beis Elokim"- the house of Hashem.

Yaakov awakens and notes Ha'Makom – the Place is awesome. Life isn't always about the tents of Torah that he sat and studied. It's not about even the perfect home of Yitzchak and Rivkah from where he came. It's about raising up that ladder, bringing up those sparks of holiness and finding the "makom" wherever you are and may go and building that ladder back to Yerushalayim… to heaven. That word ha'makom is the same word we use when we console a mourner.

 Ha'makom Yenachem eischem- Hashem, who is the place of the entire world should console you.

In sadness, in tragedy, in exile, in darkness, there are ladders that lead back to heaven. Hashem is there too. Our ancestors that lived in Europe knew that. They built their ladders of faith back to Yerushalayim out of horror and suffering and hiddenness of Hashem that they were able to reveal in their martyrdom. I believe, I, and the entire State of Israel exists as our return from Exile occurs only because of their merits and sacrifices. Only because they dreamed and prayed and died with Ani Maamin on their lips; their never-ending faith that we will return. Hashem will return. It is amazing that the first dream recorded in the Torah is of the return to Eretz Yisrael. That dream is what carried all of our ancestors in the darkness, and it carries us as well.

 The holiday of lights is approaching in a few weeks. We will celebrate the Chanukas HaMikdash- the rededication of our Temple in the times of the Maccabees. Like our ancestors in that period it was so long since they felt the sanctity of the Beit Hamikdash. It had become a place of paganism, of idolatry, of murder and Greek influence. The miracle of Chanuka was that the Jews upon seeing that holy light of the Menora remaining burning for 8 days once again saw that ladder up to heaven as the gates opened up again. We are blessed to live in an era when we also can feel and experience the kedusha of Eretz Yisrael, Yerushalayim and the Kotel. Yet we are still awaiting the day when we will feel it once again on the Har Habayis. May the end of this month of Kislev once again bring for us the opening of those heavenly gate, as we stand in the Temple rebuilt exclaiming as Yaakov did. "Ma Nora HaMakom Hazeh."

Have dreamy Shabbos,

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

********************************

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

“Men ken machen dem cholem grosser vi di nacht.." - You can make a dream bigger than the night.

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S COOL VIDEO  OF THE WEEK

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/shalom-aleichem - in honor of the angels in this week's Parsha and Shabbos my Shalom Aleichem composition

https://youtu.be/1jQfApcVtY8   – I'm not a huge fan of this song. Abba… however this rendition with over 1000 Yeshiva students from the entire spectrum of Israel singing together with Avraham Fried in Binyanei Ha'Uma is truly magnificent

https://youtu.be/Pqm79YFqiSs   –Moving Moishe Holtzberg who lost his parents in Mumbai attack inviting parents to Bar Mitzva music video… heartwrenching

https://youtu.be/KnzaBTlefF4    - Simcha Leiner brand new video Lecha and baby Shark!

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

3) Zor and Ghor are terms connected with:

1. Yarkon
2. The reproductive organs of a flower
3. Mamluk architecture
4. Jordan

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S PARSHA/MITZVA CONNECTION OF THE WEEK

U'Mikdashai Tira'u– Awe of the Temple- This week's parsha reveals to us the that the Temple Mount in Yerushalayim is the gate to heaven and is a place where Yaakov notes that he should not be sleeping. The reason for his fear is because the Torah gives us a commandment to treat the makom Hamikdash with sanctity. So this is a good place to learn these mitzvos.

Now the first thing ChaZ"l want us to know that it is not the Temple itself from which we have awe, rather it is "He who commanded us to fear the Mikdash" that we have awe from. It's sanctity comes from Hashem and it shouldn't be itself turned into idolatry. The second thing is what is considered the Mikdash, where does this mitzva apply?

So there are a few interesting divisions there is are obviously places on the Temple mount that are forbidden for anyone to enter while in a state of impurity without having been purified by the ashes of the red heifer. We'll leave those aside. There are places that are permitted to go to on the Mount technichally and for many practically where if one is purified by going to a Mikva that is sufficient. The majority of Orthodox Halachic authorities bot Chariedi and even Zionist certainly frown on, if not prohibit,  people going up there for many various reasons. However even the people that do go to the Temple Mount need to follow the basic guidelines of this mitzva which are treating the place with awe. What does that entail?

So the Rambam writes that one is only permitted to go up to pray. That would make taking selfies and political statements a no-no. As well one cannot wear shoes, or belts, or walking sticks or one's wallet or purse. I imagine if cellphones were around in the time of the Rambam he would prohibit them as well. One is prohibited from spitting there, or going to the bathroom, or even to sit down. As well any joking or levity is certainly a detraction of the awe that one is meant to have there.

When one walks on the Makom Hamikdash it should be done with awe and respect. One can't take short cuts across to get to the other side, as that would be using it for your personal use. As well upon leaving you should walk backwards and not turn your back to the place of the Mikdash in the East.

Now for the majority of us that don't go up to the Temple Mount we can still fulfill these mitzvos as our sages tell us that our synagogues are like a mikdash me'at- a 'mini'- temple and there are even opinions that there is a biblical obligation as well to treat them with the same awe. There are differences though. The Talmud tells us that just as one can wear shoes in shul, you can spit as well, as the awe due to a shul is similar to the practice one would have in their homes. At the same time one can't take a short cut through a shul. Thus in a scenario when one ahs to even call someone out of shul, the custom is to sit down and recite a verse of praise of Hashem along the way. However all other aspects of treating a shul with awe apply. One can't use it for mundane purposes, it's not a place to hang out, to joke around in and as well one should walk out facing the shul to show it it's due respect.

If we observe the awe for our mini-temples perhaps Hashem will merit us to fulfill it in His big Temple. If however we can't even treat our shuls with awe…

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

Yiftach and the War of Ammmon 982 BC –After being selected and agreed upon as the chief of the tribe of Gilead, Yiftach engages in one of the more lengthy and fascinating dialogues with the King of Ammon that sadly has many modern day parallels. We actually read it as our haftora parshat Balak and I like to read it to my tourists while driving up the Jordan valley looking into Jordan where this story takes place.

Yiftach first makes overtures to peace. Why are you attacking us? Why have you given us no peace? What have we ever done to you. Ammon, who refuses to recognize Yiftach as the rightful ruler comes up with the claim that the Jews and people of Gilead are sitting on occupied territory. We stole it from their ancestors when we left Egypt 300 years before. Sound familiar? Yiftach responds that this is fake news. First of all, we took it from the Emorites who took it from you. How come you never claimed it from them? Interestingly enough, the Palestinians never wanted their own state when they were under the Jordanians, it's only when the Jews took the West Bank  from Jordan in 1967 that they made a claim.

Second of all we were prohibited to even attack you. There was a prohibition to attack Ammon and Moav. So this entire claim is false. Third of all even the Emorites who we were permitted to attack we didn't attack. We reached out for peace to their King Sichon and he came out and attacked us! We defended ourselves and we took his land. Again this is just modern history all over again. When the Jew defended themselves in every war we have fought and the world of Ammon claims that we had no right to take their land.

Finally, Yiftach tells him that it is Hashem that gave it to us and we're not going anywhere. With that Yiftach sets out to battle. On his way out he makes a vow to Hashem that if Hashem gives the Ammonites in his hand he will bring us as an offering the first thing to come out of his house. We'll talk about that vow next week. But ultimately Yiftach wipes out 20 Ammoni cities all across Ammon and subdues them. Sadly today those lands are still in the hands of Jordan. We're still at the negotiating stage of trying to disprove the fake news. May Hashem give us the strength of Yiftach to one again return them to our land.

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S GOY JOKES  OF THE WEEK

A minister told his friend Rabbi Goldman, "Last night, I dreamed of the Jewish Heaven. It was a slum, and it was overflowing with people – running, playing, talking, sitting – doing all sorts of things. But the dream, and the noise, was so terrific that I woke up."

The rabbi said, "Really? Last night, I dreamed of the Protestant Heaven. It was a nice, proper suburb, with neatly trimmed lawns, and houses all neatly lined up."
"And how did the people behave?" asked the minister.
"What people?"

A rabbi is on his deathbed, and a friend asks him if he has any last requests. The Rabbi asks his friend to find him a Catholic priest, so that he might convert.

Confused, his friend asks, "Rabbi, why? You have been a great teacher and leader of your followers, and you have led a good and honorable Jewish life. Why would you want to become a Catholic now, before you die?"
He says, "Eh, better one of them than one of us."

An old gypsy is on his deathbed: "My children, remember to defend the Jews."

"Why Jews?"
"Because if they are gone, we will be next."

During World War II, a sergeant stationed at Fort Benning gets a telephone call from a prejudiced woman.

"We would love it," she said, "if you could bring five of your soldiers over to our house for Thanksgiving dinner."
"Certainly, ma'am," replied the sergeant.
"Oh... just make sure they aren't Jews, of course," said the woman.
"Will do," replied the sergeant. So, that Thanksgiving, while the woman is baking, the doorbell rings. She opens her door and, to her horror, five black soldiers are standing in front of her.
"Oh, my!" she exclaimed. "I'm afraid there's been a terrible mistake!"
"No ma'am," said one of the soldiers. "Sergeant Rosenbloom never makes mistakes!"

During the days of oppression and poverty of the Russian shtetls, one village had a rumor going around: a Christian girl was found murdered near their village. Fearing a pogrom, they gathered at the synagogue. Suddenly, the rabbi came running up, and cried, "Wonderful news! The murdered girl was Jewish!" "

Berel falls into a lake, and, not knowing how to swim, he frantically screams, “Help, save me!” But his calls are totally ignored by all present, including a number of soldiers standing nearby. In des­peration, Berel yells out, “Down with the czar!” At that moment, the soldiers immediately jump in, yank Berel out of the water, and haul him off to prison.

n altercation takes place at a royal reception at Buckingham Palace, between the Jewish philanthropist, Sir Moses Montefiore, and an un­friendly Russian Grand Duke.

Shocked that a Jew should have been invited to an aristocratic gath­ering, the Grand Duke slyly remarks to Sir Moses Montefiore that he had just returned from Japan, and he had been intrigued to learn that in Japan, there were neither Jews nor pigs. Sir Moses calmly responds to the Grand Duke, “This is indeed quite interesting. Now, suppose you and I were to go to Japan, it would then have one of each!”

***********************************

Answer is D–  I had no clue whatsoever about this one. Don't know what Zor is (although General Zod was the guy in the Superman movie I believe) and whatever that other word is. I eliminated plants though because I knew that the reproductive organ in plants the filament is called zir and figured it was a trick. I didn't think it was Mamalik either, I certainly never remembered those terms.  Since the previous question had to do with rivers, and a lot of times they usually bunch questions together by subject I went with Yarkon which is a river as opposed to Jordan which is a country. However I was wrong because Jordan was not referring to the country rather to the Jordan River. Which really isn't fair because it should have then said Jordan River. The Zor it turns out is the Gaon Hayarden which is the river bed and the other thing is the valley surrounding it. So I got it wrong although there's a good chance I would've skipped this one as  I really had no clue or recollection of those terms. So we continue with the score being Schwartz 2 and 2 for MOT (Ministry of Tourism) on this exam.