Insights and Inspiration
from the
Holy Land
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend in Karmiel"
January 31st
2020 -Volume 10 Issue 15 5th Shvat 5780
Parshat Bo
Tefillin Tour Guides
I'm not a Chabad guy. My
parents sent me to a month long Gan Israel sleepaway camp when I was 6 years
old (that
was only because they wouldn't take me when I was 5!) and that pretty much
ruined me for decades. I hated camp. I hated my counselours. I hated that they
woke us up to listen to live broadcasts of the Rebb's Farbrengenen in Yiddish which
we didn't understand. And I hated that they had a picture of the Rebbi in every
room and told us that he was watching us with his funny eyes that followed you
across the room. I was not a Chabad fan, and my parents sent me there for 5
years (I guess until the age when normal camps take you in).
When
I went to yeshiva and the whole messianic thing started I was even less of a
fan. It was an excuse to take my latent Chabad un-fandom and make it religious
zealotry. I was not polite about my feelings or jokes. It took decades until I
chilled out a bit. Perhaps it was living all over the States and seeing and
appreciating the great work and dedication that they do. It really wasn't
though until I moved to Israel that I got an appreciation of the Torah of the
Rebbi though. It was a funny a story.
There was someone that lived in my house
when we were in Seattle who was a former Chabad guy. He had to leave suddenly and
gifted me over a hundred of his Chabad sefarim that he wasn't planning on
taking with him. They ranged from the early Rebbes stuff to Chabad halacha
sefarim, storybooks and even music books, as well of course of all of the
sefarim of the Rebbi's sichos weekly lectures. I wasn't really interested in
them, but I'm kind of a bibliophile and I brought them with me when I moved to
Israel. They sat in about 20 boxes on my roof for about 5 years until one day
it all changed.
See,
I had started going to a lecture of a Rabbi here that I enjoyed. That's really
a rare thing because being a bit of a speaker-snob there's not too many people
I can stand to listen to for more than a few minutes. The ones that I can
though, I can listen for hours to. This particular Rabbi would quote a lot from
the Rebbi and I really began to enjoy his Torah for the first time. It was
different, brilliant, insightful and he took apart a Rashi like the greatest
yeshivish Torah I've ever heard. There was one particular week that he quoted
something that seemed so amazing I decided that I needed to see the text inside
myself. I made my way up to the roof and looked at those boxes. Where to start,
how was I to find it that particular dvar torah. There were so many
boxes so many volumes and so many torah thoughts in each volume. Well, I
figured I'll give it a shot. I opened up the first box, pulled out the first sefer
that came to hand and opened up the first book. Whadaya know? It was right
there in front of me…. Exactly the piece I was looking for. The ex anti-chabad yeshiva
guy was finally converted. It took about 40 years or so. I'm still not a Chabad
guy, but I definitely have learned through much of the Rebbi's amazing Torah
and you won't hear me say anything about up these boys ever again.
Perhaps
one of the most visceral things about Chabad Chasidim that is radically
different and almost their calling card is their teffilin stands around
the country. This mass teffilin campaign began before the 6 Day war
where the Rebbi gave out a call that all of his chasidim should go out and put teffilin
on as many Jews as possible. Israel was in danger the 19-year-old dream of our
return to Israel was looking very bleak as the nations around us were clamoring
for Jewish blood and how rivers of blood would flow through the streets as they
pushed us into the Sea. The Rebbi's call for teffilin was based on that
idea the Talmud shares with us that teffilin puts the awe and fear of
the nation of Hashem that wear this "crown" upon the other nations. Wearing teffilin is a segula for long life and
thus it is important to insure that every Jew at least once should wear this
special sign upon them. After the miraculous victory when in fact the Arabs
fled from the Jews in that awe, it was heralded as the secret success of our
victory. The campaign continued by the Rebbi's ruling though as Israel always
needs protection and there is an opportunity with this mitzva to connect Jews
and awaken their souls. And there have been countless stories of that in fact
being the case.
There were certainly Rabbis, great Rabbi's
that were against the campaign and who's students still are today. Not only for
philosophical reasons but for halachic ones as well. It's why it's pretty much
only Chabad that does that. But there are always Rabbis- great Rabbis that disagree
with every idea. It just makes the others one stronger and more resolute and
also keeps them in shape. Personally I'm not a street corner teffilin putter-onner
type of guy. I do my kiruv by inviting them over for my wife's chulent. I know
that works. But hey, to each his own.
This week the
Torah introduces us to this essential mitzva. It was one of the three "signs"
the Torah tells us that show our special connection and bond with Hashem. It's
right up there with Shabbos and Circumcision and it’s the only one that we can
do each day. At the same time though it's probably one of the only ones that we
take the most for granted. Strap-on Strap-off. Daven to Hashem and roll 'em up
and head out to work. But remember that first time we wore them though… Wasn't
that so amazing… So inspiring. How it transformed our prayers our thoughts and
how that first day or month or week we felt so special all day that we were
finally adults that got to put on teffilin. That's what Chabad guys get
when they experience placing them on people. Their kind of like tour guides in
that way. Teffilin tour guides. Showing
and seeing the wonder and sharing their enthusiasm of this mitzva. Of the Rebbi
of theirs campaign with someone who has never performed that mitzva or
experienced it. I can relate to that joy. It's total awesome.
Well in honor
of that idea I figured I'd share with you readers a truly amazing idea about
the teffilin that perhaps you can taste
a bit of that inspiration the next time you put them on. (The women could just
skip to the jokes from this point J). As you know there are four parshas
of teffilin two of them in this week's
parsha of Kadesh - the holiness of the first-borns, V'ahaya Ki
yiviacha of the mitzva of passing down to our children the story of Egypt
when we come to the land of Israel and two in Devarim of Shema of
our love of Hashem and V'haya the obligation to fulfill the
commandments. These four parshas are in our teffilin but there is a
difference. In the head they are written on four different parchments and put
into separate section. In the hand one it was one klaf and one box. The
early commentaries suggest that the idea behind this is that the portions
correspond to the 5 senses of a man. There are four of them in the head. The
sense of sight- the eyes, sound- the ears, smell- the nose and taste or speech-
through the mouth. The fifth sense is the sense of touch which is in the hands.
Thus the placing of the teffilin upon one's head subjugates all four of
the head senses to Hashem whereas the hand teffilin has one portion that
is for the sense of touch. Cool… but we're just touching the surface.
The Shvilei
Pinchas brings down a fascinating idea from a few sources that the function of
the creation of the world is to utilize these five senses to elevate the world.
The Rozhiner Rebbe suggests that the Torah tells us
Eileh Toldos
Shamayim V'artetz BiHibaram- these are the products of the world when they were created.
However, it is
written with a small Hei and Rashi tells us that they were created with
the letter Hei- the Rebbi suggests that it is to fix the world with our
five senses. When Adam sinned with those five senses by eating from the tree
(smelling, tasting speaking about it…) Hashem says Eich-ah or how does
this happen with the letter Hei- with the five senses I gave you. Avram and
Sarai's name were changed and a Hei added to them making them into Avraham and Sarah, because they
ruled over all their senses. The letter Hei representing the repair of
the sin of the Garden that ultimately we receive when we put on our teffilin
and leave Egypt with that mission.
But perhaps the
most amazing of the ideas of these five senses is what he mentions as the
fixing of the sin of the Garden in the repair of the letters of the Torah. See
the Torah tells us that the world was created with 22 letters of the aleph
beis. There are five final letters though that were only added to creation
after the sin of the Tree. Those letters are called MeNaTzPaCh- Mem,
Nun, Tzadik, Peh and Chaf. What's fascinating the Megaleh Amukos
notes is that each one of these letters corresponds to one of the five senses.
See take a look at them. The Mem looks like the profile of a face. The opening
is the nose on that profile is open on the bottom. We are meant to inhale kedusha
and only holy smells. It is where Hashem blew the spirit of life into us from
But once we sinned the nose is closed. We can't receive that kedusha and
spirit of life anymore. That is the final mem. The Nun is shaped like the ears
of a person. We are told that the bottom of the ear is too plug it up so one
doesn't hear lashon hara. The final
Nun, post-sin, nun though has dropped that plug all the way down it can
no longer plug up the ear. Similarly, the Tzadik has two lines coming up
from the base which are like the eyes of a man. They are meant to be closed
with eyelids. After the sin though the bottom drops down and they can no longer
close as well. The Peh looks like it's Hebrew name. It is the mouth. It
is meant to have a small opening to eat with and to speak words of Torah. Yet
it should be closed to things that are prohibited and words of gossip and
mockery. After the sin the bottom lip falls down. It's like when you're in the dentist
chair after anesthesia and you are just flubbing around. Those are the letters
and consequences of that sin.
Our teffilin fixes all of that. We unify our 5
senses with the placing of Hashem, His love for us and ours for Him. We
recognize that as His First-Borns it is we that are chosen to fix creation.
Every Jew. We are His nation. Those little
square boxes that have the name of Hashem Sha-Dai upon them are our
daily call to bring us back to the garden.
Not all of us
can stand on street corners and make sure that every Jew has that opportunity
to fulfill this great mitzva. But we all can recognize our special chosen role
in this world. To restore it to its former glory. Last week 42 nations and
leaders of State came to the Land of Israel to express their determination to
eradicate the hatred that our nation has always suffered for this role. This
past week, the United States recognized that Yerushalayim and most of the rest
of the country belongs eternally to our people. They haven't recognized it all
yet. And not all have yet recognized it. But we're getting closer and closer.
It is now up to us to let the world know that it only belongs to us because it
belongs to Hashem. It's why the world was created. It's the first Rashi in the
Torah that has brought us to the first mitzva in the Torah with our exodus from
Egypt of teffilin. Of our special role. May we finally be bold enough as a chabadtzke
to feel and share that message with the world.
Have a mystical
and glorious Shabbos
Rabbi Ephraim
Schwartz
*************************************
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK
“Di
tefileh gait aroif un di brocheh gait arop.."– The prayer ascends and the blessing
descends.
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK
https://youtu.be/vkInPUky6-w – New! Vzakeini-Levine
and Benny Friedman beautiful Bonei Olam song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwLh3N_4BJI Don't get the wrong idea here… I'm not
going Vegan but Mrs. Goldfarbs Unreal Pastrami looks interesting…
https://youtu.be/Vy48jfWoN28 - Cool video Reb Mendel Roth-
"Mincha" song
https://youtu.be/vykZx0mGINE - Just
got this Disc Eitan Katz live in Jerusalem 2.. Its awesome
RABBI
SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK
answer below at end of Email
12) A remnant
from the Biblical period was found in excavations in:
A.
Nebi Samuel
- Magdala
- Tel Beer Sheva National Park
- Hippos (Sussita)
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S PARSHA/MITZVA CONNECTION OF THE WEEK
Teffilin– Phylacteries – I don't know which one of those
preceding words require more translation, but the truth is that the Torah's
word for those Jewish black boxes we wear on our arms and head "totafot"
is not really a word according to Rashi that originates in Hebrew but might
have African roots. Even the details of this mitzva which the Torah goes out of
its way numerous times to mention to us seem to be secret. What are teffilin?
What does it say in them? Where exactly should I wear them? What do they look
like what are they made out of?
So the majority
of the details of tefillin were passed down from Moshe to us on Sinai.
It's part of the oral tradition that we have, the Torah She baal Peh. In
fact this is one of the basic proofs that there must have been an oral
tradition that explained the written Torah. How else would we know what this
was. So what is the mitzva of Tefillin or in fact how many mitzvos are there
with tefillin?
So like all
Jewish things its never simple. The Rambam and Chinuch seem to learn that its
two separate mitzvos one for the head and one for the arm teffilin,
while the Yereim and BaHa"G seem to suggest that it is one mitzva.
Interestingly enough we make two blessings on the tefillin one on each
one according to the Rambam that is only when one interrupts in between the two
acts. Normally however one would only recite one bracha, despite that its two
mitzvos. The reason is because they are the same concept. As well like the
Rambam if one only has one of the teffilin he could and should just put
that one on as each mitzva is not dependent on the other.
The mitzva of teffilin
is a daily mitzva 6 days a week. The Talmud tells us that we derive this from
the following verse in this week's parsha that we should observe this law (of
Pesach) Miyamim yamima- each day. As well it is not taken on Shabbos or
Yom Tov as we are told that teffilin is meant to be a "sign"
and since Shabbos and Yom Tov are already considered signs we do not wear them.
As a result of these laws the obligation of Tefillin falls under the
category of mitzvos that are dependent and limited by time constraints as a
result of that women are not obligated to wear tefillin, as they are
exempt from all mitzvos in this category. It's not to say they can't…but the
custom for the most part is for women not to wear them.
For men wearing
teffilin the demand is that they be worn on a guf naki- a body
that is clean and thus they are pretty much worn only during morning services
as the rest of the day it is difficult to be careful about that. Although there
are certainly great Rabbis and some in Jerusalem today that wear Teffilin
all day.
The teffilin
themselves contain the four portions that mention the Mitzva two from this week's
Parsha of Kadesh and V'Haya Ki Yiviacha and the first two chapters of
Shema. The arm teffilin contain all four written on one parchment
whereas the head has four different scrolls placed separately in its own
container. There is a dispute as to the order they are placed and therefore
some have a custom to put on two pairs of teffilin to fulfil both
opinions. The boxes themselves are made out of leather as well and are painted
black. The head box has the letter Shin on both sides of it (one has three arms
and one has four) The hand box doesn't have anything on it. The Shin is there
to connect to the shape of the daled that the head knot forms and the yud
shape on the hand straps to write the ShaDai, one of Hashem's names. Tefillin
are like the crown of Hashem and it is a fulfillment of the concept of the Name
of Hashem being called upon us.
Finally the
placement of the teffilin is very specific. In ancient times there were
Karaite Jews that would wear the head teffilin between their eyes on top
of their nose and the arm ones in their hands. They were literalists and they
didn't have our rabbinic tradition from Sinai. We know better. Which is why we
are still around and they aren't. head teffilin are worn on the head
above and between the eyes about the soft point on a baby's head. Whereas the
hand teffilin are worn on arm or muscle above the elbow directed inwards to
heart. They are also worn on the weaker hand, so lefties put them on the right
and righties on the left. There are different customs on how to strap them on
but most customs include 7 rings above hand and then a formation on the hand
that spells Sha-dai as well.
Teffilin is a mitzva that is essential. We are
told that it is as great as all of the other mitzvos in the Torah. It is one of
the few that are considered as a sign between our special relationship and
Hashem. As well we are told that it is a protection against the nations that
wish to destroy us. Hashem we are told has His own pair of teffilin
which describes His love for us. When we wear ours we complete this beautiful
relationship that we have. It is like being bound eternally in marriage. It is
thus that we received this mitzva as we became betrothed to Hashem upon our
Exodus from Egypt.
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S ERA’S AND THEIR PLACES AND PEOPLE IN
ISRAEL OF THE WEEK
Shimshon- Rambo 959 BC- One of the things
unique about Shimshon is that unlike all of the other judges of Israel who had
armies. Shimshon was a one man fighting machine. In fact quite the opposite of
the other judges the Jews themselves handed him over to the Plishtim. But he
handles himself just fine.
Right
after Shimshon wreaks havoc on their fields with his flaming foxes and then
slaughtered some more of them fleeing after they burnt his Philistine wife and
father-in-law, the Plishtim decided to put the onus of arresting him on the
Jews. They came up with a huge army to Yehuda and basically threatened that
unless they hand him over they will all be killed. This story is not a new one
amongst our people and there are specific halachic guidelines. If the enemy
demands that the Jews select a person of their own choice they all have to
allow themselves to die rather than hand over an innocent man that they select.
If they demand that the Jews specifically kill an individual as well the Jews
are not permitted to do that. Here they just demanded that they hand over
Shimshon specifically. They would deal with killing him. In that case it is
technically permitted to hand him over. Although when the case was Shimshon it
seems that they should have had more faith.
So
3000 men from the tribe of Yehudah came down to the Rock of Eitam where he was
hiding. Its not clear exactly where this is located, some suggested it is near
Breichot Shlomo by Beth Lechem, others connect it with Tel Eiton near the
moshav Shekef, while others place it near Tzora where he lived. Regardless
Shimshon agreed to be tied up and handed over to the Philistines. He was
brought to a place called Lechi-which means jawbone. That name pretty
much describes what took place there. The most radical of Israel's fighting groups
led by Yair Stern was called the Le"ChI however that name is just
an acronym of Lochamei Cherut Yisrael- Freedom Fighters of Israel but
I'm sure they wanted to conjure up that image of Shimshon in that name as well.
The
Philistines upon seeing Shimshon engaged in that ancient and modern Philistine/
Palestinian party of yelling and rejoicing probably even passing out candies as
well at the capture of their enemy. But unlike in today's time The Jewish
people didn't get on the radio and condemn it and say we will not tolerate
this….and then do nothing. Shimshon picked up a donkeys jaw bone and slew 1000
of them. Boom. Don't mess. He roared about his victory over their corpses…yet
it seems he forgot about Hashem in his song of praise. Not a good a thing.
Hashem made him become fiercely thirsty. He cried out and attributed his
victory to Hashem and water poured out of the jawbone. Cool! We can make water
out of air here today, but a Jawbone would be even cooler… This took place by a
place called Ein Koreh. Interestingly enough there is a spring called Ein kara
near Rishon LiTzion that Shimshon then led the nation for 20 years. It seems
his message worked.
The
exact location of this battle is not sure, yet there is a great hike called Mearat
Shimshon not far from Nachal Sorek by the stalactite caves where
this story is shared with tourists. This story is always a great topic to talk
about as it addresses the Philistine response of rejoicing on our falling as
opposed to the Jewish response. It teaches about sacrificing the one for the
many and the halachot related to that and of course the idea of attributing all
our victories to Hashem. Touring Israel with Tanach is not just a history
lesson. We learn our ethics from the Tanach and it is what should reflect the
morality in our warfare today.
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S ESPECIALLY TERRIBLE CHABAD JOKES OF
THE WEEK
So the Chabad
Guy stops the secular Israeli soldier to ask if he has perhaps three minutes to
put on Teffilin. The Solider said yes, if you have three years to serve in the
Army!
So the Chabad
Guy stops a yeshiva bachur and asks him if he made a blessing on a lulav and
Etrog yet on Sukkot. The bachur who was quite offended at even being approached
told the shaliach that he had not. The Chabad guy handed him the Lulav and
Etrog and the Yeshiva bachur closed his eyes and made the blessin Baruch Atah
Hashem Elokeinu Melech Haolam Borei Pri Ha'Eitz and took a big bite out of the
Etrog. Ouch!
Every day the Chabad
guy came into the hospital and put teffilin on the two Jews in the hospital room.
There was a gentile that was moved into their room and just so he wouldn't feel
left out the Chabad guy put in on him as well. Finally Shabbos came and the
Chabad guy didn't show up. By the afternoon the gentil turned to the other
Jewish patients and asked them.
"What is it there's no one coming to
check our blood pressure today!"
A chasid one
time came to the Rebbe and complained that he was hungry and doesn't have money
for food or his basic needs for his family. The Rebbe told him that he should
be happy and if he is happy that will bring him parnassa. But how can I
be happy the chasid asked when I don't have anything to put on my plate. Oy…
the Rebbe said… "What a person doesn't have to do for parnassa!" (
I think a lot of breslavers feel the same way!)
The Litvak
walked into the Chabad Shul and was frowning at everyone there. The Gabbai
decided to put him in his place and called him up for the second Aliya Yaamod
Harav Ha'Gaon Yankel ben Berel Halevi…
Yankel turned to the Gabbai and said "I'm[es1] not a Levi."
"Don't
worry the Gabbai said neither are you a Rav or Gaon"…!
The Breslaver
and Chabad chasid both died in an accident and found themselves in Gehenom. Oy
Vay they cried let's daven to our Rebbe's to save us and take us out of here.
The Breslaver was answered first as soon as he said his Na Nach Nachman's he
wasn't so nervous he had gone to Uman for Rosh Hashana and sure enough Rebbi Nachman
himself comes to take him out. The Chabd guy finds himself davening and davening
until the Rebbi comes down and orders him to open up a Chabad house there…
The chasid came
to the Rebbi to tell him that he has a weakness for sports. His favorite
football team was playing and the world cup fell out on Yom Kippur right on Kol
Nidrei night. Was there anyway that he could watch the game? The Rebbi told him
there is no way he can miss Yom Kippur the service for the game, it was much
too important, but if he wants he will permit him to record it on Yom Kippur.
The chasid was very grateful. After Yom Kippur the Rebbi asked the Cahsid where
he was for services. The Chasid answered "Rebbi, don't worry I recorded
the whole Kol Nidrei services and watched them afterwards…."
***********************************
Answer is C– This one seemed fairly easy and I
got it correct I assume as Beer Sheva is really the only biblical city and the
city dates back to the period of Shoftim. Which I'm assuming is Biblical.
Sussita and Mgadla are second temple and after cities. Nebi Samuel- the grave
of Shmuel Hanavi that looks over Jerusalem is mostly a crusader built and
perhaps even created site when they first came to Israel as the burial ground
of Shmuel, although shhhh most likely it is not there... However, there have been some finds there from
the end of the first temple including Ha'Melech handles from some jugs from the
first Temple period which is also Biblical, which would also make it a biblical
remnant, although the construction there is not Biblical, but who knows it may
be arguable. So the score is Schwartz 7 and 5 for MOT (Ministry of
Tourism) on this exam.
