Insights and Inspiration
from the
Holy Land
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend in Karmiel"
May 1st 2020 -Volume 10
Issue 28 7th Iyar 5780
Parshat Acharey Mos / Kedoshim
Home-Shul-ing
I have a confession to make. Don't judge me. If you are tempted to
than just reread last week's E-Mail about Metzora and looking at your own
blemishes again. So here goes…. I am enjoying davening at home. Pheww… There I
said it… That wasn't too bad…Do you still love me?
Now don't get me wrong, I love my shul and I look forward to
davening with my chevra once again. I particularly miss the Rabbi's drasha and
his incredible musical Carlebach Friday night davening, or most of the singing
parts of davening for that matter. But to be honest, which is what a few weeks
locked up of self-reflection does to you, there's something I find special
about davening at home. Something deep in me that doesn't really bother me
about the fact that the shuls are closed. In fact, I kind of wish in a terrible
way that it could even stay this way to a certain degree when this is all over.
Now to be totally honest in my younger yeshiva years I was never a
big davening-with-a-minyan-in-yeshiva kind of guy. You could probably buy a
house with the knasos/ fines I paid to my 9th grade Rebbe for
all of the prayers I missed. (50 cents if you came after barchu $1.00
after shemona esrey…). He actually claimed that he was buying a house
with all the money. We believed it was going to tzedaka, but he denied it. Once
one of my classmates (AB or was it CG?) gave him his fine with the introduction
that he was muchan umemzuman- all ready to fulfill the mitzva of giving
charity. The Rebbi then made him put that dollar in tzedaka and then give him
another one for "his house" fund!
Now it wasn't because I enjoyed the holiness of davening in my dorm
room. It was just because I liked sleeping in and frankly davening didn't
inspire me that much. Particularly yeshiva davening, which had no singing
whatsoever and lots of downtime as I was one of the faster daveners. I
knew exactly how many tiles there were on the drop ceiling of the Beit Midrash
and how many shuckles each rebbi could do a minute. I used to time them.
So I was not a big davening person. In fact, when these "porch minyanim"
started, I had a neighbor of mine that asked why I didn't join them. I told him
that I had been waiting all my life for Rabbis to tell me that it was a mitzva
to daven at home. Where was Corona when I was in High School? And much like
Rebbi Akiva who when he was being tortured to death and recited the shema
and his students asked him if he even felt obligated to say shema now at
this moment? He responded that his whole life he waited to fulfill this mitzva
(of loving Hashem so much that he would give up his life for him) and now that
the opportunity has finally come how can he not fulfill it. Similarly, I waited
all my life for it to be a mitzva to daven at home and now that it has come I
should not fulfill it….? OK maybe it's a little different than Rabbi Akiva.
I mean I did for a second or two have a desire to join this minyan.
(And before anyone gets all excited- it follows all the government guidelines
with a limited amount of people all socially distanced and wearing masks. In
Israel, unlike America, most blocks that have large families with boys and
neighbors are davening this way and not breaking the rules and staying safe.)
But then I realized that I have never had such a profound desire before to go
to shul. And if I was just getting it now then it was probably coming from my yetzer
hara/ evil inclination to break the rules and go. I know my Yetzer Hara.
I have to be careful when he wants me to do mitzvos. So I continue to daven at
home. And frankly I enjoy it.
See, when I'm in shul I get distracted. I'm thinking about the
sermon I have to give. I'm making sure that the chazzan is singing enough. I'm
helping him out. I'm looking around and wondering where some of my regular mispalelim
are? Is there a Kiddush somewhere I wasn't invited to? Why not...? Who is the
guy in the back? Are there enough chairs? Did I remember to open the ladies
section? Wow… that chulent really smells good this week! Hey where's Tully…? Is
he going to come only for Anim Zemiros again…? When is he going to start
davening the whole davening…? I think Yonah did when he was Tully's age… I
guess Tully is just his father's son… Barchu
es Hashem ha'mevorach l'olam va'ed…Amein…
Yes, it's distracting. It's one of the reasons I choose to be the
one that usually leads the service as the baal tefila; besides that I
find that most other people either daven too fast or slow for me or sing too
little or too much and I'm the only one that knows how to do it right. But I
find that if I'm leading the service I can have more kavana that way. I
feel that responsibility of being the messenger of the entire congregation on
my shoulders and keeps me focused and inspired. When I'm not the chazzan I find
it challenging to feel that inspiration.
Now davening at home the past month and half I have found a whole
new beautiful world of tefilla. One that I only used to experience when
I would go away for a Shabbos or a few days with my family after summer
vacation is over to some little cabin/tzimmer somewhere. It's quiet. It's
beautiful. I particularly like davening sunrise on those occasions. There are
no distractions. It's just me and Hashem. I have nowhere I have to go. I can
stop and think about words that jump out at me while I'm davening and think
about them. I can focus my requests and thanks to Hashem more personally. I can
even compose songs of praise and I often do at those moments. Not words
necessarily, but tunes out of the words that I've said so many times but they
never made my heart sing its own personal song. I feel like the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur in the Holy of Holies aloone with God. Yes, Davening at home is and
has been a truly sublime spiritual experience that I've really been enjoying.
And frankly will probably miss once we return to a post-Corona world.
This of course begs the question… Why do we need a minyan and shul
to daven? Admit it guys, there are definitely some of you that have always been
jealous of the women that aren't obligated to go to shul. We laugh at some of
these Women of the Wall that are fighting for a right to be like men and make
their own minyanim and would be happy to give them our place in shul in
a heartbeat, while we pray next to the chulent pot in the kitchen or on our back
porch overlooking the mountains of the Galil or watching the sun rise. So why
can't we? Why is it that the only way we can ever say kedusha, read
torah, say kaddish is if we have a minyan and are in Shul? What's wrong
with just me and Hashem?
This week we have a double Torah portion. We read Acharey Mos and
Kedoshim as we do many years together. There are probably no two parshiyos
that are as different from one another. Acharey Mos primarily deals with the
Hashem's command to Aharon, after the death of his two sons, about the mitzva
and sacrifices of Yom Kippur. It's about man's connection to Hashem in the
highest form. It's all holy and spiritual. It's the Kohen Gadol on the holiest
day in the holiest place alone with Hashem.
Parshat Kedoshim on the
other hand which begins with the mitzva for us to be holy-kedoshim, is
jam-packed with mitzvos. Most of them about things that have to do not
with Hashem but rather seemingly mundane things between man and his fellow man.
Don't lie, don't steal, don't swear falsely, don't withhold your worker's wages-
pay him right away, don't bear a grudge, don't take revenge, don't spread
gossip about others, stand up when somebody respectable comes into the room, give
charity to the poor, respect the elderly, when a person gathers the wheat from
his field, he should leave a corner for poor people and a very important mitzvah:
"Love your fellow as yourself.". Can you read all of those in one
breath…These are all pretty important things. Yet somehow they seem like subjects
I would read in a book about creating a just and moral society not one that was
titled "Being Holy". Even more fascinating is that an overwhelming
amount of these mitzvos all conclude with the words "Ani Hashem- I am
Hashem". It seems that this is the refrain of the parsha, but what
does Hashem have to do with all of this?
Rav Kook in his classic work Olas Rei'ya reveals an incredible idea
about what it means to be holy. The secret of which can be found in that which
Hashem's name is only revealed with a minyan. In next week's parsha Hashem
tells us
Vayikra (22:39) Vi'nikdashti b'soch bnai Yisrael- And I will
be sanctified from amongst the Jewish people.
To be holy, in the words of Rav Kook, means that one is entirely
connected and focused upon the revelation of Hashem in this world. This is not
a self-centered pursuit. It's not about my own spirituality. It's the opposite.
It is an entirely Hashem-focused experience and life. That focus on the revelation
of Hashem in creation means that one must primarily be focused on connecting
with others to bring out that spark in Creation. Hashem is not revealed in our
personal religious experience. Hashem is revealed b'toch bnai Yisrael-
when the Jews are connected with one another and joined in that pursuit to
reveal Hashem in all of us and through that in the entire world.
The torah warns at the conclusion of this week's Parsha that we
should not go in the ways of Mitzrayim and Canaan. Harav Charlap explains that
these are two opposite forces that challenge us. Mitztrayim tried to destroy
our desire to grow. They enslaved us, they killed us. Canaan on the other hand
is all about idolatry and licentiousness. It's about each person focused solely
on themselves. The basis of idolatry and its underlying theology is what can
the god do for me. What can it do for me materially and even spiritually. Illicit relations are all about my personal
physical enjoyment. Judaism proposes the opposite of that. Kedusha; holiness is
focused on bringing Hashem down to this world and creating a home for Him that
resides in this world as His glory fills the world, not me getting something from
him. Marriage is called kiddushin because it is focused on uplifting our
most personal drive and connecting it with someone else to reveal a higher
purpose. To reveal holy matrimony. Hashem is amongst the two of us and we are
wed k'daas moshe v'yisrael; to build a bayis ne'eman b'yisrael.
We are not creating our own island. We are joined with a minyan for that
marriage (these days in Israel it’s a maximum of 19 people) as we recognize
it's all about joining an building us all together. It is from that union that
a new life is born. That a new neshoma comes down. That Hashem's presence is
increased in this world.
The title of both parshiyos that we read are perhaps
revealing as to the ideas in them. Do you know when you are alone with Hashem.
When it's just you and God like a Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur? Acharey Mos… after
you are dead. But as long as you are alive in this world we are charged Kedoshim
tihiyu- be holy, ki kadosh Ani- Because I am holy. My holiness is
Your Holiness. I can only be revealed through you. All of you. The poor, the
one's you feel wronged you, the convert, the elderly and the children and their
parents. All of you together in one big minyan. All of you appreciating that
only together will I be revealed. Never just you alone.
Being in quarantine has given us a taste of a world without a
community. For many of us this is the most time we have ever spent away from
people, our friends and close ones. As well, it's the most time we have spent
with our families, for those of us fortunate enough to have them with us. It's
a time to get closest with those we are closest with that perhaps we haven't
for too long. It's a time to get closest to ourselves as the usual distractions
and hectic-ness of our lives has been put on pause. It's a time to relish in
the closeness we can feel to Hashem. We can daven at home. It may even feel
holier as there is a holiness in that pursuit. But I believe this is only an exercise
for us for when we get back to Shul. Can we take that spirituality and tefilla
that we experience and have uplifted and connect it to our fellow daveners? Can
we reveal Hashem b'toch bnai yisrael? Can we make that holiness
about Hashem? About bringing it together with all of Klal Yisrael?
I believe that there is a
Beis Hamikdash at the end of this tunnel that we are all in. It is that holy
light that we will all walk in to together. Just as when we entered the sea all
together on Pesach there was a great mountain and revelation that we were counting
towards 7 weeks later. It was truly
magnificent. It was the most awesome holiest moment of the world because we all
shared it together. We were all kadosh because we all reveled that holiness. There
is one waiting for us at the end of our sefira count as well. And just
as then, we stood with one heart and one man and brought the greatest
revelation the world has ever experienced. So may it be once again this year.
Together. A Beis Hamikdash will be so much cooler than our shuls. Think they'll
let me daven for the amud?
Have a simply
divine Shabbos,
Rabbi Ephraim
Schwartz
********************************
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK
" Ah
mohl der vos iz noenter tsu der shul, iz alts vayter fun Got- Sometimes the nearer to the synagogue, is just farther from
God.
RABBI
SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK
answer below at end of Email
25) One of the
first settlements established in Gush Etzion prior to the establishment of the
State of Israel:
A.
Alon Shvut
B. Rehelim
- Efrat
- Kibbutz Revadim
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK
https://youtu.be/3_EvEuFZczc - Magnificent Avinu Shebashayim with 72
Chazanim for Israel's 72nd birthday
https://youtu.be/c2FvKGXXCJM - Ari
Goldwag newest album Rak Hu and Yom Zeh Acapella
https://youtu.be/n8G1T91RWDU
- Maccabeats Yom
Ha'atzmaut
https://youtu.be/hVdtknxHMCQ
- Very moving Yom
Ha'zikaron by the Kotel and the rooftops of Jerusalem…
https://youtu.be/yeCCwKcRVKQ – Build the World- New Acapella Song by Joey
Newcomb
RABBI
SCHWARTZ'S PARSHA/MITZVA CONNECTION OF THE WEEK
Parshat Acharey
Mos /Kedoshim-Lifney Iver Michshol– Tripping up a "blind"
man- There are not
to many mitzvos that if you do what the Torah literally tells you that you
shouldn't do, that you don't violate the commandment. I can't think of any
others. Extra credit if you send one to me. But by the mitzva of "not
placing a stumbling block in front of a blind man" according to Rashi and
many other halachic authorities and commentaries one would not violate this
commandment. Of course it would be prohibited under other not nice things that
one shouldn't do. But the way that Rashi understands this mitzva is that it's
not meant to be read literally. Rather Rashi learns that the torah is prohibiting
giving bad advice to someone who is "blind" in a certain matter. The reason
Rashi learns this way is because the verse ends that this is prohibited because
one should fear God and that is generally a term that is used when one is only
sinning in his heart and no one else knows. That would not be the case if one
tripped a blind person. As well others note that the word used is lo sitein
which means do not give a stumbling block. If it wanted to say do not place it
should have said lo sasim. Thus Rashi learns it is not literal.
The Talmud understands the prohibition to be
that one should not give something to someone-that he would not otherwise be
able to get- that would be a sin for him. Examples being passing some wine to a
nazir who took a vow not to drink wine, or non-kosher to someone to eat, lending
or arranging a loan for someone from fellow Jew with interest-which is a
biblical prohibition or even to lend someone money without witnesses as that
puts him into temptation to deny the loan ever took place. The Talmud even
suggests that this is a sin for a Jew to sell to a non-Jew things for his
idolatry, or food that would be prohibited to him such as limb that was taken
from an animal still alive… (lobster?). Interestingly enough the Talmud even
says one is prohibited from hitting his older son for discipline as the child in
his "blind" rage might lose
control and hit the father back.
In the outreach
world Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Aurbach discusses a question of giving food to
someone that may not make a blessing or inviting them to your Shabbos table if
they may drive there? Am I putting a stumbling block? He suggests that if there
was a way that they could stay over without driving then one is in fact no
violating the stumbling block as you have given them a way out. If they choose
to take it or not is their business. As well if one feels that if they will
feel hatred of Jews if they are not invited to a simcha or another place where
there is food served, then that is also a sin and perhaps even a worse sin, as
such one can invite them.
Finally in
modern times the laws of lifney iver are applicable when one advertises or
awakens feeling of jealously that is a sin of doing something that will make
someone sin in one of the ten commandments of not coveting. We are meant to be
modest as a result of this. As well I
saw an interesting discussion that if one is sick with a plague and he goes
into a public area and coughs on people without warning them that he is sick-
he is literally violating both the literal meaning of the text as he is causing
other people who are "blind" to his condition to stumble into his
sickness. As well he is causing people to sin in that they will hate and resent
you and perhaps even all Jews as a result of your action. So wear a mask, stay
safe and don't violate any mitzvos!
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S ERA’S AND THEIR PLACES AND PEOPLE IN
ISRAEL OF THE WEEK
Chana, Mother of Shmuel 931-879
BC
– There are not too many women in the books of the prophets
that receive much attention. Certainly not the positive kind. Being that much
of the books are national historical stories it makes sense that stories would
be male dominated narratives as
women didn't play much of a public role in ancient times and pretty not much
until the modern era. That's not to say they weren't important or notable. In
fact our sages who are not known for being patronizing attribute many of the
miracles and salvations as only coming because of the merit of the women., who
it seems were less prone to sin then the men. But Chana is one of the few
stand-out figures. Her incredible faith, prayer an;;0d;dedication inspires all
Jewish women and melln forever. 0
Last week we
mentioned how Penina the "other wife" of Elkana would taunt Chana in
order to try to push her to daven harder or perhaps to do teshuva. What she
didn't understand was that the reason Chana didn't have children is because in
the words of our sages "Hashem likes the prayers of the righteous".
Those prayers and the emotions that come about from the tzadikim's, particularly
our Matriarch's, desire to merit to have children to serve Hashem are what has
carried through all of our generations. It is an amazing thing in Israel that
wherever you go to holy sites you will find Jewish mothers davening there.
Their prayers come from the depths of their heart. And we learned how to do
that from Chana and the prayers that she offered in Shilo.
The Navi tells
us that she spoke on her heart. Our Rabbis tell us that she was one of those
that spoke with chutzpa to Hashem. But it was fine. She looked at her body and
asked Hashem why he gave her the body parts to have children but didn't
actually give her any? It is interesting as well that it seems that Chana's
prayer was a revolution in prayer. According to some commentaries most people
until that time would daven out loud. This is before the period of organized
three times a day prayer which was established after the destruction of the
Temple. So people davened by asking Hashem out loud for what they wanted.
"Bring rain", "give me parnassa", "Thank you for this
ice cream", "Get rid of this plague". Chana however davened
silently her mouth verbalized the words- which something else that we learn
from her. But her voice was inaudible. Wherever one goes in Israel be it the Kotel,
Kever Rachel or any holy place
here or around the world where we daven we can see at least the silent
prayer of Shemona Esrei is recited precisely the way that Chana did.
Verbalizing our thoughts and requests but silently. We don't need to scream at
Hashem. We believe He is right next to us. But we do have to bring our hearts
and thoughts out to this world in the form of prayer.
Eli, the High
Priest who according to the midrash was appointed to be the judge of the Jews
that day as well was unaccustomed to seeing prayer in such a fashion. Perhaps
until that time it resembled more of the yelling in the forest that one sees
around Meron, or the screaming in shuls that one can find in Karlin
or Breslav. He accused her of being drunk, which of course teaches us
the law that one shouldn't drink and pray. And you thought it was only driving
that was a problem… She assures him that she is not drunk rather she is talking
to Hashem who knows the depths of her heart. He blesses her and she returns
back to Ramatayim Tzofim where she lived. With total faith she told her husband
the good news and sure enough she became pregnant and the rest as we say is
history…
We may not know
where Chana is buried. Which is quite ironic as I'm sure it would have become a
great pilgrimage site. Elkana her husband is buried on the road between Tzfat
and Meron and there are those that visit there. Perhaps it is the
humility of Chana who taught us prayer that we don't need her grave to daven
at. Hashem is listening to our prayers where ever we are. May he answer all of
them soon.
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S AND EVEN MORE TERRIBLE CORONA JOKES OF
THE WEEK
FUNNIEST MEME's of the WEEK
A study has
shown that parents are limiting their children to one hour screen time every 60
minutes. This move comes after official government guidelines were updated to
"do whatever it takes"
Corona is like
flying on an airplane. All the goyim are watching movies while the Jews are
making minyanim.
Abbot: WHO is
the organization responsible for not warning everyone about Corona in time.
Costello:
Who???
I'm raising
money for my children's school Building Campaign
Building Name-
Sold
Men's study
Room-
Master Bedroom-
Kid's study-
Master Bedroom-
Mezuza x 16-
Windows x 25-
Kitchen-
Furniture-
Landscaping-
What an
opportunity! Don't miss this chance of a lifetime and contribute generously
One day when
all of civilization is extinct from Covid-19. I hope that whatever species
inhabits the Earth will make chicken nuggets and cereal shapes out of us like we
did for the dinosaurs.
There is a scam
going on that I need to warn everyone about. There's an organization called
Oorah that advertises "Cars for Kids". I called them and offered them
one of my kids and they refused to give me a car.
My child asked
me the other day when does summer vacation start?
Today I woke up
early and showered, davened, learned a few hours, fixed everything my wife
wanted me to do, did an hour of excersize workout, learned with my children,
spoke to all my relatives and even caught up on all my paperwork. It's amazing
how much you can accomplish when you are lying…
Wife: Do I look
fat since this Corona virus started?
Husband: Well you
were never really skinny?
Time of Death
4/25/2020 8:05 PM
Cause of Death:
Corona virus
Do you think
you're bored? Sir Isaac Newton invented Calculus during the Black Plague. Do
you know how bored you have to be to invent Calculus?
Wanna hear a
Corona Virus Joke? You probably won't get it…
Being
quarantined with a talkative child is like having an insane parrot superglued
to your shoulder..
**********************************
Answer is D– Shmeezy…The visitor center in
Gush Etzion and the whole story of the Gush are places I visit and share with
people regularly. Revadim is one of the four pre-State settlements and the only
one that was in fact non-religious. Sooo Got another one right my streak
continues. One more week right and I'll be back in passing score territory as the
score now stands at Schwartz 16 and 9 for MOT (Ministry of Tourism) on this
exam.
