Insights and Inspiration
from the
Holy Land
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend
in Karmiel"
March 5th 2021 -Volume 11 Issue 21 21st
Adar 5781
Parshat Ki Tisa / Para
Timeless Lessons
(Don't miss out on the exciting news of my new Book release on Pesach that you need to get!)
I left Karmiel for Purim this year. It was the first time I wasn't here with
my community. But I'm someone who doesn't like to miss an opportunity.
Certainly not one for a party. See being that th 15th of Adar fell
out on Shabbos this year. So Jerusalem, and for that matter other cities that
had walls around it from the time of Yehoshua Bin Nun which celebrate Purim on
that day- a day after everyone else, had three days of Purim this year. It was
a buy-one-get-2 free deal or as they say in Israel "echad ploos echad
ploos echad"- the ploos being plus in English. On Friday we read
Megilla and gave money to the poor, on Shabbos we recited Al Hanissim and did
the Purim Torah reading and on Sunday we had our Purim feast and gave out Shalach
Manos. Being that I figured that Karmiel would be kind of nerdy with its
lockdowns and Purim celebrations for immediate families only, I figured this
would be a good time to experience with my family what a Jerusalem Purim would
be like. Ordinarily we can't just pop in there the day after our Purim on the
14th of Adar because that's dedicated as hangover recovery day. 2020
and 2021 is all about doing things differently, so off we went and it was
awesome.
It was cool not having to do be rushed to do our sedua on Friday
after Megilla reading or to be busy with Shalach Manos. We were chilled.
No rush, no need to start running around and packing things up and doing the
traditional Shalach Manos swap things out of one and put it into another
and give it to the kid at the door. I didn't have to get up early to daven to
get it all in. We did head over to Beit Shemesh to visit some friends and to
bring some simcha to their Purim feasts but it was definitely nice being able
to stay sober, drive home and enjoy a nice Shabbos Friday night davening.
Shabbos as well was not hungover as some of my friends not doing the Jerusalem
Purim had to suffer through. I can't even imagine having to eat chulent being
hungover and you know how much I like Chulent. Even my recital of Al
Hanissim was a bit more meaningful, I was able to think and focus on the
words then the traditional slurring and zipping through them on a regular
Purim.
The peak was of course Sunday, there was no Megilla to read in the morning,
just a regular davening without even Al Haanissim being that we don't live in
Jerusalem and most of my friends there didn't know that we were even there, we
really didn't have those 10's of obligatory Shalach Manos that we
usually give out. We visited and surprised a few of our closest friends and
relatives who were just happy to see us and then we had an awesome seuda
with my favorite newest olim!
The highlight of my Purim was going over to my son Yonah's yeshiva. It's
been years since I've been in a real yeshiva for Purim. I had forgotten how
awesome it is. Watching the bachurim's dance of awe in front of their Rebbeim
and Rosh yeshiva, the tipsy ones hugging and kissing them like the sefer
Torahs that they saw them as, and even those guys in the corner crying
about the teshuva that they needed to do, how unworthy they felt. The music,
the singing, the jumping up and down and the culmination with the guitar holy
kumzitz with the lights off and everyone pouring out their inebriated hearts to
Hashem of their love for Him, His Torah, His people. I was 20 again. Truly the
Purim of a lifetime. "Why can't every Purim be like this? ", I
thought to myself as we drove home on Monday (night-it took some time to
recover). Let every year be a Purim Meshulash. Purim is anyways about moving
beyond time and space, how much more powerful it is when we actually move the
days and times around as well.
Now although a three day Purim doesn't happen too often, interestingly
enough in the Parsha we read this week and in fact all of the parshiyot
that traditionally surround Purim, there seems to be a bit of a "beyond-time-constraints"
type of reading that is as well both. In fact, perhaps it's because we are used
to this experience already over Purim that we can make sense of it all; we can
go to a place where time and days are irrelevant. It is the meaning, lessons
and inspiration that we get out of them that are what really counts.
This week's Torah portion is the centerpiece of a series of parshas
that speak about the building of the Tabernacle/ Mishkan. It is the place where
Hashem's presence will rest amongst us. His home here on earth, if you will.
The glaring question that stands out though upon reading these parshiyot is
when did this command and story occur. On the one hand we are told about it
beginning in parshat Teruma two weeks ago. Yet, this week's parsha which
begins continuing the story and the collection of the half shekel for the
sacrifices is rudely interrupted with the story of the terrible and tragic sin
of the Golden Calf. Next week, parshat Vayakhel and Pikudey that
conclude the book of Shemos and the story of the building of the Mishkan, picks
up where it left off with the completion of the work. So when did the Mishkan
and the command to build it take place before the sin of the golden calf or
afterwards? It's not clear.
Now whenever things are not clear we look toward Rashi to give us insight
which he of course does although it's a strange answer. Rashi tells us the rule
that the Torah is not written in a chronological order- Ein mukdam u'meuchar
ba'torah. That being the case he explains that with that in mind the simple
understanding would be that the command and the building of the Mishkan take
place after the sin of the egel. The question though one has to ask,
which the Ramban and others do and which Rashi does not explain is why does the
Torah then juxtapose and interrupt the story of the building of the Mishkan
with the story of Egel Hazahav. Why not just write it in chronological
order?
For this reason the Ramban (in the beginning of next weeks' Parsha) and
other commentaries read the portion chronologically. First Hashem commanded
Moshe to tell the Jewish people to build the Mishkan which he did and then the
people sinned with the Golden calf and finally after the Calf he gathered the
people and they actually built the Mishkan. See how time is jumping around
here…
To make this even more confusing once we're on the plane the Zohar takes it
a step further and writes that not only was the Mishkan commanded to be built
before the sin of the golden calf but they had already started building it. It
brings a proof to this idea from the fact that the Torah tells us that the men
took all of the jewelry their wives had from the ears and noses to make the egel.
Why would they need their wives' jewelry? Any guy knows that's a dangerous
thing to mess with. They had just left Egypt and were each fabulously wealthy
with all of the riches and booty that they took by the sea and when they left?
The Zohar answers it was because they used up all of their own gold to build
the Mishkan. They didn't have any left. So you see, the story and the timeline
just gets more and more confusing. Was it before, after or both?
The Lubavitcher Rebbi in an incredible sicha notes that we have a
rule that eilu v'eilu divey elokim chaim- they're all the word of the
living God. They're all correct. Move beyond the constraints of time. You can
do this. We just had Purim. Was it Friday? Shabbos? Sunday? Who cares. The main
thing is the message and idea. Come with me and him on a journey.
He writes that the truth is the Mishkan and a brick and mortar or wood and
gold and copper building to encapsulate the infinite nature of Hashem who is
beyond time and space is really somewhat of a paradox. If Hashem is infinite,
He can't fit into a house. If He's spiritual what does He want with the
physical shiny toys and animal skins that we have on this world. That is the
mystery of the Mishkan. And in truth it is the challenge and mystery of us all.
See we as well as human beings are physical beings that possess a spiritual
spark of Hashem that is eternal and beyond this world. We are that same
contradiction. The Mishkan is a microcosm of us. Our role and purpose in life
is to blend those worlds. To elevate what seems to be mundane and physical and
to raise it up to heavens. To reveal the spark of Hashem in every aspect of Creation.
There are three different people that have challenges with this idea. On the
one hand we have the tzadik, the righteous person who is solely
motivated to holiness. He's not interested in Pizza and perhaps even chulent.
He just wants to learn, to pray, to get close to Hashem. He doesn't need a
house for God. He just needs His Torah. He can talk and speak to Him
everywhere. The last thing he wants to do is be busy with gold, silver, copper,
animal skins and construction. I know some yeshiva guys like that. I spent
Purim this year with one of them related to me. Hi Yonah. It is for that Jew
that the Zohar tells us that the command to build the Mishkan was given and
done even before they sinned. It's not a place or a command to atone for the
sins that we do. It's l'chatchila! It's the original plan of our
Creation to get out of the Beit Midrash and start working, building and
engaging in the physical aspect of creation and elevating them in you labor. Hashem
has plenty of angels in heaven singing to Him. He created man to take the
physical and lift it up.
The second group of Jews are the baalei teshuva. The ones that have sinned and returned to Hashem. They as well like the righteous ones don't even want to think about leaving the house of Hashem and getting back out there in the mud. They know what construction sites look like. They've been there. They've gotten down and dirty and they left that world to become holy. They've already fixed and repented and left all of that behind. They've served their time and now just want to sit and be holy. Perhaps even holier than the tzadik, who never even was out there in the first place.
It is for that Jew that Rashi's
unchronological chronology comes into play. For Rashi tells us that the Mishkan
was both commanded and built after the sin of the Golden Calf. After that Yom
Kippur when Moshe had achieved forgiveness for the Jewish people. The command
to build a house of Hashem out of all of the physical materials in this world
was precisely given to the Baalei Teshuva that we all were. They need to know
that their work is not done. They need to get back to the yard and bring their
skills, and God-given talents that they may have even acquired in the slave
pits of Egypt, in another world when they might have even looked and acted like
a goy, and use them to lift up Hashem. They shouldn't bury, run or hide
from them. They are precious to Hashem and they He wants them in His house.
Finally, we have the reshaim -the wicked people, The ones that are
far, That are distant that feel low. Perhaps the ones that left the derech.
They were raised religious and rejected it all. They ran after the Golden
Calves that seduce us. They may have regretted their actions. They may even
want to return but they feel so far. They are too far gone. They've done too much;
they've sinned so badly. They've been away for so long.
It is for these Jews, the Ramban's timeline comes to address. For the Ramban
tells us that the same command that was given before the sin of the golden
calf, the same desire that Hashem had for them to be part of building His home
didn't expire with their sin. They are just as loved and as essential as they
were before the sin when he first told them about this mission. Their mission.
The reason why He loves and wants them so much. It hasn't changed. They could
put on their working clothes and get back right where they left off. They can
rejoin the nation together with the tzadikim that didn't sin.
This week we read Parshat Parah. It is the third of the 4 parshas we read as
we prepare for Pesach. It is the mitzva of how we can all become pure. We take
a cow, we burn it, we sprinkle some ashes and the sin and impurities that we
amassed all go away. The sin of the golden calf is gone. We are purified to
come build a home for Hashem. We can finish what we were put here to do. We can
bring the world to the end of time and lift it up to the Highest heavens. Purim
was our prep we got high, very very high, now it's time to leave the rest
behind. As Avraham Fried sang so long ago, the Time is Now.
Have a holy and timeless Shabbos,
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
IT'S HERE! IT"S HERE! IT"S HERE!!
I'M SO EXCITED!!
AREN'T YOU?!!!
My Brand New BOOK FOR PESACH
Five years ago Rabbi Schwartz published his original work
aptly titled
"The
Most Enjoyable Book You'll Ever Read About Pesach"
That totally sold out and is now back with his second volume
Your Most Enjoyable Pesach Book 2.0.
Add another 2.0 to that and we have the 2020 world we are
still living in and this is the handbook for survival and inspiration you'll
want to read entering this greatest holiday of Redemption.
From the slave pits in Egypt to the jungles of Africa,
the streets of Jerusalem to the locked-down houses in Karmiel, Rabbi Ephraim
Schwartz with his enthusiasm, inspiration and laughter, guides you through the
holiday of Pesach as you've never experienced it before.
Whether you've joined him on tours, read his Mishpacha
magazine columns, been inspired by his teachings, or whether you just
like his picture on the cover of this book, you are sure to be enlightened,
inspired and entertained. Forget about the lockdowns, forget about the masks,
step into the light of freedom and appreciate Pesach in the most enjoyable way
GREAT CHAPTERS INCLUDE
IMAGINARY WORLDS
SCAR-PLACE
JUNGLE TIME
CORO-NACHAS
THE FIRST SEDER
ZAYDIE MAYSEHS
PLAGUE-DEMIC
HITTING THE JACKPOT
GALUS AMERICA
THE MORNING AFTER
and much much more
It's the perfect Pesach Prep book, an amazing Seder
accompaniment and the perfect way to enjoy your holiday as never before
From the back cover
Quotes- That Were 'Never'
Said
Our father is a very wise man and we love
listening quietly at the Shabbos table to his Torah E-mails -My children
This book will cure Corona; if you read it
you will not need a vaccine, you will not need to be locked down, and your children
will go to school forever. Trust us we know what we are doing- The Ministry of Health.
This book contains no pictures of women and
barely mentions any female names— besides the ones who make chulent- Most Jewish magazines
The best part of the lockdown is the
quality family time we've enjoyed while developing new healthy eating habits.
Please pass the Brussels sprouts - the Author.
To order this book which is not yet in stores this year,
please respond to this E-Mail to Rabbi Schwartz
The book is a $20 (60 NIS) donation to the Young Israel
of Karmiel and Rabbi Schwartz'es weekly insights
(plus $5 shipping
in States where necessary)
Please be in touch and be the first ones to get this for
this year, before it hits stores next year...
TO RECEIVE THIS BOOK PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL TO
rabbischwartz@yahoo.com
with your mailing adress
Payment can be made
1) by Paypal at our blog
http://holylandinsights.blogspot.co.il/
2) or by Quickpay or Zelle to
rabbschwartz@yahoo.com
3) or by cash upon delivery
If you missed the VOLUME I original Book
"The Most Enjoyable Book
You'll Ever Read About Pesach"
you can order both for the special price
$36 (100 NIS) !!
With the same instructions as above!
***************************************************
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" Oyb tsayt iz gelt, hob ich keyn tsayt nit"- If
time is money, I don't have any time.
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK
answer below at end of Email
18)
“The Light Festival” has been held in recent years in:
A)
Jaffa
B)
Jerusalem
C)
Wadi Nisnas in Haifa
D)
Nazareth
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7DD02Gy5bM
- Gorgeous
song composed by Yitz Berry and sung by Duvie Shapiro (Yes, Mordy's brother)
Lyrics in Hebrew but a beautiful tribute to Jewish Mothers- Ima Sheli!
https://youtu.be/vmn2i3avGOc - This Bardak's hits
the nail on the head with yeshiva guys collecting on Purim especially in 2021! Hebrew..
https://youtu.be/Da8ONBk-FSI - Aharon Razel and
Yoeli Klein- I wouldn't have necessarily put these two guys together but they
do a beautiful job on this new fun Shabbos song Shabbos Malkesa
Land Mitzva
still awaiting – Ki Tisa- One
of the most disorienting and confusing things for many Americans and others
that move or visit Israel is the various Kosher symbols. There are almost as
many kosher symbols here as there are falafel stores and almost none of them
are the Big three or of four that we are all familiar with in the States. The
Rabbanut of this city vs this city, this Rabbi, that Rabbi, mehadrin, this
badatz that badatz, mehadrin, mehudar chalak, mehadrin min hamehadrin. Yes,
it's confusing. Maybe that’s why Israelis ae skinnier than American.
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S ERA’S AND THEIR PLACES AND PEOPLE IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK
The
Dance of David
- 872 BC-
After the fiasco of the first attempt to bring
the Ark to Jerusalem, Dovid Hamelech had left it by the house of Oved Ha'Edomi
for three months. This Oved Ha'domi it seems was a very righteous person
and was blessed by Hashem for taking care of the Ark of Hashem with lots of
kids. According to one midrash he in fact merited long life and was the same Ovadia
Ha'Navi who was an Edomite convert- thus his name. that served in the time of Eliyahu Ha'Navi.
His grave incidentally is up here in the North near the ancient city of Baram
in the Upper Galile.
Q:
What do you get if you cross an angry sheep and a moody cow? A: An animal
that's in a baaaaaaaad moooooood.
Q:
Why did the cow cross the road? A: To get to the udder side.
Q:
Where do cows go for lunch? A: The calf-eteria.
Q:
What kind of milk comes from a forgetful cow? A: Milk of Amnesia
Q:
Where do Russians get their milk? A: From Mos-cows
Q:
What do call a cow that has just had a calf? A: Decalfenated
Q:
What do you call a sleeping bull? A: A bull-dozer.
Q:
What do you call a grumpy cow? A: Moo-dy
Q:
What is it when one cow spies on another cow? A: A steak out.
Q:
What do you call an arab next to a cow? A: Milk Sheikh!
Why
was the calf afraid? He was a cow-herd
Why
wouldn’t anyone play with the little longhorn? He was too much of a bully!
What
sound do you hear when you drop a bomb on a cow? Cowboom!
What
would you hear at a cow concert? Moo-sic!
What’s
a cow’s least moosical note? Beef-flat!
What
do cows do for entertainment? They go to the mooooovies.
What
do cows like to do at amoosement parks? Ride on the roller cowster
What
kind of cows do you find in Alaska? Eski-moos
There
was a herd of cattle all standing on a hill when an earthquake struck. All of
the cows fell down, but the bull remained standing. The farmer noticing this
went out and asked the bull, "Why didn't you fall down like the rest of
the herd. The bull replied, "We bulls wobble, but we don't fall down
Knock knock.
Who's
there?
Cows
go.
Cows
go who?
No,
silly. Cows go MOOOOOO
*********************************
Answer is B –Another one wrong… I answered this too quick without thinking about it. I knew that Wadi Nisnas celebrates a holiday for all religions on Chanukah time. I figured that's what they were talking about. They like "pluralistic" made-up holidays. The only thing is that it's not called festival of lights. The Festival of Lights is a actually a summer "festival" of lights all over Jerusalem. I knew about the lights they have then I just never thought it was an official festival. So I got it wrong. Another point for MOT so the score is now 14 for Rabbi Schwartz and 4 for the Ministry of Tourism on this exam.
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