Insights and Inspiration
from the
Holy Land
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend
in Karmiel"
April 30th 2021 -Volume 11 Issue 29 18th
Iyar 5781
Parshat Emor/ Lag Ba'Omer
Eternal Blessings
There was nothing in his Rabbinic training that could prepare him for this. He had learned in the great yeshivos of Ponivizh,
Kelm, and Slobodka where he later received his semicha. But in 1941 when the
Nazis invaded Lithuania the 27-year-old Reb Ephraim Oshry found himself in the Kovna Ghetto with his wife and children who
were murdered shortly afterwards. He served as the assistant Rabbi and
ultimately become the address that people came to with their questions and for guidance
in the most incomprehensible of times. The Ghetto conditions were terrible and
the Jewish population that began with a population of 30,000 within 3 years had
been reduced to a little over 6,000 Jews. Over 10,000 were murdered in the
"Great Aktzia" in 1941 in one day when the 9th fort was annihilated.
In the Aktzia of 1944 as well 2,500 of children under the age of 12 or elderly
over the age of 55 were hunted down and killed. Reb Ephraim ultimately survived
the war, remarried and rebuilt out of the ashes; starting schools and
communities to help the children of survivors in their new countries. Yet the
memories and horrors he witnessed remained with him forever and the halachic
questions he had to answer that he recorded during the war remain a testimony
to the eternal connection our nation has with our Creator and His Torah.
Now probably the mitzva that I and most
Jews fulfill the most often every day is the mitzva to make brachos. We are
meant to make 100 a day, and for those that daven three times a day this is not
too difficult a task. Certainly if you eat a few good meals a day on top of
that you should be covered. Yet in
Corona this has become a bit more challenging for me, as I pretty much make a
blessing in the morning for breakfast and not having anywhere to really go just
sit on my couch and continue throughout the day. But somehow I think I'm still
managing it. Maybe the asher yatzar's make up for it. (Did I really just
write that?!) The problem though with my
bracha making practice though, is that I'm really not thinking much about
Hashem when I eat. I think about the delicious food, nosh, or plate, or beer in
my hand that I'm about to digest. I mumble my blessings. They're kind of like
those hinneni muchan u'mezuman, or l'sheim yichud prayers that
one says before preforming a mitzva, which truthfully I probably have more kavana
for than the shehakol before I eat my ice cream sundae.
Now if at this point you're wondering
what the connection between the past two paragraphs of this E-Mail are, I'll
tell you. I was sitting this morning in Shul and picked up a sefer called the
Holocaust and Halacha. It seemed like interesting reading while I waited for
the Chazan to start the repetition of Shemona Esrei, and I didn't put it down. I
guess I have a few more brachos to make up for. For as I read about the Brachos
questions that were posed to Reb Oshry My
eyes began to tear and my heart felt like it was breaking. How could I just
spit out brachos from my mouth anymore? Look at your holy nation Hashem. Listen
to the questions they had about how to properly praise you.
The first question I read was a story he
shared was about an incident that took place during morning prayer services in
the Ghetto. It seems that there were a group of men that were forced to go to
the Labor camps of Kaunus each day. There, they were made to do backbreaking
work under the worst of conditions. It was Egypt all over again. Except this
time the orders came in German rather than Egyptian and the whip was replaced
with a pistol and a bullet in the head for those that floundered. Yet, each day
before going off to work these man would gather and daven the morning prayers.
On this particular morning, Reb Avraham Yosef, the chazzan got up to lead the
morning services and when he reached the blessing we say each morning thanking
Hashem Shelo asani eved- for not making me a slave. He stopped and
refused to go on.
"How can I recite this lie when
we bear the yoke of slavery on our backs? How can a slave thank God when he is
enchained and sated with a diet of gall and wormwood? Don't we have to mean
what we say when we pray? I cannot recite this bracha. I don't believe
it."
There were murmurs in the Shul. Others
joined in the fray. Rav Oshry was approached with the question that he was
never prepared for. Can and should one still bless Hashem for not making us a
slave, while we are beaten, tortured and forced to work worse than any slave
had ever been treated?
After much research with the limited
library but vast knowledge that he had of Jewish texts and traditions, Reb
Ephraim gave light to the questioners by showing them that this particular
blessing as well as the other ones we make at that time in the morning of shelo
asani goy or isha-not having made us a gentile or a woman, are not
blessings about our genetic, gender or racial makeup. It's about our ability to
perform mitzvos. In his words
"on the contrary especially at
this time, more than any, are we obligated to recite this blessing; in order
that our oppressors recognize that in spite of the fact that we are in their
power to do with us what their evil will dictates, we will not see ourselves as
slaves, but as free men temporarily in captivity whose redemption will soon be
revealed."
The next question that was posed was
after that horrific 'Great Aktion' of 1941 when the largest amount of
Lithuanian Jews were murdered in one day. On the 8th of Cheshvan of
that year the Jews were herded into the ghetto square where 2000 men and 3,000
women and 4,200 children were selected and marched out of camp. They were then forced
to dig mass graves and were machine gunned down by the Einsatzkommando Unit.
The ones that did not die from the bullets were all then buried alive with the
very earth that they themselves dug.
The Jews that had managed to survive and
hide from the selektzia had a bracha question as well for the Rav. The
halacha states is that when a Jew is saved from a life threatening danger he is
obligated to "bentch gomel". To recite a blessing of
thanksgiving to Hashem for the rescuing and preforming good for him. Would
those that were spared from this massacre, perhaps even miraculously, obligated
to recite this blessing as well. Or was the fact that they were still in daily
peril and danger mean that they still have not reached the category of those
obligated to bless for being saved. Once again Reb Oshry needed to review our
history and precedents to find the answer for their holy brachos question. {What
do you think the halacha should be? Discuss.}
After an extensive explanation of the
sources for the circumstances when this blessing is made Reb Oshry's conclusion
is that until one has fully experienced the salvation he should not make the
bracha. And then he adds.
"It is quite possible that the
cruel murderers have already condemned to death those that have escaped that
Aktion. The reason they are still alive is because this is their way; allowing
some Jews to live, deluding them with false hopes, so that their despair will
be even greater when they kill them.
Therefore, they should certainly not
recite the blessing, for the unfortunate ones may begin to imagine that the
threat of death is truly over. In this fashion we would be helping the
murderers in their foul plot and making it easier for them to annihilate our
brothers and sisters. Consequently, I rule that as long as they remain in the
Ghetto the blessing should not be recited (even without the name of
Hashem)".
Although there are hundreds of responsa
in his 5 volume work, aptly called Mi'maakim- from the depths- that he buried
in cans in the Ghetto and ultimately retrieved and published after the war. The
final bracha question I want to share with you is based on the mitzva that we
read in this week's Torah portion. It is a mitzva that we read each year during
this period of mourning for the students of Rabbi Akiva who died during the
period of the Bar Kochva revolt against the brutal Romans. It is the period of
time of year as well when the Crusaders swept through Europe and brutally wiped
out 1/3 of our ancestors in Europe. It was after those Crusades that the
customs of not listening to music, getting haircuts and not getting married
were first introduced.
This week's parsha as well generally
falls out the week of Lag Ba'Omer when we celebrate the life of Rebbi Shimon
Bar Yochai, who rose out of the ashes of the destruction of the students of
Rabbi Akiva. Reb who refused to allow his oppressors to silence him. He was
hunted for 12 years and he reached the greatest of heights. He revealed the
hidden eternal spark of every Jew that can never be extinguished. It is this
week's parsha and commandment that teaches us how Hashem's light is revealed in
the mitzva of Kiddush Hashem, when a Jew is martyred sanctifying Hashem's name.
In what is perhaps he "holiest"
verse in the entire Torah our parsha tells us
Vayikra (22:32) V'Lo Sichalilu es
sheim kodshi- You shall not desecrate My Holy
Name.
V'nikdashti b'toch Bnai Yisrael-. I shall be sanctified amidst the
children of Israel.
Ani Hashem mikadishchem- I am the Hashem Who sanctifies you
Three times in one verse our parsha uses
the word kadosh. "Kadosh Kadosh Kadosh" is what the
angels sing to Hashem. It is that level of holiness that we declare to Hashem that
we wish to achieve when we recite kedusha that. A Jew achieves this
exalted state when he gives up his life and reveals Hashem in the darkest
moments.
The question Reb Oshry was posed on the day
of that Great Aktion in the when the Jews were herded into the ironically
named, Demokratia Platz before being marched to their deaths. He was approached
by Reb Elyah, who had escaped from Poland, only now to be facing his death in
the Kovna Ghetto. He sidled over to Reb Oshry and asked on behalf of the
thousands in the square who understood the future boded for them, what was the
proper blessing to make upon this mitzva of Kiddush Hashem. The mitzva of being
killed and martyred merely for the fact that we were the nation of Hashem.
Merely because our enemy understood that our soul was holy and they felt that
by wiping us out they could destroy Hashem's presence in this world. What was the
proper form for the blessing? Was it
Baruch ata Hashem…-Blessed are you
Hashem, our God King of the world Who sanctified with His commandments and
commanded us al Kiddush Hashem- on (the mitzva of) sanctifying His name
Or was the conclusion
Who commanded us- L'Kadesh es Hashem- to sanctify His name.
Different brachos have different
conclusions. We say l'hadlik ner shel Chanuka, or shel Shabbos
and Yom Tov, leishev ba'sukka, or l'haniach teffilin. These are
blessings on the act one is doing On the other hand there are other brachos
where the correct way to recite them is on the action preformed; such al
ha'mila by bris or al kriyat Megilla when we read the megilla or al
netilat yadayim upon washing hands, al achilat matza which of course
is on Matza. What are the rules and which category does the blessing of Kiddush
Hashem fit in?
Rav Oshry responded that he felt the
proper blessing was l'kadesh shemo ba'rabim- to sanctify Hashem's name
in publicly. Although Reb Oshry suggests this is because one only makes the
blessing of "al" on mitzvos that one can fulfill with a proxy, such
as circumcision or reading the Megilla. Or mitzvos that are recited after one
does the mitzva such as washing the hands or Mikva. Mitzvos that one can't do
through an agent though require that the bracha begins with the "l". (Seemingly
matza would be one of the exceptions to this rule-discuss)
Yet there is another opinion of Rabbeinu
Tam that explains the differing nusach of our bracha conclusions. He explains
that when the mitzva continues on after it is preformed then the "L'
" prefix is used. If, on the other hand the mitzva is finished with the
act, then the "al" form is used. That would then explain al netilat
yadayim, al ha'mila or matza where the mitzva is completed with the act. On
the other hand, Sukka, candles, tefillin or talis where the mitzva continues
for a period of time, then the blessing is on the act that brings this
continuing fulfillment into the world and the "L" prefixed is used.
If that is the case, it is quite
remarkable and a revealing perspective on the mitzva of sanctifying Hashem's
name. This is not a mitzva that concludes with the act of giving one's life up.
Our Kedoshim have become eternal. They have sanctified Hashem's name forever.
They have a brought Hashem's holiness into this world and that can never be
removed. They have shown the world that a Jew believes in chayei olam
and an eternal world that is so much more valuable than the limited chayei
sha'ah- temporary existence in this world. Rabbi Shimon taught us this as
well when he came out of the cave and saw Jews working their fields rather than
learning. It is what makes us eternal. Netzach Yisrael- the eternality
of Israel, our holiness, the glory of Hashem that is within us, lo yishaker-
will not deceive, will not avoid the truth. We will always testify to the one
God of this world.
On Lag Ba'Omer our custom is to dance
around a bonfire with festive joy. Reb Elimelech of Lizensk in his Tzeitel
Katan explains this custom in the holiest of ways. He suggests that when we
dance around the fire one should feel precisely that sense of be willing to
even jump into a fire and martyr oneself for Hashem with joy. Don't try this at
home. But one has that elevated and extreme state of holiness where we feel
that our neshomos just want to explode and become eternal. Where we feel
that holiness of Hashem inside of us burning to bring that kedusha in
the world. There are those that use old clothing to begin their bonfire because
they symbolize that our bodies are merely clothing for that soul and the fire
burning deep within us.
That holiest pasuk that says the word kadosh
three times correspond to the three aspects of holiness that we find in
these holy brachos of Reb Oshry. We should not desecrate Hashem's name Holy
name- do not let them think they have won by making us their slaves. Thank
Hashem and rejoice that our spirit is eternal. As well do not give thanksgiving
for not being killed before that ultimate salvation shall come for -I am Hashem.
My holiness is still in you. You will be entirely liberated. And finally know
that I am Hashem who sanctifies you. We are one. They cannot destroy me and
they will never destroy the soul and spark that is eternal that our nation is.
We are Kadosh. The sefarim tell us that word kadosh is a composite of the two
words yukad-eish- a fire is ignited and burning. It is the bonfire of
our souls.
As we dance around our holy bonfires
tonight, as we make our blessings on our food this Shabbos. Let us remember the
Kedoshim who lit those eternal fires. Who blessed and thanked Hashem for all of
his goodness. In who's merit our flame will ultimately shine out to the entire
world.
Have a blazing Shabbos,
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
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***************
" Ven
me zol Got danken far guts, volt nit zein kain tseit tsu baklogen zikh oif
shlechts." – If we
thanked God for the good things, there wouldn’t be time to weep over the bad.
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK
answer below at end of Email
26)
Remnants of a Roman triumphal arch in Jerusalem can be seen at:
A)
Mount Zion
B)
David Citadel
C)
Davidson Center
D)
Via Dolorosa
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK
https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/rebbi-shimon-bar-yochai – My amazing Reb Shimon Bar Yochai Lag Ba'Omer composition enjoy!! Sung and arranged by the amazing Dovid Lowy!
https://youtu.be/yHF1RbbfB5U – Tatty My King- Benny Friedman Acapella
still…
Our Land – Parshat Emor – In the midst of this week's Parsha that tells us about all of the laws of the sacrifices that are brought on the holidays the parsha throws in what seems to be a random mitzva that has no connection to anything. We are told right after the holiday of Shavuot that
This portion is
stuck in right by the holidays laws when we are told about bringing the
sacrifices to Hashem. We come to Hashem on the holidays and we bring him our
sacrifices it's not to thank you or to just come bearing gifts, like the candy
or the bottle of wine that those seminary girls bring me when they come for Shabbos.
Rather we are bringing these sacrifices to make the statement that all the
bounty we have is really Hashem's. When we eat from those sacrifices that we
bring- which we do- it's not that we are bringing part to Hashem and part for
us. Rather even the portion that we eat is m'shulchan gavoha ka'zachu-
we are eating it from the table of Hashem. It is His land, it is His bounty,
all that we have is from His table. That is the incredible experience of the Beit
Ha'Mikdash. That is the incredible identical feeling that we can have even when
there is no Beit Hamikdash when we appreciate the incredible miraculous land Hashem
has given us. We are told that a sign of the redemption is when those barren
fields once again sprout forth fruits. They are, we just need to remember that
the land is not mine, it's not yours. It's ours. It's our Father's table.
Dovid and Batsheva; The Prophet- 865 BC – A year had passed since Dovid had married Batsheva. She had a baby boy. Mazel Tov and it seems that Dovid had "gotten away" with his cover-up. He had not done teshuva for the sin of arranging for the death of her husband Uriah. Perhaps he had felt that he had done the right thing as Uriah was technically deserving of death for not heeding Dovid's bidding to him. Perhaps it was the divine intuition that he had Batsheva was always meant to be his wife. But it was still considered a sin. And Hashem was not going to let Dovid sit with that sin. So he send his prophet Nathan to tell Dovid a story.
So Nathan gives Dovid a parable about a rich man who had many sheep and a
poor man that had only one sheep that he cared for. Now the midrash notes an
interesting nuance in the next part of the story. It tells us how a traveller
came to the rich man, the rich man didn't want to use any of his own sheep to
feed him so he stole the one from the poor person. He then prepared it for his
guest and then gave it to the man that came to him. The Midrash notes that the
guest is really the Yetzer Hara or evil inclination. First it appears as a
traveler. An idea pops into our head that really isn't from where we are spiritually.
The next step is it becomes a guest of ours. It's there regularly. And then
ultimately it is the man that comes to us. We can't get rid of him.
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S TERRIBLE
LUMBERJACK JOKES OF THE WEEK
Two Middle East mothers are sitting in the cafe strip chatting over a pint of goat's milk. The older of the mothers pulls her bag out and starts flipping through pictures and they start reminiscing.
"This is my oldest son Mohammed. He's 24 years old now"
"Yes, I remember him as a baby" says the other mother
cheerfully.
"He's a martyr now though" mum confides.
"Oh so sad dear" says the other.
"And this is my second son Kalid. He's 21"
"Oh, I remember him," says the other happily, "he had such
curly hair when he was born".
"He's a martyr too " says mum quietly.
"Oh gracious me ...." says the other.
"And this is my third son. My baby. My beautiful Ahmed. He's 18", she
whispers.
"Yes" says the friend enthusiastically, "I remember when
he first started school""He's
a martyr also,"
says mum, with tears in her eyes.After a pause and a deep sigh, the second muslim mother looks wistfully at the
photographs and says... "They blow up so fast, don't they?"
I would die for shopping. I’m a Walmartyr.
The guy says,
"But I'm not from Paris."
Reporters:
"That's OK. Then the whole of France will love you and
tomorrow's headline will read: "French Hero Saves Girl from Vicious Dog!"
The guy says,
"I'm not from France, either."
Reporters: "That's OK also. All
Europe will love you. Tomorrow's
headlines will shout: "Europe's Hero Saves Girl from Vicious Dog!'"
The guy says,
"I'm not from Europe, either."
Reporters:
"So, where ARE you from?"
The guy says,
"I'm from Israel."
Reporters:
"Oh. OK.....Then tomorrow's headlines will proclaim to the world:
"Jew Kills Girl's Dog!"
Now you
understand the media......
He says, "Bless me father, for I have sinned."
The priest there says to him, "Speak my child."
The man says, "Well father I lived in Hamburg during the Second
World War. The Gestapo was searching for Jews to send to concentration camps,
and I hid a Jewish family up in my attic."
The priest is pleased. This is a rather happy confession. He says,
"That is a very noble deed my son. Why would you tell me this in
confession though?"
The man continues, "Well Father, I also took a lot of rent from
them for living in my attic."
The priest is a little taken aback but still happy that the man chose to
protect the family. He says, "That was not right on your part. Whenever
you do a good deed, you should do it for the happiness it brings others and not
your personal gain. The intent was still noble though so you have not
sinned."
The man continues, "If that's the case, I feel much better now. I
would like to ask for some guidance though."
The priest says, "Ask and I shall answer to the best of my
ability."
The man says, "It's about that Jewish family. Should I tell them
the war is over?"
Finally, it went to the gestapo. Their chief interrogator softly whispered to
the clock " We haff ways to make you tock" (OYYY I'm really
getting desperate here…)
What did the condemned prisoner say when he was informed that the hangman forgot the rope? No noose is good noose.
*********************************
Answer is D- The MOT puts a lot of emphasis on
Christian sites in Israel. As much as it doesn't interest me at all, I
understand where they're coming from as perhaps- sadly- the majority of
tourists here are not Jews. The Via Dolorosa, Yoshkas last walk to crucifiction
is probably the most important part for most Christians and thus we had to know
it pretty well. The Ecco Home stop in the Sisters of Zion church right next to
where we come out from the Kotel Tunnel tours is where part of that arch that
Hadrian constructed after putting down the Bar Kochva revolt. So I got this one right too and the score is
now 19 for Rabbi Schwartz and 7 for the Ministry of Tourism on this exam.
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