Insights and
Inspiration
from the
Holy Land
from
Rabbi Ephraim
Schwartz
"Your
friend in Karmiel"
October 22nd
2021 -Volume 11 Issue 4 22nd Cheshvan 5782
Parshat Vayeira
Shabbos Guests
We love Shabbos guests at the Schwartz family. I think back over
the 25 plus years or so that I've been married at the hundreds (if not
thousands) of people that have graced our table. When I first got married living
in NY it was neighbors, friends and family. It was a great way to bond, to meet
people and to enjoy company. It was also an excuse for me to have my wife make
more food than usual. "It's for the guests" of course. Moving out to Iowa,
there are Shabbos guests were all pretty much people that hadn't ever
experienced a real Shabbos meal before. There were college students I was
learning with, community members who were either unaffiliated and even those
that were members of the Orthodox Shul for the most part really had weren't
Shomer Shabbos or really ever had a decent chulent before. It was fascinating
and inspiring for us to be able to share the beauty of this special day with
them. And it was of course an excuse to ask my wife to make even more food than
usual as now rather than 4-5 people at our Shabbos table we had any easy minyan
plus.
Following our Shabbos tables in Virginia and in Seattle our Shabbos
tables grew incrementally year by year. We learned about how it was always good
to mix guests who were already observant from the religious community with the
newbies. We began playing all types of Shabbos table games and ice-breakers.
Each meal began with an introduction by everyone and a "Question of the
Week" they would all answer. Nothing intense, just the usual if-you-were-on-
a desert-island- what one book would you take besides a chumash, psalms, or
siddur), what's your favorite food, color, role model? Cute stuff like that.
Our discussions could some time get intense. It was a free-for-all and our
meals could sometimes last late into the night. Which of course meant more food
for my wife to make. Which of course was only for the guests sake. By the time
we left Seattle our Shabbos tables had a good 15-20 regulars and on some weeks
we could have 30-40 people. It was amazing- for me at least.
Upon moving to Israel though things toned down back down a little.
We still have Shabbos guests most weeks. Usually it's not neighbors or friends.
Israelis aren't really that into that and it seems even our American fellow
Olim prefer eating home in their own houses. I certainly can relate to that
sentiment. Our guests these days are really more the Seminary girls that call
each week- because it seems that the 25 thousand dollars a year that you pay
for tuition doesn’t provide them with Shabbos meals most weeks. As well we get the
yeshiva guys that are looking to get away on an off Shabbos and experience the
Schwartz Shabbos table Chavaya during their year here. How they all get my number?
I have no clue. But it seems that somebody must be scribbling it on the
bathroom walls "For a good Jewish time call Rabbi Schwartz at
050-597-0649. (Yes that is my real number- if you want to join us).
It's funny how our conversations have changed at these meals.
Rather than the Kiruv inspirational conversations we may have had back in the
States. Here I focus more on challenging these young men and women who think
they know everything and playing the Devils' advocate. We fight about moving to
Israel, about what types of spouses they should choose and about how they look
and think about Jews that are different than themselves. In some ways it's the
same idea as before. I like challenging and pushing people out of their box.
It's why I became a Rabbi. And there's no place better than a Shabbos table than
to do that. Of course until two months ago it was an excuse for me to tell my
wife to cook more food for the guests as well.
These days though, post-gastro
surgery-frankly, I figure there's more than enough for them. I mean how much
does she have to make anyways? A quarter of a piece of gefilte fish, a half slice
of challah's worth of dips, a few spoonful's of soup, a taste of some chicken
or brisket and a few nibbles of potato kugel and I'm stuffed. Who needs so much
food anyways? Who can eat so much? Thankfully for my guests sake, my wife
hasn't eased up on her cooking amounts though just because her husbands stomach
is the size of an egg. After-all it was
never about me. It was always just for our illustrious Shabbos guests.
This Shabbos guests tradition really is more than just an excuse
for more food and good company and conversation. It really is at the core
essence of our Jewish nature and tradition. The Torah tells us many different glorious
stories about our first Patriarch and Matriarch, Avraham and Sara. The wars and
adventures that they underwent. Their challenges with fertility, with marital
harmony (having an extra Egyptian wife who was the daughter of your former
tormentor and your wife's student can generally cause some disruption) and even
child-rearing. Chazal tell us about their early days, the idols they broke, the
souls they made, their never ending travels and yet the one symbol of this
illustrious household was that tent they had with 4 doors open to each
direction that was open to guests all the time. They lived and breathed having
guests.
In fact it's fascinating that in the numerous moves that they had
to make- and it was a lot more than NY, Iowa, Virginia, Seattle and Karmiel-
the Torah always tells us that they plant their tent in a place that was
between city A & B. It says he lived bein Kadesh and Shur between Ai and
Kedem. Who cares what cities he lived between. Our sages thus tell us that he specifically
chose places that were in between central cities where there would be travlers
back and forth. When Sodom gets destroyed, he thus has to move to Gerar because
there was no more wayfarers making their way to the Dead Sea.This was obviously
before Jews figured out the wonderful marketing potential the destruction of
God could have by convincing tourists that if they came and shmeared mud all
over themselves and soaked for a few days in smelly sulfur baths and dead sea
water their rheumatism and arthritis would be healed. This was before the hotel
district. So Avraham and Sarah move again and again. Because what's life
without Shabbos guests?
This drive and appreciation of Avraham and Sarah was infectious.
They passed it down to their children Yitzchak and even Yishmael and even to
their "adopted son" and nephew "Lot". Until today
fascinatingly enough even "our cousins" the descendants of Yishmael
take pride in their hospitality and welcoming of guests and strangers into
their homes. They just never got Sarah's chulent recipe that was exclusively
passed on to us. They thought it had something to do with chickpeas and cumin I
think. But jokes aside it is in fact more than an act of kindness or good deed
that our ancestors had. It was a lifestyle. It was something that they couldn't
live without. It was something that even on the third day after your
circumcision at age 99 you're out there working the crowd. Because that's the
only life you know. You're not Avraham- or his descendant without it.
Think about that for a moment. What are the things that make you who
you are? What are the things that you couldn't do without? What would pull you
out of the hospital bed a few days after surgery. Is it your job? Your family? Your
I-Phone? Your parents? Your shul? Your friends? Is it the vacation that you are
supposed to go on? The test you have to take? The meeting or appointment you
just can't miss? I'm sure I hit the nail on the head with at least a few of
those. Well the way that we feel about those things above and the extra energy that
we would exert even in our sickly state to do or get, help or listen one of
those things or people above, that's the way that Avraham and Sarah felt about
guests. It wasn't even "Oh no guests are coming and I don't feel too
good but I gotta get up because I told them to come!". It was "Shabbos
is coming and we don't have anyone to host and join us for a Shabbos meal".
Except it wasn't only Shabbos. It was every day of the week. Their business was
24/7 having people come. It's why they strategically always planned their
residence right in the busiest crossroads and thoroughfares.
It was so much of a lifestyle for Avraham that he couldn't do
without we find that even in a scenario when the guests clearly didn't need his
hospitality Avraham would do it anyways. The guests were meant to feel that
they were doing Avraham a favor by joining him. Maybe he told them it was an
excuse for his wife to make more food. Our parsha tells us that Avraham planted
an Eshel tree by his house. Incidentally that is actually the name of the
street where we moved to and live in Karmiel. It was one of the things that attracted
me to our house. Our sages tell us that Eshel is acronym for Achila- eating,
Shtiya- drinking (or according to some Shechiva-sleeping) and Livaya-escorting
the guests out.
In fact the Torah goes out of its way to tell us how Avraham
escorts and walks with his guests/ angels from his house. Rashi notes that he
did so because he had thought they were men- which is seemingly problematic as
they had just healed him miraculously and told him prophetically that he would
have a child. The Zohar though writes that Avraham had realized they were
angels and even so he escorted them, despite the fact that angels don't really
need an escort and the truth is halachically the Chazon Ish notes that if it is
a group of people that are leaving there is no need to escort them as well, as
the mitzva is only so that one shouldn't let someone leave by himself. Yet, Avraham
did so because it was his habit to do so. It was what he always did. And thus
he received reward even when that wasn't necessary.
Do you know what the mitzva of escorting someone out is. It is
telling the person, that I don't want you to leave. I want to spend more time
with you. It wasn't about servicing you and taking care of your needs, your
food, you needed a place to stay. It was about having the privilege and
enjoyment of you in our house, at our meal. It was right after Avraham escorted
the angels out that Hashem appears to him and decides that I have to tell
Avraham everything that's happening. He's my partner in Creation. It is that sentiment
that he will pass down to his children forever. They will always have guests by
their Shabbos table. They will always know that a life and home without those
guests really isn't one worth living.
This Shabbos, for the 8th year around the world the
Jewish nation will be celebrating the Shabbos project started by Rabbi Warren
Goldstien in South Africa. If you haven't heard of it and want to check it out
click here https://www.theshabbosproject.org/en/about
. Tens of thousands of Jews from all backgrounds and affiliations will join
together to celebrate this special day. When the Jewish people as a nation do
something like that it is a time for all of us to feel a renewed connection to
our shared ancestry. We're all Mishpacha and descendants of Avraham and Sarah.
We are all blessed with a special day from Hashem that was made to share with
others. I can only imagine the nachas up in Shamayim as Avraham and Sara who
sit next to Hashem on His heavenly throne look down at us this Shabbos and turn
to the Almighty and point to our Shabbos tables. Point to their children. Point
to our chulent. And they say to Hashem it is now time once again to reveal Yourself
to them. May that merit bring the Ultimate Guest once again back to His palace
in Yerushalayim this year.
Have a joyous Shabbos,
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
**************
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RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK
" Halten shabbes iz gringer vi machen shabbes."- To observe the Sabbath is easier than to make it.
RABBI
SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK
answer
below at end of Email
A) Nahariya
B) Atlit
C) Haifa
D) Ashdod
RABBI
SCHWARTZ’S COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK
https://youtu.be/vuceD1CGZOs – Colin Powell OB"M speaking Yiddish
he learned as Shabbos Goy.
A Painless Bris- Parshat Vayeira- Although this week's Parsha doesn't
explicitly mention Shabbos, as I noted at the introduction to this column, if
you dig a little bit beneath surface you can always make a Shabbos connection. In
the above E-Mail we wrote about the centrality of guests are to Judaism and the
lessons we learned from Avrham's dedication and commitment to this mitzva even
three days after his bris. However like all things in the Torah there are
multiple dimensions and inspiration we can draw from the stories and ideas the
Torah shares with us.
What do Lakewood sharks serve their guests at parties? A
sharkcuterie (PS I never even heard about this until I was in Lakewood this
past summer…mmm they're good!)
Rabbi Bloom calls over the Shammas. "Moishe, please get three chairs
for our guests in the back."
Moishe is a bit deaf so he leans closer and says, "I beg your
pardon, Rabbi?"
Rabbi Bloom again says, "Get three chairs for our guests in the back."
Moishe was puzzled but as there was a lull in the service, he goes to the front
of the shull and loudly announces, "The Rabbi says, 'Give three cheers
for our pests in the back!'"
He explained his dilemma to the man sitting next to him.
The man said, "No problem," reached into his pocket and pulled
out a set of false teeth. "Try these,"he said.
"Too loose," the speaker said.
The man pulled out another pair.
"Too tight," the speaker told him.
"I have one more pair."
The speaker tried them and they fit perfectly.
With that, he ate his meal and gave his speech. When the dinner was over, he
went to thank the man who'd helped him.
"Where's your office?" he inquired. "I'm looking for a
good dentist."
The man replied: "I'm not a dentist. I'm an undertaker."
"Good. I'll get you some nails and
wood."
Yankel turns to his wife Chaya and tells her "We're
having Shabbos guests are coming tonight. What's for dinner?"
Chaya gives a big sigh and tells him "Oy…:I haven't been feeling well
today, all there's is green beans.
Yankel, always the resourceful one said "No worry. I have an idea. When
the guests arrives you'll welcome them and I'll go to the kitchen and drop one
utensil and then you'll say "what happen" . Then I'll say "oh
no!! I dropped the Gefilte Fish " . Then again drop another utensil and
say "I dropped the chicken soup Then I'll drop one more and say oy there
goes the brisket". Now all we have left is green beans."
The guest arrived shortly after and Chaya greeted them and asked them to sit.
Suddenly a loud sound comes from the kitchen. On cue Chaya asks " Is everything
alright, honey?
Yankel respond Oy Vay…I dropped the green beans
Lady of the house: "I want you to stand at the front door and call the guests' names as they arrive."
Butler: "Very well, madam. I've
been wanting to do that for years!"
*********************************
Answer is C – Another one wrong… this is embrarrassing.
I'll tell you my dilemma. I knew the Naval museum was in Chaifa, not that I 've
been there too often, most of my tourists are not museum type of people.
Although on a rainy day it's a pretty cool place with neat exhibits. On the
other hand I've been to the Clandestine Immigration museum in Atlit many many
times. It's a great place to get a feel for what it meant to get into Palestine/
Israel Pre-state. It was a lot harder than getting a Visa from the Misrad
Hapnim or Consulate back then under British Control when they issued the white
Papers which limited Jewish Immigration for fear of upsetting the Arabs. The
truth is it's really not a Naval museum, but on the other hand I forgot that
the one in Chaifa actually does talk about pre state illegal immigration. I
went with Atlit and I was wrong. So another one for the Misrad Hatyarut and the score is Schwartz 36 and 13 for MOT (Ministry of
Tourism) on this exam.
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