from the
Holy Land
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend in Karmiel"
July 15th 2022 -Volume
11 Issue 40 17th of Tamuz 5782
Parshat Pinchas
Whose Land is it?
You know how I have my videos at the end or middle of the E-Mail
usually. It always surprises me how many check them out. Well this week I want
to start with a link for a great clip. So if your not reading this by your
Shabbos table then click right here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhrHDExq6m0 . If you are by your Shabbos table then wait until after Shabbos
obviously but its worth the click. It’s from the 60’s or 70’s back when TV was
black and white and it features Arik Einstien and Uri Zohar who ultimately went
off to become a great Rabbi and Baal Teshuva and who passed leaving an
incredible career in Israel’s Hollywood for a life of holiness instead.
The clip shows at its best the various aliyahs to Israel. The
actors Arik and Uri play the same two people again and again. First they are
two arabs watching these two secular Russian Bolsheviks coming off a boat and
kissing the ground and singing Russian folk songs about returning to the land of
their forefathers. They curse out the ship that brough the “Yahud” to the land.
The next clip has those two Russians sitting on shore and cursing out the
European Jews coming to Israel. Oyy… they’re going to bring gefilteh fish and
Cholerea to this country. Who needs them…”
Next is the 1940’s and the Yemenite Jews arrive. They’re praying
and gesticulating and kissing the ground and saying psalms and jumping up and
down. The European Jews (again same Arik and Uri) are on the shore and saying
to each other “who needs this smelly people. They don’t take showers. All they
have is Falafel and Chilbeh. It’s our country. Who brough them here?” It
continues with the proper German Jews, the French, The later Russian Aliya and
each group has the previous one yelling at the other one. Who invited you? It’s
not your country. We dried out the swamps. We planted. We built. It’s funny.
The last clip has the two of them not even getting off the boat and fighting
with the other about who was here first. Who was the real Israeli? I was here.
Who are you? Get out of my country.
This clip was done in the 70’s since then it could be updated with
the Ethiopians, the Olim from India, the Anglo American Aliya and even today’s
Ukranians. Each group get acclimated here and feel the country is theirs and
each one becomes the real Israeli and bashes or takes advantage of these “new
comers” to their “land”. Who’s land really is it?
The truth is this is not a new question. This week’s Torah portion
after listing all of the names of the families coming into Israel shares with
us Hashem’s command to divide the land
La’Eileh Tichalek es ha’aertz- to these the land should be divided
according to their names.
The simple understanding by Rebbi Yonasan was that the division
would be based on the amount of families when they came into Israel. The only
problem though is that the Torah then tell us that it is also divided according
to their father’s houses which would go back to the family names and sizes from
when they left Egypt. Rebbi Yoshiyah on the other hand disagrees and says that
the division is based on the family size and member from 40 years before when
they left Egypt. The Torah is only telling us that these are the ones that
inherit the land but the division is based on the original family size.
To explain a bit more. Let’s say that Yankel and Berel left Egypt
without kids, yet forty years later Yankel has 2 sons and Berel has 5 sons. So
Yankel’s two kids would divide their father’s one portion and Berel’s two kids
would divide their fathers portion 5 ways according to Rebbi Yoshiya. Rebbi
Yonasan on the other hand would say that the two brothers get 7 full portions
because all 7 of them came into the land. However he says that they would be
based on their father’s houses. So Yankel’s family would get 3½ and his two kids would have to divide 1.75 of
a portion a piece and Berels five kids would divide up their father’s 3½ five
ways amongst themselves.
Rebbi Shimon Ben Eliezer though is a third opinion that says that
you’re both right. The ones leaving get a portion. So two for the parents and
then each kid as well gets a portion. Not a bad deal and an interesting debate.
What makes this even more fascinating and it really makes all of learning more
interesting if we know a bit more about the individuals who have these debates
and their lives which perhaps influences their opinions.
Rebbi Yonasan was lived in the 2nd century was a Kohen
and was born and died in Israel. He lived after the destruction of the Temple
and he had a tremendous passion for Israel. He saw the crashed hopes of the Bar
Kochva revolt led by Rabbi Akiva who was murdered and he saw the Jews thrown out
of Yerushalayim. The Talmud tells us that he even considered and began the
journey to leave Israel but once he came to the city of Akko or Rosh Hanikra he
realized he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t leave Eretz Yisrael and so he turned
around and came back home. It is he who understood and claimed that Eretz
Yisrael was divided amongst those who came to the land. It’s not for those that
died and martyred and didn’t make it. They will have a portion as well that
their children will inherit for them. They are living their ancestors dreams.
They are eating the fruits that their parents who left Egypt never tasted but
dreamed about. The land belongs to the children. To the first Aliya but they
are living it for their parents.
Rebbi Yoshiyah though is quite the opposite tale. He was born in
exile in Bavel and made Aliya where he studied with Rebbi Yonasan under the
great Rebbi Yishmael. Yet unlike Rebbi Yonasan he went back to Bavel. He
studied in the great yeshivas there an ultimately went to work as well. He never
made it back to Eretz Yisrael yet upon his passing they referred to him as the
Tzadik upon who the whole world is founded.
Rebbi Yoshiyah’s opinion was that of the chutznik. Eretz
Yisrael isn’t only for the ones that came here and live there. It’s for the
Jews that left Egypt. It’s for those that didn’t make it there. There is no
significance perhaps even to those that move there to claim the land any more
than those that left Egypt. We in Boro Park have a right to Israel just as much
as the others do. Perhaps even more so. We can learn here in Bavel and we don’t
suffer the persecution that Israel was suffering. (That was back then of
course- today when antisemitism is up 30% I don’t know where the dangerous
place to live is more… I do but I’ll let you make your own conclusions).
Rebbi Shimon Ben Elazar is perhaps the most fascinating. He
reminds us of that famous joke of the Rabbi who has a court case and he tells
each side that they are right. His wife overhears and asks him confusedly, how
can both be right? They are disagreeing with one another. He turns to her and
tells her that she is also right… Yet once again we need to know about Rebbi
Shimon who was born pedigreed here in Eretz Yisrael to an illustrious rabbinic
family. He is a great sage yet he has a wake up call that changes it all.
One day, the midrash tells us he is riding near Migdal Eder by the
sea, when he sees an ugly and empty man. He nonchalantly is taken aback and makes some comments to him about how ugly the
people from his city must be. The man is obviously offended and responds that
perhaps Rebbi Shimon should complain to the Creator that made him so ugly as
he’s created in the image of Hashem. Boom! It hits home. He realizes that he
judged people too much and from that moment on he becomes the advocate of the
Jewish people He tells us that we should always use the left hadn to push
people away but at the same time to draw them close with the right. He tells us
that we should always be easy going like
a reed that just blows in the wind but never gets uprooted. And he is
the one that tells us that Eretz Yisrael is for everyone. It’s the ones who
left Egypt that never made it here and it’s the ones that came here and built
and planted and fought and conquered. It’s all of ours.
The Nesivos Sholom takes this even a step further. He suggests
that this division of the land are really two types of Jews and services of
Hashem. There is and are those that are yotzei Mitzrayim- Jews that have
suffered. Jews that have challenges. Jews who’s purpose and life is about
getting out of those constraints of Egypt that hold us back in life. It’s the
struggle. They’ve had success to a certain degree. They’ve grown and they moved
up. They may not have made it all the way. But they are holy. They have a
portion in the land. And Eretz Yisrael is built on their struggles. Rebbi
Yoshiya’s name even alludes to that. They have seen the salvation of Hashem.
Rebbi Yonasan though is a sabra. He embodies the Jew who is raised
without those struggles. He’s here. But along with that elevated status comes
the challenge of taking the land and harnessing it. Taking that religious
upbringing and doing good with it. Making it flourish. Not staying stagnant.
Not just being frum. But being better and higher. That is the nation that is
coming into Israel. The ones that were born in clouds of glory and that wer
nourished by the Manna. Israel is for those children he said. Sure, they owe it
all to their parents. But their job here is of a different sort. They need
their own portion, not just their parents to realize it. His name is Yonatan-
Hashem has given. We are here. We need that gift to realize that dream that our
Divine gift giver has given us.
Rebbi Shimon though is the one that sees it all. He is the one
that doesn’t see a contradiction between the two. This is Eretz Ha’Tzvi. The
land that has enough room for everyone. On the one hand he is Rebbi Shimon-
Hashem has heard my affliction. But he is Ben Eliezer He is the one that helps
me. He is the one that helps all of us accomplish our goal. There are no ugly
Jews. There are no bad ones. There are only people at different levels of
growth. And each one has their own journey and each one has their own place in
Eretz Yisrael.
The Toldos Yaakov Yosef takes the story of Rebbi Shimon and the
ugly man all the way to the geula- to the redemption… to today. For he tells us
that the ugly person was in fact none other than Eliyahu Ha’navi. He was coming
to teach Rebbi Shimon by Migdal Eder- The great high tower of eder which means
the hiding and holding back at the edge of the sea. The sea of redemption. That
Hashem is not holding back the redemption because of the empty people. Rather
it’s because perhaps we riding on our high horses and living in our glass
towers don’t see and raise up the spark in the others. That’s when the
redemption will come. It’s not from cedar trees that collapse in the strong
winds. It’s from the reeds that may not have a lot to them, yet they can blow
and shake in the wind but in the end they are firmly rooted. They are
connected. They have a portion in Israel. They have the roots their parents
planted for them that will always hold them strong.
We enter the three weeks this Shabbos. It’s the time when we
remember those fights about who this land really belongs to. Those fights
continue as we face new elections again. As we have more and more immigrants
who we accuse of not really being here. There are tourists that are coming that
are only visitors. Everyone of us sadly, myself included, look and think and
ask if this land is really those peoples land. Who are they to dictate. To be
in office. To demand. To take. To act as if its theirs. We forget this land is
all of ours. L’eileh tichalek ha’aretz- the land is Hashem’s and we all have a
job here to do. If we get this straight. If we stop judging and start welcoming
then hopefully in three weeks we will celebrate what will be the holiday of
Tisha B’Av as Hashem as well returns Home to our country.
Have an marvelous redemptive Shabbos
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
This week's Insights and Inspiration is sponsored my the
Yachnes family as a zechus for the yartzeit for Nancy’s Parents Chava Margalit
Bas Aharon who’s yartzeit is today and Eliyahu Eliezer Ben Shlomo Zalman who’s
yartzeit is next week. They both had a love and passion for yiddishkeit and for
the land of Israel. And there is no greater merit than to support the Torah and
the activities of Karmiel and the amazing community that benefits from Rabbi
Schwartz weekly entertaining and inspiring insights.
Tehei Zichram
Baruch!
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SHABBOS DAVENING SCHEDULE
SHABBOS
PINCHAS
EARLY SHABBOS MINYAN- 6:05 PM MINCHA
PLAG MINCHA – 6:20 PM
CANDLELIGHTING – 7:21 PM
KABBALAS SHABBOS- 7:35 PM
SHACHARIS – 9:00 AM
Final time for Kriyas Shema – 9:13 AM
MINCHA- 7:05 PM
MAARIV – 8:40 PM (ten minutes after tzeis)
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YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK
““Shabbes hot der rosheh in gehenem oich
ru...”- On the Sabbath, even the wicked in hell have rest.
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE VIDEO OF THE
WEEK
https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/eliyahu-hanavi
- Can’t do Parsha Pinchas and talk about Eliyahu Ha’Navi
without Rabbi Schwartz’s fan favorite Eli- Yahoo Yahoo… song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9Ng9-MZoxg
– My personal favorite Eliyahu Ha’Navi is Shlomo Katzes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcUUEgTR3Dg
-And of
course Carlebachs Eliyahu Hanavi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHcMvhrDcxM -The reopening of the cave of Eliyahu in Mt. Carmel
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
answer below at end of Email
3) The Crusaders broke through the walls of
Jerusalem in the year _________
The direction
they entered from was
A) West from the Main Jerusalem- Jaffa road
B) North as it was the easiest topographical way
to enter the city
C) South in order to overcome the Jewish
resistance that lived near Mt. Zion
D) North because of it’s proximity to the Church
of the Sepulcher
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S PARSHA/SHABBOS
CONNECTION OF THE WEEK
Shabbat Shalom- Parshat Pinchas – The Israelis, Mizrachi or Daati Le’umi people have it right. We
“Haymish” people unfortunately are doing it wrong. You won’t hear me say that
too often. Although I of course love and respect every Jew. But in this one
area, where I think we American haymish American Jews usually can tell the
difference between our orientations, they got it right and we have it wrong.
They have a more traditional and rooted connection to the essence than we do.
It’s worthwhile to learn from them.
What am I talking about? I’ll tell you. Let’s see if you agree.
One of the ways that we differentiate between “us and them” is the way that we
greet each other on Shabbos. We haymisheh are all “gut Shabbos-ing” one another
or “git shabbos” if you’re from Boro Park, Williamsburgh or Monsey. Other
places it’s Good Shabbos, nice and friendly. It’s a Jewish Happy New Year
greeting or Merry holiday equivalent- l’havdil elef havdalos. Those
Modern Young Israel people or Israeli da’at le’umi guys on the other hand have
another greeting that they wish each other on our holy day. It’s a big rosy
Shabbat Shalom. You won’t hear people from Boro Park or Lakewood saying that.
Their kids wouldn’t get into schools and who knows if they would ever find
shidduchim if they did. In some circles though even saying Good Shabbos instead
of the Yiddish “Gut” or “Git” can do you in. You’re not haymish enough anymore.
Who knows what else that is a sign of. You might even use disposable silverware
and plates for your Shabbos meals.
But they’re right and we’re wrong. The blessing that we say and
that encompasses the essence of Shabbos is not “Good”. Yom Tov is good. That’s
why it’s called Yom- Tov. Even happy Pesach or Happy Sukkos makes sense-
Although I wouldn’t say Merry Chanuka, that will knock you out of shidduchim
even in modern circles. Yom Tov is a good, happy time. Shabbos though is
something else. Shabbos is Shalom. It’s peace.
Now perhaps we don’t appreciate peace that much today. We live
in relatively peaceful times and so we take it for granted. It therefore might
seem strange to wish someone peaceful Shabbos. He’s peaceful during the week as
well. Yet, Shalom means a lot more than peace. Or perhaps to be even more
accurate. Peace means a lot more than peace from a Jewish perspective. Peace
isn’t just the absence of war or strife. Peace- Shalom comes from the word
Shaleim- complete. Perfection. Everything clicks perfectly.
In this week’s Parsha we have Pinchas who killed Zimri and
stopped the plague. Hashem promises as a reward the covenant of Shalom. The
verse explains that he becomes entitled to be a Kohen, despite the fact that he
was born after the cut-off date in the family to achieve that lofty title. The
Kohen blesses us with the priestly blessing that of course concludes and
reaches its pinnacle with the words vi’yaseim le’chah shalom- and Hashem should
place upon us Shalom. Why does this become his reward and what is Shalom really
about.
All of the commentaries explain that Shalom is really
perfection. Everything bad in the world comes from the first sin of Adam when
good and evil become intermingled. We don’t see Hashem clearly anymore. Life is
a struggle to differentiate the two. It’s challenge is to find the light and
separate it from the darkness. To bring heaven and earth back together. That’s
what the job of the Kohen is. To unite man with His creator. To uplift the
animal sacrifice, to bring Hashem down to this world, to bless the nation of
Hashem. Shabbos is the exact same concept. It’s not just a good or happy day.
It’s a day of Shleimus- it’s a day when we take everything physical that we
have amassed during the week and celebrate and enjoy it in the holy spirit of
the day when Hashem grants us an extra soul to appreciate it. It’s the day when
the angels escort us and we tells them Shalom Aleichem. They are bringing us
peace and completion. That’s how we greet them and that’s how we should greet
everyone.
Shalom is about bringing that sense of peace to one another as
well, regardless of their orientation. It’s about seeing that holy spark and
only that holy spark because it is so blindingly bright all f the darkness goes
away. So this Shabbos, why not greet everyone with that Shabbat Shalom. But
mean it. It’s really at the end of the day the era of peace that we are all
waiting for.
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S ERA’S AND THEIR PLACES
AND PEOPLE IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK
Eliyahu
and Mt. Carmel 724 BC –I just love it when this column works well with the
weekly Parsha. This week the haftora comes from the portion of the story of Eliyahu
and Mt. Carmel. The reason and connection is that our sages tell us that
Pinchas really shares the same soul as Eliyahu. They are one and
the same. It’s particularly meaningful as we think at this time of year more
than ever of our redemption as we begin the period of mourning for our Temples.
We listen for the shofar of Eliyahu. We await his arrival.
Hopefully it will be this year.
Well back then, Eliyahu
wasn’t that anticipated. In fact quite the opposite. He was the most wanted man
in the country. For three years not a drop of rain had fallen because of him.
People were starving. Animals were dying. The country was suffering. Well now
he had finally arrived as per Hashem’s command to tell them that Hashem was
pulling the plug on the plan. He was going to bring rain. But Eliyahu
had one more trick up his sleeve.
He meets Achav, after Ovadia
(OBADAYA!) told him that Eliyahu was waiting for him. Achav
accuses Eliyahu of being the destroyer
and persecutor of Israel. Eliyahu doesn’t take that sitting down and
responds that really Achav is to blame for killing all the prophets of
God and having the people worship the Baal. He then throws down the gauntlet
and tells them that they will settle this thing for once and for all by having
a cook-off on Mt. Carmel. The 450 prophets of Baal will bring an
offering to Baal and Eliyahu will bring one to
Hashem. Which ever god/God answers by sending down fire is the sign he is the
true Lord. The people cheered because they knew at the end of the day there’s
steak. And that’s always a good thing.
Now why Mt. Carmel? Interestingly enough, Mt. Carmel is recognized by UNESCO
as a world heritage site as they found remains of prehistoric cavemen
that lived there. They of course date it millions of years old. We who know
that the world is only 5782 years old have to approach those “scientific” finds
with skepticism and explanations that many great sages deal with as to how
there could be bones and civilizations before 5782 years ago. Some approach it
with the flood changing the carbon dating, others see that Adam was the
first man with a soul and other civilizations or cavemen were pre-created in
other days of creation already dated. It’s an interesting and challenging topic
that is too long for this column. But it is interesting that it is particularly
at this site which is thrown as a challenge to our faith that Eliyahu chose
as the final stand against the prophets who denied Hashem and creation.
How
does the face off go? Stay tuned next week.
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S TERRIBLE ALIYA JOKES OF
THE WEEK
Abe
was visiting Israel for the first time. as soon as his plane landed, he got a
taxi to take him to his hotel. the taxi driver was very friendly and told Abe
all kinds of useful information.
then
Abe asks the driver,
"Say,
is Israel a healthy place?"
"Oh,
yes, it really is," the driver answered, "when I first came
here, I couldn't say even one simple word, i had hardly any hair on my head, I
didn't have the energy to walk across a small room and I even had to be helped
out of bed every day."
"that's
a remarkable story, truly amazing," Abe said, "so how long
have you been here in Israel?"
"I
was born here."
David
leaves London and makes aliyah (emigrates) to Israel. As soon as he settles
down in Tel Aviv, he goes to see the local optician.
"I’m
having trouble reading," he says,
"maybe you could check my eyes?"
The
optician agrees and sits David in front of a large eye test chart. "Can
you read the letters on the bottom line?" he asks.
"No," replies David.
"So
how about the next line up?" asks
the optician.
Squinting,
David replies, "No, I still can’t read them."
"OK," says the optician, "let’s start at the top line.
Read out the letters please."
"But
I can’t," says David.
"Are
you perhaps a teeny bit blind?"
asks the optician.
"Certainly
not," replies David, "it’s just that I’ve never learned to
read Hebrew."
When
Jacob was finally given an exit visa by the Russians and allowed to immigrate
to Israel, he was told he could only take what he could put into one suitcase.
At Moscow airport, he was stopped by customs and an official shouted, "Open
your case at once."
Jacob
did what he was told. The official searched through his case and pulled out
something wrapped in newspaper. He unwrapped it and saw it was a bust of
Stalin.
"What
is that?" he shouted at Jacob.
Jacob
replied, "You shouldn't ask 'What is that?' - you should ask 'Who is
that?' That is our glorious leader Stalin. I'm taking it to remind me of the
wonderful things he did for me and the marvellous life that I am leaving
behind."
The
official sneered. "I always knew you Jews were mad. Go, and take the
bust with you."
When
Jacob arrived at Ben Gurion airport, a customs officer said, "Shalom,
welcome to Israel, open your case, please!"
Jacob's
case was once again searched and not surprisingly the bust was found. "What
is that?” asked the officer.
Jacob
replied, "You shouldn't ask 'What is that?' - you should ask 'Who is
that?' That is Stalin the bastard. I want to spit on it every day to remind me
of all the suffering and misery he caused me."
The
official laughed, "I always knew you Russians were mad. Go, and take
the bust with you."
When
Jacob arrived at his new home, his young nephew watched him as he unpacked.
Jacob carefully unwrapped the bust of Stalin and put it on the table. "Who
is that?" asked his nephew.
Jacob
replied, "You shouldn't ask 'Who is that?' - you should ask 'What is
that?' That is five kilos of gold."
And
for the one that didn’t yet make Aliya…
Benjamin,
a young Talmud student who had left Israel for London some years earlier,
returns to visit his family.
"But
Benjamin, where is your beard?" asks his mother upon seeing him.
"Mother," he replies, "In London, nobody wears a
beard."
"But
at least you keep the Sabbath?" his
mother asks.
"Mother,
business is business. In London, everybody works on the Sabbath."
"But
kosher food you still eat?" asks
his mother.
"Mother,
in London, it is very difficult to keep kosher."
Then
silence, whilst his elderly mother gives thought to what she has just heard.
Then she leans over and whispers in his ear, "Benjamin, tell me, are
you still circumcised?"
********************************
Answer
is B – I got this one right but really wasn’t that sure. So I
did the process of elimination thing and got it right. See there are two
options for the North so it would seem that’s the right answer. As well it
makes sense that it was because of the topography as the other sides East and
west have deep valleys. There were 45 foot walls and they came in and
slaughtered everyone from that easiest topographical points. Oh yeah and it was
the year 1099 on July 14th so
it was the English yartzeit of that massacre that they wreaked on the city. So another
one right making the score Schwartz 3 and 0 for MOT (Ministry of Tourism) on
this exam.
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