from the
Holy Land
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend in Karmiel"
October 21st 2022 -Volume 12 Issue 1 26th of Tishrei 5783
Parshat Bereishit
The Big Three
What a Yom Tov! What a month! What a season!! Are you flying as high as I am? Are you as wiped, but yet still exhilarated and with little sparks of adrenaline still lingering? Tingling… Jingling… Yeah… me too… The teshuva and loving embrace of our Dodi- our beloved King in the field with us (along with tons of diaspora Jews and shemitta farmers!) in the month of Elul. The glorious kingship, the resounding davening, the songs, the honey, the hopes and prayers for a new year, for the Geula to finally come of Rosh Hashana and those piercing Shofar sobs! The heart wrenching remorse of Yom Kippur, The Kittel, the tears, the Nesane Tokef, by fire, by water, suffering or tranquility, life and death that scary balancing of scales that stand before our eyes and those books of which we will be sealed in concluding with that Neila and Hashem is our God just like the highest angels and that final shofar blast.
And then came Sukkos. That green beautiful holiday. We’re one with Hashem for a week (with a few breaks for tours- of course). The decorations, the species, the Lulav shakings, the guests, the family, the Ushpizin. Just that special outdoor under the stars feeling of Creation and of new life granted. The peak is of course that joyous celebration of Simchas Torah. Ashreinu ma tov chelkeinu- how fortunate we are to be Jewish. A goy just doesn’t’ get this experience. How marvelous and how true is the Torah and Hashem’s ways that He gave us with the mitzvos of this past month. How brilliant it is! What a system! What a game plan for life! What a way to recharge, reboot and start a new year! That’s the way I’m feeling, aren’t you?
With those thoughts and Pollyanna outlook I cracked open sefer Bereishis once again to delve in and once again uncover the beauty of this world Hashem has Created and the Torah he granted us that I spent all day evening and day dancing with this past Monday. That teaser that we got from the chasan Bereishis was pretty exciting. Each day of Creation was better than the previous one. The singing between each day building to the crescendo of Shabbos. How does the story continue? Where does it go from here?
Boom. We fell. We crashed. We totally go down the not only proverbial drain, but even the actual worlds water drain when we get all the way up the story of the flood by the end of the first parsha. Adam and Chava sin and violate the only commandment of eating from the tree, because the satan in the form of a snake convinces them it will make them god like. Next generation Kayin kills his brother Hevel. The tower of Bavel concludes with the entire creation filled with illicit relations intermingling species. It’s bad. It’s really really world destroying bad. What happened to us? What a let down! Is this really what the world is all about; what the goyim call the “original sin”? Again and again… Are we doomed? Is this what we have to look forward to. Is this the first Torah reading of the exciting new year I just dreamed of and sang about? Oy…
The answer I believe lies in perhaps the first few Rashis which declares that the Torah begins with these stories to let us know that Hashem created the world perfect for one purpose: for us. For the Jewish people. For the Jewish people that are called Reishis- the first and the beginning. The purpose of the world and life is for us to build and to create and to partner with Hashem in this exquisite creation and world of His and to create a home for Him down here. The Mishna in Pirkey Avos tells us that the world stands on three foundations. Torah, Avoda- service of Hashem and Gemilus Chasadim- kindness. Another Mishna tells us that the world exists on three principles- Din- pure judgement, Emes- Truth and shalom-peace. That’s the DNA and building blocks found in the three foundations. Torah is the embodiment of truth. Avoda the service of Hashem is following his laws and His judgments and finally peace is the kindness we extend and utilize to uniting all in peace.
The other end or extreme of that are the three cardinal sins that we our obligated to give our lives for rather than violate: Idolatry, murder and illicit relations. The Mishna tells us the DNA of those three things and essence of their power lies in the three things that take a man out of this world. Kinah- jealousy, tai’va- unbridled desire and lust and kavod- the pursuit of one’s honor and egotistic self-worship and aggrandizement. Those are the cancers that eat up the core of the world. Jealousy leads to murder. Idolatry- is turning away from Hashem and deciding that I can choose alternate gods. It’s ego. It’s about me. Not Hashem’s world. It’s the world that I’m making. And the illicit relations that unbridled and unchecked desire is the refusal to accept the commandments and service of Hashem. It’s doing what I want when I want. They are the elements that prevent the Divine presence from shining in Creation and from Hashem’s shechina from residing here. Each one destroys another pillar. It’s easy to see if you look at it closely.
For the world to exist with Hashem’s presence shining in it for all to see and appreciate and get the fullest good, it requires that a) everyone is united and on the same page to see it, b) that Hashem’s presence is apparent without any blinders, and c) that the whole world is joined together in that project and appreciation of that. Torah is that truth that shows that to the world, kindness is that uniting factor that brings that peace to the world and avoda is us all working together to bring that light out. When on the other hand I’m busy with my own ego with the pursuit of kavod- Hashem can’t shine. It’s idolatry. It’s saying that it’s all about the god I see fit to make. It’s another force and opinion besides Hashem’s. If someone kills, if someone destroys another person’s life, if one takes away that spark of life and that godliness that another human being and creation has then he has destroyed the pillar of shalom. He has prevented humanity from existing together to shine the light of Hashem within each of His creations from coming forth. And if one just pursues his own desires his own lusts and drives then there goes the service and the subsuming one’s self to Hashem. There’s no avoda. There’s no Torah that is the acceptance and the cheirus that only the yoke of Torah gives one, because he has enslaved himself to his own desires. To the satan.
Adam is created and we find the first three actions and commandments reflect these principles. He names all of the animals and creations, he is commanded not to eat from the tree and he is told to be fruitful and multiply. Not eating from the tree is having a central place in one’s garden of life where we recognize that this world is not mine. It is The Truth that stands at the center of the world. There is a Creator, a God in heaven. I follow his commandment. I am His servant. It’s not about me. It’s Torah. It’s the tree of life opposite that tree, that I originally would’ve been able to eat from. The eitz ha’chayim.
Giving names to the animals is giving them life. It’s bringing the entire creation to a recognition that they have a divine purpose. They are in the service of Hashem. It is Avoda. It is the pillar of peace. The world is united and there is no jealousy.
The last mitzva which is a blessing is to be fruitful and multiply. It is to take our deepest desires and channel it to settling the world and making generations, a civilization that recognizes that we are partners with Hashem in building homes for Him. In bringing those neshomas down to this world. We leave our own parents and we cleave to our wives in holy matrimony. Hashem’s presence is here. The world is perfect.
The Torah started with Bereishis so that we should know that it is with this power and purpose we were created. Why the Jewish people would be the priests of Hashem. The world failed in all three areas, from Adam, to Kayin to the rest of the nations. But then Avraham came along and the power and job of humanity fell upon us to restore those pillars. The three forefathers represent each of those three pillars and they instilled them in us. Avraham-Chesed, Yitzchak- Avoda, Yaakov- Torah. The worlds original DNA was planted in our souls. We are creation now. We can bring the shechina down. We can bring the world to its fulfillment.
We have three holidays in this month of Creation that awaken in us this new strength. It brings the DNA back to life and recharges it. Rosh Hashana we anoint Hashem as our King. We reveal His truth of Torah to the world. Yom Kippur we show our service to Hashem. We daven, we plead, we are all embodied in the High Priest who enters the Holy of Holies. And Sukkos? That’s the day of kindness. It’s when we welcome all the guests into our Sukkos. They are not only the Patriarchs and the Ushpizin, it is our fellow Jews with torah, without Torah, with good deeds, without good deeds, even the Aravos. It’s not even just Jews. It’s the 70 cows we bring for the entire world. We are sharing the Kingship with all in the pillar of Sukkos Shalom we have successfully built for Hashem our partner. It is truly amazing.
For me this year it has perhaps been the most amazing month of all in specifically this regard. For last Shabbos right after Sukkos my first granddaughter was born to my son Yonah and Batya and joined my three grandsons in having the best tour guide zaydie in the world who will give them lots of candy and send them home to their grandparents. I fulfilled the commandment of being fruitful and multiplying 2.0 to the next generation. Pillar number one check!
In addition this coming week God will be the wedding of my daughter Rivkah to her bashert Yehudah. In honor of the occasion as is the great Schwartz minhag I composed a beautiful song you can hear below from the prayer of the Kallah of how Hashem should bless them to build a home of love, friendship, and faith with kedusha and tahara- holiness and purity and then the key word l’avodasecha- for your service. We are here to make a new home for You Hashem. Shehechiyanu V’kiyamanu la’zman hazeh it is for this reason You have given us life. Pillar number 2 check!
Finally last but not least not only in years, but in simcha and completion God willing the week after Sheva Brachos we are preparing for the Bar Mitzva of my son Tully. Our ben zekunim. He enters into the yoke of Torah. He will read from the Torah, he’s planning on making a siyum on Mishna that he learned. He will hear me say a long dvar Torah… I know that I only give long ones- but this time he’s gotta stay in for it…. We even received a gift of a new Torah in our Shul this week in honor of the holiday of Simchas Torah. We have arrived at pillar number three!
Simcha after Simcha. Joy after joy. I’m still excited about this year. There’s so much that will happen. We are told that the year after Shemitta, Mashiach is bound to come. It is my hope and prayer that he already comes this Shabbos so that you all may join us personally in our simchos. But even better than a Schwartz simcha will be the greatest one of all. The Simchas Olam of the Hashem’s presence finally being restored to its home that we have spent 2000 long years building for him. Can’t wait to see you there!
Have an amazing Shabbos and a gezunteh vinter,
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
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YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK
“Drei zakhen ken men nit bahalten: libeh, hisen un dales.”- Three things cannot be hidden: love, coughing and poverty.
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK
https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/tefilas-kallah - The most beautiful Chupah song you ever heard for my daughters wedding this coming week. Yitz Berry did the arrangements and the great Dovid Lowy on the vocals… Listen again and again!!
https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/samayach – And the second song I composed Samayach for the dancing which is of course the happiest wedding song you will ever hear and will have you dancing with me!
https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/vzakeynu-lirot-banim – and in honor of my newest granddaughter Malka Tzirel Schwartzes first Shabbos in this world. My Vzakeinu- Hashem has merited me to see children from my children
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Byo7t9hJXG4 – And of course it is all do to the one and only Hashem. Thank You Hashem!!!
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S FUNNY TIPS FOR A YOUNG GROOM- OF THE WEEK
Every man should remember that a happy marriage is a matter of give and take; the husband gives and the wife takes.
If you ever discover that your credit card was stolen think before you decided to report it ... may be the thief is spending less than your wife.
"Man who sinks into woman's arms;-Soon has his arms in woman's sink".- Confucius
Don't marry for money; you can borrow it cheaper. - Scottish Proverb
The most effective way to remember your wedding anniversary is to forget once.
Whenever you're wrong, admit it. Whenever you're right, shut up. - Ogden Nash
My wife says I never listen, or something like that.......................
A woman worries about her future until she finds a husband, but a man never worries about the future until he takes a wife.
Marriage is an institution in which a man loses his bachelor's degree and the woman gets her master's.
Early in your marriage you will find it difficult to get the last word in any discussion. With time, though, you will learn how to always get the last two words in every discussion; just make sure the words are: 'Yes dear.'
And my favorite...
To be happy with a man, you must understand him a lot and love him a little. To be happy with a woman, you must love her a lot and not try to understand her at all.
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