from the
Holy Land
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend in Karmiel"
December 2nd 2022 -Volume
12 Issue 7 8th of Kislev 5783
Parshat Vayeitzei
Sleep
Well
My children tell me that I don’t sleep much. I
tell them that I used up all my of sleeping zechusim (merits) when I was in
yeshiva. It’s what happens when you spend most of your teenage years sleeping,
I caution them. When you get older you don’t have any more hours left that you
can use to sleep. It’s like what they say over from the gaon of Vilna that a
person has a certain amount of words that he is given in this world and after
that his time is up. I think, these days the same is true about how many bowls
of chulent a person can eat in their life. After 50 years, I’ve had my full and
thus the surgery where probably for the rest of my life I’ll probably be able
to down less chulent than I did in one month the first 50 years. By the way it’s
nice and nostalgic for me to use the word chulent in one of these E-Mails… it’s
been a while 😊
But yes, they are correct, I really don’t sleep that
much these days. I don’t think most people my age do. The truth is as little as
I sleep, my wife sleeps even less. Every time I wake up in middle of the night,
for reasons I won’t elaborate on for the youngsters reading this at the Shabbos
table, but for which us pre-senior fully understand, I see she’s still awake.
She’s cleaning, laundry or buying clothing for her store on Amazon. I don’t think
she slept that much when she was in High School. She was the studious type. So I’m
not sure how she functions. Maybe she’s planning on some big rest some time in
the future that she’s saving up for. She likes to save things whereas I’m the
big spender and spend and use it as quick as it comes, which is why I used up
all my sleeping chips in 10th grade.
But the truth is sleep is truly an important
part of life. It something that we spend about 25-30% percent of our life
doing. I’ve heard from big experts and my wife that in fact the reason why
children sleep so much is that it’s when most of your growing takes place. It’s
tiring to grow. Others told me its when most of the digestive process takes
place. If you don’t get a good nights rest you’ll get fat. I’m not sure if that
makes much sense but hey it sounds good. But if you think about it why did
Hashem create this way that most of our lives we spend in a subconcious state?
Zoned out and dreaming? It doesn’t seem like the most efficient way to create a
mankind with a purpose. Wouldn’t we be more effective if we were up and working
and furthering the goals of Hashem 24/7? Not nodding off, not needing to conk
out on the couch, always being fresh and charged.
This week’ parsha introduces us to someone who
it seems certainly felt that way. We are told about our Patriarch Yaakov who our
sages tells us goes to sleep for the first time in 14 years since he left his
fathers’ house to head over to his uncle Lavan’s house. Va’yishkav ba’makom-
and he lied down to sleep there in Beit El the Torah tells us. There he slept
but the 14 years that he took off to study in the yeshiva of Shem and Ever he
didn’t lie down to sleep. Yaakov it seems wasn’t a typical yeshiva guy. Now most
of the commentaries explain that of course Yaakov slept in those 14 years. It’s
impossible for a human being not to sleep. Yet, Yaakov never lied down to
sleep. Rather he did what we in yeshiva we used to call that the “shtender
shluf”. He put his head down on his “gemara” and dozed off and popped back up
again and continued learning. But to lie down in a bed. That wasn’t Yaakov’s cup
of tea. He couldn’t bring himself to do that.
Fascinatingly enough though here after leaving
yeshiva Yaakov finally lies down to sleep. What makes this even more incredible
is to think about the situation Yaakov is in now as opposed to when he was in
yeshiva. Where do you think you might sleep better? See, generally the things
that keep most of us up at night are the worries and thoughts that trouble us.
It’s the tour I have coming up. It’s how am I going to pay my bills? Worries
about my children getting into the ‘right’ schools, the right seminaries,
making the right shidduchim. It’s health issues. It’s world peace, it’s arabs,
it’s elections, it’s Biden. Are you getting more and more awake as this list
gets longer. We toss and we turn and we can’t just turn off our constantly churning
brains. It’s a problem.
When do we have a good nights rest? The night after
I married off my daughter. When I finished my last tour for the season. When I
come back from the doctor with a clean bill of health. When all my kids got
into school. When they’re finally all married and out of the house with children
and sleepless nights of their own. Although my mother assures me that it doesn’t
end even then for her at least when your son is Ephraim Schwartz. But when those
things happen then we feel we can sleep like a baby. We can turn off our brains
and switch off the lights and sleep like a baby. Like we never have before. As
like most things though that we think the opposite of this is really the truth
and the way it should be if we look deeply into the Torah.
See Yaakov’s first night of good sleep takes place
the day after he leaves yeshiva and is back on the road. One would think that
this should be Yaakov’s most sleep less night. Now he has to worry about
Shidduchim, Now he’s out of the safety of the walls of Yeshiva and his brother
is going to come and get him and even sends his son Elifaz out to get him. Now
he’s in the wild and there are wild animals that can attack him in the night.
Now he doesn’t have a penny to his name and he can’t rely on the yeshiva schnitzel
and macaroni that he subsided on for 14 years. Who knows when his next bowl of
decent chulent will be? Who knows if Lavan even eats chulent?
Yet it is on this night that Yaakov decides to
go lie down and go to sleep. Do you know what the function of sleep is? The
purpose of sleep Rebbi Tzadok Ha’Kohen teaches us is for us to realize that we
are not in charge of the world. That Hashem is in control. That we can turn off
the lights and all is taken care of. We need to recharge our neshoma each night
with that faith. Its specifically when times are roughest and things seem most
scary and frightening when on a spiritual level we need to step back and close
our eyes and put away all that noise and realize that it will all be alright. Whatever
happens or will be is the Divine plan who is watching the entire world. I can
hand Him over my soul tonight and He will return it to me in the morning. And
when He returns it to me, He will also make sure that everything that is supposed
to happen tomorrow is just perfect for me. It’s what He wants most for me to
accomplish and experience.
When Yaakov is in yeshiva and things are going
perfect there is no need for him to lie down and go to sleep. In fact quite the
opposite he is to charged with doing his job of learning and discovering and
revealing Hashem in the Torah that he is learning. He doesn’t sleep because he
has important things to accomplish. There is a tosafos that is shverr, a Rebbi
Akiva Eiger’s question that he has to answer, a contradiction in Jewish thought
between the Rambam and Saadia Gaon and there is a deep Kabbalistic concept in
the Zohar and teachings of the ARI’Zl that he has to reveal. There’s no time to
sleep and no need to sleep because those are all things that he is here to
reveal and do. Those are the things that excite him and keep him awake.
It’s when he leaves yeshiva and the worries,
fears and challenges about which he has no control over begin to creep into his
life. It is then when Yaakov finally decides that he needs to sleep. He needs
to have faith. He needs to send his neshoma up on a trip up that ladder and
bring down the angels that will accompany him through life and remind him that
he is in the hands of Hashem. That all will be taken care of. That is the secret
in fact of how he and all of us are meant to make it through our days. With a
good night’s rest. With the knowledge that Hashem is watching our soul for us.
Do you know when the best day to rest and sleep
is? Shabbat Shalom. In fact the Shl”ah Ha’Kadosh says that Shabbos is an
acronym for the words Sheina B’Shabbos Taanug- Rest on Shabbos is a pleasure.
There are some Torah E-Mails and Rabbis that might encourage you to take these
long winter Friday nights and spend them learning more Torah. You’re not
reading one of those right now and I’m not one of those Rabbis. It’s why you
like me. Not that I’m against learning, I think it’s great and important. In fact
for me the best time of the week is when I arise Shabbos morning early and the
house is quiet and I have a few hours before davening to learn and review the
parsha and take in this special time. But that’s only after a good Friday night
shluf- which usually happens five minutes after the meal when and if I hit the
couch- whatever time that is incidentally- it could be earlier if I don’t make it
to the couch.
Do you know why Shabbos is a day of rest and it’s
a pleasure. Because Shabbos is the day when we really feel that most that we
are in Hashem’s hands. That we have everything done. That there is nothing more
that we can do. Shabboses whole essence is really that sleep- that being in the
hands of Hashem. We experience a neshoma yeseira on Shabbos- because our
spiritual dimension is doubled on this day. We are tasting heaven. Just like
Yaakov’s first shluf when he had angels going up and down. We begin our Shabbos
with two angels accompanying us home from Shul. They are the same angels. The
weekday busy angels leave and the Shabbos ones come to welcome us in to this
new sphere.
So yes, the sleepless Rabbi is telling you that
Shabbos is a time to sleep. The truth is the whole week is a time as well to
sleep. It’s to put to bed all of our worries. It’s to recognize that Hashem is
standing over us and singing us a lullaby each night. It will be alright My
children. I’m here for you. Hinei Lo Yanum V’Lo Yishan Shomer Yisrael- He is
not sleeping- so we can. And when we do so with perfect faith then even our
sleep can be a mitzva. Our sleep, as Yaakov’s was will foretell that this land
will be ours. That we will return to it like dreamers. If we sleep with that in
mind, then hopefully soon, our dreams will finally come true.
Have a restful Shabbos,
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
************************
YIDDISH PROVERB
OF THE WEEK
“ Az men hot a sakh tsu ton, leygt men zikh
shlofn”- When you
have a lot to do, go to sleep "
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S COOL VIDEO OF THE
WEEK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4BOo-ywDNo
-
One of Eitan Katz’es most beautiful recent songs V’Nacha alaov Ruach
magnificent
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWCRpPIKh7Y
– Benny
Friedman’s latest episode of Benny Ba’Derech exploring Jerusalem cool!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NXQq3mLD9U – 3000 Yehiva Bachurim singing together L’Vaker
BHeicholo- heavenly!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-PXt0_Q7ZI - The
Lubavitcher Rebbe Ufaratzta’ing…This week’s parsha
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
answer below at end of Email
19) The
Jaffa- Jerusalem Road was paved in the year _________
It was done in honor of the visit of
A) In honor of Kaiser
Wilhelms visit upon the inauguration of the Austrian- Hungary Hostel in the
Muslim quarter
B) Franz Josef’s visit as
part of his participation in the ceremony of the opening of the Suez Canal
C) Kasier Wilhelm’s visit on
the refurbishing of the Church of the Tomb with a renewed Christian presence
D) Franz Josef’s visit upon the establishment of the
Tifferes Yisrael synagogue
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S
ERA’S AND THEIR PLACES AND PEOPLE IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK
The Last Walk Part I- 706 BC – The era of Eliyahu had come to an end-
at least his actions on this world in the flesh and blood the first time
around. As we know Eliyahu comes back and forth until today through the
worlds. Yet on his last journey he turns to his faithful student and successor Elisha and orders
him to remain behind in Gilgal as he takes leave of this world. Elisha
though refuses. The location of Gilgal is significant as it is where the
Jews first placed the Mishkan and the 12 rocks that we crossed the Jordan River
with over there. It symbolizes the Torah we accepted and the service of Hashem-
that was the message Eliyahu was leaving with Elisha to follow
the Torah and continue to teaching it. But it was not enough for him.
Today the location of Gilgal
is a fascinating
topic that began in 2009. It was discovered that there were a few sites
mentioned throughout Tanach as Gilgal in fact 39 times! Many of them
are in different locations and regions although all in the Jordan Valley
and hills above them. Upon looking down from aerial views it was discovered
that they all share a shoe or sandal shaped circle and wall of rocks around
them that are lower than the regular ground level. They’re like a shoe print.
And in fact they suggest that it symbolizes what Hashem promised us that
anywhere that our kaf raglichem- our shoe print will walk over is ours.
As well it gives new meaning to the idea of oleh regel- going up to the place
where the is a regel- a foot print!
Some of the suggestions where the makom ha’mishkan was by in
the Jordan Valley by the moshav of Argaman or further
North above by Masu’ah or Nachal Tirtza. I’ve never been there but
it’s pretty amazing discovery!
The next stop for Elisha and Eliyahu is to Beit El. There they
are greeted by the students who tell Elisha that Eliyahu will be departing from this
world, Elisha clues them in that he knows already but he is not yet ready
to separate from his Rebbi. The symbolism of Beit El is where Yaakov
in this week’s parsha sees the heavenly ladder and has revelation like never
before. It is a place of prophecy and divine inspiration and Eliyahu was
promising Elisha that as well. But he wanted more.
The ancient city of Beit El is about 2 KM north of the
modern day settlement in the arab village of Beitin. When I go visit my
friends in Beit El I like to take people to the ancient tree, mosque and
Byzantine church floor that are there where tradition has it the ladder of
Yaakov took place. As well it is there where Yeravam Ben Nevat built his
temple. Although it’s not in Beitin proper, yet it is possible that the
site was right outside of the ancient city of Beit El.
Two more stops for Elisha and Eliyahu until he goes up to heaven. Stay tuned
next week for the last journey part II
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S TERRIBLE
SLEEP (LESS) JOKES OF THE WEEK
Chaim, an Israeli government worker went to the doctor and
complained of being unable to sleep.
Doctor: 'Oh! Don't you sleep well at night?'
Chaim: 'Yes, I sleep very well at night. And I sleep quite
soundly most of the mornings, too - but I find it's very difficult to sleep in
the afternoons as well.'
Two siblings, Sarah was talking to her brother Bobby and asked how
come it was that grandma didn’t have any teeth. Bobby in a very knowing voice
explained that Grandma had gone to sleep one night with her head underneath her
pillow, and what do you know? The Tooth Fairy came and took all her teeth.
Yankel came to the doctor
and told him that he was having trouble sleeping and he assumed that it was
because he had High blood pressure problem in his family.
The physician doctor asked him from which side in his family it was
from your mother's side or your father's?
"Neither," Yankel replied. "It's from my wife's family."
"How could your wife's family give you high blood pressure?"
He sighed. "You oughta meet 'em sometime, Doc!"
I have a sleeping disorder…it’s called children
What happens if you sleep on your smartphone? You download a nap.
When is the perfect time for the cattle to go to sleep? Pasture
bedtime.
How will you prove that you are not a light sleeper? Go sleep in
the dark.
People with insomnia are pretty cool, They’re up for anything
The doctor told me I have either amnesia or insomnia, I can't
remember which one and it's making me lose sleep!
How does the dyslexic agnostic with insomnia spend his time?
Staying up all night wondering if there is a dog
I have been trying to understand why my candle has such bad
insomnia......guess there is no rest for the wicked.
I had to break up with my girlfriend who suffered from insomnia She
just wasn’t very into-resting
My horse has insomnia and keeps every one awake. She's a nightmare
Do you know why bicycles can’t stand on their own? Because they are
tired.
"Doctor, I tell you, the therapy you gave me for my
insomnia was too hard"
"What? I just recommended warm milk, honey and a hot bath
before going to sleep. What's so hard about that?!"
"Well, milk and honey was easy, but the hot bath... I was
never able to drink it all... "
"Listen to me, Mr.
Levy," said the doctor.
"If you ever expect to cure your insomnia, you will have to stop
taking your trouble to bed with you."
"I know, but I can't," said Herb Levy. "My wife refuses to sleep
alone."
Why does the man eat yeast and shoe polish before he goes to sleep?
So that he can rise and shine.
Why did the man run around his bed? He wanted to catch up on his
sleep!
Do you know at what time
tennis players go to sleep? At ten-nish.
What do sheep count when
they can’t sleep? People.
What happens when you dream that you wrote ‘The Lord Of The Rings?’
You start Tolkien in your sleep.
Finally a real quote from President Ronald Reagan I have left
orders to be awakened at any time in case of national emergency, even if I'm in
a cabinet meeting.
********************************
Answer is B -I got this one half right. Years have never been my strong thing. I wasn’t sure of the year of Franz Josef’s visit. I guessed 1876 but it was 1869. I did know that he came for the establishment of the Suez Canal to visit Israel and did know that the road was paved in honor of his visit. He didn’t do things small. The Austrian Hungary Hostel was in fact dedicated by him in the Muslim quarter- not by Wilhelm who came in 1898. And the truth is when Josef came he did donate the roof of the Tifferes Yisrael Synagouge- which is in fact almost done being rebuilt in theh old city of Jerusalem after it was destroyed by the Jordanians and will rival the Churva as largest shul in the old city. The story goes that when he came he saw the building without a roof and asked Nissim Bak the Gabbai why there was no roof and he responded it took off it’s hat in your honor your majesty. Yet that was not the reason he came nor why the road was built it was because of the Suez Canal visit obviously. By the way googling this I just realized that this past week was the 6th of Kislev this past week 153 years ago, cool! So the score this week is Schwartz 16 and 4 for MOT (Ministry of Tourism) on this exam.
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