from the
Holy Land
from
Rabbi Ephraim
Schwartz
"Your friend
in Karmiel"
March 10th
2023 -Volume 12 Issue
21 17th of Adar 5783
Parshat Ki Tisa/
Parah
I’m
after-glowing. And a bit hungover to be honest. There’s nothing like Purim. It’s
the highest of the high. We enter a different plane of existence. It’s pure
joy, pure ecstasy. It’s dancing and singing and soaring. It’s hugging and
kissing and blessing everyone and getting blessings back from them. And it’s
absolutely exhausting.
It’s
a remarkable and inspiring day. I’ve been watching some statuses on Whatsapp
and checking out some OnlySimchai Insta and Facebook posts and I just find it
so amazing. It’s almost 2500 years since this miracle and our salvation took
place in Persia and yet the dancing, the costumes, the parties, the feasts, the
festivities, and celebrations that go on in our communities around the entire
world is as if we just averted the Holocaust yesterday. I compare the joy that
I see on Purim to the celebrations and festivities that I’ve seen in black and
white movies of the 5th of Iyar 1948 when the State of Israel was
declared or on ‘kaf tet” of November 1947 when the Partition Plan was
announced in that historic UN vote; the first time in 2000 years that the Jews
have returned and established a national Jewish homeland recognized by the
world. Or alternatively the joy and euphoria on that first Yom Yerushalayim
when we saw miracles like never before when Hashem saved us against all odds
and we were returned to the Kotel, the Har Ha’Bayis, to Chevron and the Golan Heights
and we quadrupled the size of our country. I hate to tell you this though, but
guess what? Those historic days, despite them being so recent and perhaps of
even greater historical significance have nothing on the types of celebration and
joy that are experienced and exhibited on every Purim. Isn’t that remarkable?
I
just watch the videos and see the costumes, the children, the parades, the
dancing, the truly expressed Simcha exploding from the deepest, most powerful
and intimate places of every single Jew and it’s so inspiring. It’s so holy. It’s
almost unexplainable. I understand watching these videos why despite the
hesitation after the first year of the miracle whether to establish the holiday
as an eternal one in the Jewish year, that when the second year came around the
Rabbis and sages at the time of Mordechai and Esther understood and felt in the
air that this was something unique. That the joy of Purim will never be nullified
from our nation. Not from them nor their descendants after them. It is a day
that was established into the fabric of time when every year we can tap into
that joy and shine it out to the world. It is something that is forever.
Fascinatingly
enough, this past Purim I tapped into something holy and deep that also I
believe non-coincidentally is at the opposite extreme eternal. The idea really
started with last week’s E-Mail when I delved into the Yom Kippur and Purim
connections. (If you missed that E-Mail here’s the link for Rabbi Schwartze’s
Top Ten list right here https://holylandinsights.blogspot.com/2023/03/splenda-vs-sugar-yom-kippur-vs-purim.html . It’s worth the long Megilla read and who
knows you may even be inspired to contribute to our campaign afterwards. If you’re
not and or if you haven’t yet, it means that there’s still some Amalek left in
you and it’s a problem...) The first item on the top ten list was that both Purim
and Yom Kippur start off with a gezeiras Shmad- a threat of genocide of
men, women, children- all of us. Yet whereas on Purim it was coming from Haman.
By Yom Kippur that threat was coming from Hashem after the sin of the Golden Calf
which we read about this week. Purim we “rested” from our enemy (nachu mikol
oyveihem) whereas on Yom Kippur Hashem who had asked Moshe “hanicha li v’achalem-
leave me and I will destroy them”, and Who later says that if He remains in our
presence, He will destroy us ba’derech- on the road. B’rega echad-
in one moment. Yet He as well, ultimately told Moshe lech nechei es ha’am-
to give us rest, va’yinachem al ha’ra and he regretted the bad that He
had planned for us.
If
this doesn’t sound like a Purim story yet, here’s a few more clues on the verses
that I just quoted you. Amalek comes ba’derech- always; when we leave
Egypt, before us entering the land, in the times of Shaul before the kingship
of Dovid Ha’Melech. They’re always there on that road trying to block us like
those idiot protestors whom I hate like Amalek. Both Chareidi ones and secular
ones. I don’t like people that block me ba’derech and it goes back to the
beginning of our nation it seems.
As
well the sefarim tell us that the word Rega- a moment is an
acronym for RE’ishis G’oyim A’malek. Amalek is always trying to lock us into
the moment and not see big picture. It’s crazy to say it, but it’s almost as if
Hashem is like Amalek by the Eigel story- not that we didn’t deserve it-
but on both days it was all switched and flipped. Our decree to be destroyed
was averted.
I
was a little bit skeptical about this, but as I continued to review the parsha
of the golden calf, I found more and more hints, allusions and similarities to
the Purim story. It jumps out almost every pasuk, and I’m sure if you
review the parsha with this in mind you will find many similarities of your own.
Let’s take it from the start.
The
story starts when Moshe is delayed, and the Jews come to Aharon and asks him to
make them a god because Moshe who took us up from Egypt
“Lo
yada’anu me hayah lo”- we don’t know what happened to him.
It
all starts with the Ad d’lo yada- the insane need and desire for the
Jewish people to know. On Purim as well we don’t know the difference between Haman
and Mordechai. Between being in Galus and being redeemed. We’re eating
off the vessels of the Temple in galus. We want an alternate comfortable
Beit Midrash or Beit Knesset in Persia. “He who lives in Chutz la’aretz
is like he has no god”. We forgot that in Persia. We forget that today. We
dance around golden bimas in the midbar and forget that we are ba’derch
to somewhere. On Purim though, we fix it by getting rid of our da’as.
Stop trying to figure it out.
As
well the post golden calf epilogue is Moshe telling Hashem that I want to know
you. The Jews want to know you.
“And
Moshe said to Hashem See, You told me take up this nation. And yet you didn’t
make known to me who You will send with me. And You said I will
be known to you by name, and You have found favor in my eyes. And now
if I please have found favor in Your eyes. Let me know Your ways.
And I will know You. In order to find favor in Your eyes, and see
that this nation is Yours.”
It’s
all about knowing Hashem. Even more fascinating and you really can’t miss it.
Moshe keeps repeating and making requests from Hashem- the King, repeating one
caveat. “I have found favor in Your eyes”. Im Motzasi chein b’enecha
Ha’Melech…. If I have found favor in Your Eyes-the King. Guess who else in
the Megilla keeps saying that. That’s right none other than Esther. And just as
Esther has to tell and inform the King who her nation is. Moshe as well is telling
Hashem who His nation is. Who He’s “married” to…As well, just as by Moshe there
is the initial conversation that convinces Hashem not to destroy us followed by
a second request the next day to show how much he favors us. The Purim story as
well has Esther asking for a second day to show that Achashveirosh really has favor
for the Jews. Pretty amazing isn’t it?
Throw
into that story as well how Esther is all nervous about whether she can see the
face of the king without being called, with Mordechai not coming inside the
palace of the king as he is in mourning and again, we see the Eigel connection
with Moshe being sent out of the camp while, the Jews are wearing garments of
mourning. It’s a Purim story.
But
let’s go back to the beginning of the story as again we see many connections;
some more fun than others. What does Aharon tell the Jews when they are so busy
trying to activate their da’as. Pirku nizmei ha’zahav mei’aznei- remove
the gold from their ears. We were too fartshtupped with gold after we
left Egypt. It was coming out of our ears. Just as in Persia and in other
exiles when we have too much gold- we forget we’re ba’derech to Eretz Yisrael.
Remove that gold from your ears. Isn’t it cool that on Purim we eat, the ears
of Haman. We remove those ears. Gives your Hamantash a whole new meaning, doesn’t
it?
There’s
an incredible Rashi that tells us what Aharon’s plan was, that really needs to
be read a few times to appreciate what he was thinking. He tells the Jews to
wait until tomorrow before they do anything. Give it a day. The Purim story as
well is always about Amalek tomorrow everywhere we find a battle with Amalek it
takes place machar, the next day. But Rashi tells us that Aharon told
himself
“His
heart was for heaven. For he was certain that Moshe would come and they would
serve Hashem.”
Amazing
isn’t it. Here the Jews had just killed Chur; the gadol ha’dor. They
murdered him in cold blood. They were dancing and partying around and around a
fake god- (yes, the dancing, singing and tzchok- levity even, is all
Purim as well). There is no greater perikus ol-rebellion greater than
this. Our sages tell us that it’s like a bride that sins on her way from the chupa
on her wedding night. And yet, Aharon is confident that in one second, we
will do teshuva. That the worst of the worst of our nation will see the
light and return. He was confident that we will serve Hashem and turn it all
around. For Aharon sees and understands that it is all not really us. It’s the
Satan. It’s a costume. It’s the gold. But the heart of every Jew deep inside is
untainted. We are His nation and He is our God. We may not be able to see His
face as we learn from the aftermath of the Eigel story, but we can find Him
inside of us. We can find Him eternally and reveal Him in us on Purim.
Moshe
in perhaps the most dramatic part of the story smashes the Luchos that were
written by Hashem. The tablets, which has Hashem’s name written all over it,
again as Rashi tells us. He derives this fascinatingly enough from a kal ‘vchomer
about Pesach. Rashi tells us that Moshe said that just as on Pesach
The
Torah tells us that Kol Ben Neichar lo yochal bo- any son of a
stranger can’t eat from it, All of the Jewish nation are sinners for sure they
do not deserve the Torah.
We
were like goyim. We were not deserving of the luchos written by Hashem. We
derive this from the laws of the Pesach offering. On Purim however we fixed it
all. Our sages tell us that we accepted the Torah once again. Unlike the first
time when Hashem held the Mountain over our heads and “forced” us to take it
and If we didn’t, He said we would be buried there. On Purim we did it from our
own will.
Do
you know how we got to that holy place? Would you believe that it was the same kal
v’chomer from Pesach just reversed? The Midrash tells us that Esther
decreed that the Jews should fast before she goes into the king. The day she
decreed the fast, the original Taanis Esther was on none other than Pesach.
That year, Esther decreed that there should not be a Pesach Seder. No Matza, No
four cups, No Ma Nishtana and no singing Vehi She’amda or Dayeinu.
Just fast.
The
decree of Haman was 11 months away. She could’ve made the fast days after
Pesach. Yet, the Midrash tells us that Esther wanted to send a message to Hashem.
“Without the Jews, there is no Pesach.” We are your nation. We’re not
goyim. If we aren’t here there would be no one to eat your Korban Pesach. No
one to sing Your praises. No one to shine Your light out to the world. We can
turn it all around. We can get those crowns back on our head. We can be your
nation of Kings. Of Kohanim. Of Mordechai’s and of Esthers. We can build Your
Bais Ha’Mikdash. We can be redeemed.
Finally
and eternally, the story of the Golden Calf ends with Hashem telling Moshe that
the memory of that sin will be eternal. U’bayom pokdi, u’fakadati aleihem
chatasam- and the day that account for them, that I punish them I will pay
them for this punishment as well. Rashi emphasizes this by the repetition of
the word tamid.
V’tamid
tamid- and always always when I account for their sins, I will account a
little for this sin with all of the others. And there is no punishment that
befalls on Yisrael that does not have in it punishment for the sin of the
golden calf.
It
is eternal. Our mitzva to wipe out Amalek is always eternal, as is Hashem and our
battle against them. On that first Yom Kippur Hashem wanted to wipe us out.
Moshe reunited us with Hashem by offering that he himself would be wiped out- mecheini
mi’sifricha- erase me from Your book. Hashem has no other nation besides
us. We are His eternally and every Purim millennia later we reveal that to Him
and the world, by letting that joy explode. By dancing and singing not in front
of golden calves, but in praise of Hashem. It is the Eternal sin of the
eigel rectified. It is wiping out Amalek. It is revealing the pinteleh
holy untainted spark that Ahraon knew would come out… tomorrow. It is today
2500 years later in every corner of the world where you might find a Jew.
This
Shabbos as we get closer to Pesach, the holiday of our redemption, we read
Parshat Parah of the inexplicable mitzva of the Red Heifer and it’s purity. Our
sages tell us that the mother cow should come and clean up the filth of its
child; the eigel. This year and most years we read this together with
the story of the Eigel. We read it right after we have read the story of
Purim and we have celebrated, inebriated, and brought that simcha to the world.
We’re ready for the purity from Hashem now to come down with this mitzva that
is above our da’as. We are ready to finally see Hashem’s face and know
him as He returns to His palace as He should’ve first done when he gave us that
Torah so long ago. We’ve wiped out Amalek. We have arrived at the end of the
derech. May this year Pesach we merit all to be in Yerushalayim back again with
our offerings and Mashiach b’simchas olam- with the eternal joy of Purim
redeemed.
Have an eternally purely and parah-ly happy
Shabbos!
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
************************
YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK
““Alts iz nit puter vos kumt aroys fun der ku.”- All is not butter that comes from a cow
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK
answer below at end of Email
14) The
Ceasefire Line, drawn in Jerusalem at the end of the War of Independence
between the Israeli and Jordanian posts is called:
In the
"UN Partition Plan" for Palestine of Nov. 29th, 1947, Jerusalem was
intended to be:
A) a city
under joint Jewish-Arab sovereignty
B) a city with
a unique international status
C) a unified
Arab city
D) a unified
Jewish city
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY_2riUV4OU
–Ari Goldwags latest heartfelt
bi Yerushalayim
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqVVjAS2Svc
-loving Shulem’s latest album…here’s a sampler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJuCpsP1aLA
– Meilech Kohen’s Aish Tamid
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ochb_fXAQ3I
– Modzitz
Shoshanas Yaakov
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S ERA’S AND THEIR
PLACES AND PEOPLE IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK
Techiyas Ha’Meisim- 690 BC- So once Geichazi fails to
bring the child of the Shunamite woman to life again it’s time for the
big guns. And thus Elisha shows up with the woman. He sends her out of
the room and then davens and then fascinatingly enough lies himself down on top
of the boy placing his body against the child and mouth to mouth resuscitates
him. The boy’s body begins to get warm, Elisha walks around again and
lies down and hugs the child and poof! He sneezes 7 times, opens his eyes and
is alive once again. A miracle has occurred. Elisha sends for the mother
hands her over her child and thus the house of the Shunamite woman until
today is a place where we know this miracle took place.
Today as I mentioned the Shunamite’s house is in the Arab
village of Sulam- which sounds like Shunam on the foothills of Mt.
Tavor. It’s a place where many come to daven for children and for refu’os.
I personally know of many who have personally seen great miracles occur after
they came to daven here. It is the one place where both the Steipler and
his son Reb Chayim Kanievsky ZT”L who’s yartzeit is today (when I’m writing
this on Shushan Purim) would send people to daven.
Fascinatingly enough there seems to be a dispute in the gemara and later
commentaries if this is even a true resurrection story. According to the
opinion of Rebbi Yehoshua the child never really died but was in some
suspended state. The Chasam Sofer writes this as well. As well some see
in the fact that Elisha lay himself over the body of the child as being
similar to Rosh Hashana when we have to do actions like the apple and honey to
symbolize an act and then Hashem fulfills it. Yet, here again we find Elisha
preforming miracles as did his Rebbi, Eliyahu Ha’Navi. This is the 7th
miracle that he preforms and is perhaps symbolized in the seven holy sneezes of
life that the child had before awakening. Next week we move to the further adventures
and miracles of Elisha Ha’Navi.
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S TERRIBLE DRUNK JOKES OF
THE WEEK
A man
comes home from an exhausting day at work, plops down on the couch in front of
the television, and tells his wife, "Get me a beer before it
starts."
The wife
sighs and gets him a beer. Fifteen minutes later, he says, "Get me
another beer before it starts."
She looks
annoyed, but fetches another beer and slams it down next to him. He finishes
that beer and a few minutes later says "Quick, get me another beer,
it's going to start any minute."
The wife
is furious. She yells at him "Is that all you're going to do tonight?
Drink beer and sit in front of that TV? You're nothing but a lazy, drunken, fat
slob and furthermore ..."
The man
sighs and says, "It's started ..."
The
drunken wino was stumbling down the street with one foot on the curb and one
foot in the gutter. A cop pulled up and said, "I've got to take you in,
sir. You're obviously drunk" The wasted wino asked, "Ociffer, are
ya absolutely sure I'm drunk?"
"Yeah,
buddy, I'm sure," said the copper. "Let's go."
Obviously relieved, the wino said "That's
a relief - I thought I was a cripple."
From the
state where drunk driving is considered a sport, comes this absolutely true
story. Recently a routine police patrol parked outside a bar in Fort Worth,
Texas. After last call the officer noticed a man leaving the bar so intoxicated
that he could barely walk. The man stumbled around the parking lot for a few
minutes, with the officer quietly observing. After what seemed an eternity in
which he tried his keys on five different vehicles, the man managed to find his
truck and trailer and fall into it. He sat there for a few minutes as a number
of other patrons left the bar and drove off. Finally, he got into the car and
started the engine, switched the wipers on and off....it was a fine, dry summer
night, flicked the blinkers on and off a couple of times, honked the horn and
then switched on the lights. He moved the vehicle forward a few inches, reversed
a little and then remained still for a few more minutes as some more of the
other patrons' vehicles left. Finally, when his was the only car left in the
parking lot, he pulled out and drove slowly down the road. The police officer,
having waited patiently all this time, now started up his patrol car, put on
the flashing lights, promptly pulled the man over and administered a
breathalyzer test. To his amazement, the breathalyzer indicated no evidence
that the man had consumed any alcohol at all! Dumbfounded, the officer said,
'I'll have to ask you to accompany me to the police station. This breathalyzer
equipment must be broken.' 'I seriously doubt it', said the truly proud
Hillbilly. 'Tonight I'm the designated decoy.'
source:
http://www.jokes4us.com/dirtyjokes/drunkjokes.html
Rabbi
Epstein was a particularly tenacious clergyman and couldn't stand seeing Jewish
people getting drunk. So one day he went into a particular tavern frequented by
Jewish patrons.
Rabbi
Epstein walks into the pub and sees Stan from shul. "Stan, do you want
to go to heaven?"
The man
said, "I do Rabbi."
The Rabbi
said, "Then stand over there against the wall."
Then Rabbi
Epstein asked another man he recognized, "Do you want to go to heaven?"
"Certainly,
Rabbi," was the man's reply.
"Then
stand over there against the wall," said the
Rabbi. Then Rabbi Epstein walked up to Chaim Yankel Rabbinowitz and said,
"Do you want to go to heaven?"
Chaim
Yankel said, "No, I don't Rabbi."
The Rabbi
was in disbelief, "You mean to tell me that when you die you don't want
to go to heaven?"
Chaim
Yankel said, "Oh, when I die, yes. I thought you were getting a group
together to go right now."
A cop is
doing standard patrol when he notices a car swerving all over the road. He
quickly turns on his siren and pulls the guy over.
"Alright,"
says the cop, when the man gets out of the car. "Walk on the white
line."
"I'd
be happy to," says the drunk "just stop moving the line."
On a
beautiful Sunday afternoon, in the midst of the French Revolution, the
revolting citizens lead a priest, a drunkard and an engineer to the guillotine.
They ask
the priest if he wants to face up or down when he meets his fate. The priest
says he would like to face up so he will be looking towards heaven when he
dies. They raise the blade of the guillotine and release it. It comes speeding
down and suddenly stops just inches from his neck. The authorities take this as
divine intervention and release the priest.
The
drunkard comes to the guillotine next. He also decides to die face up, hoping
that he will be as fortunate as the priest. They raise the blade of the
guillotine and release it. It comes speeding down and suddenly stops just
inches from his neck. Again, the authorities take this as a sign of divine
intervention, and they release the drunkard as well.
Next is
the engineer. He, too, decides to die facing up. As they slowly raise the blade
of the guillotine, the engineer suddenly says, "Hey, I see what your
problem is ..."
A
California state trooper pulls over a car and walks over to the driver. “Today’s
your lucky day.” he says. “We have a program to promote seatbelt use. I
pulled you over because you were wearing your seatbelt. You will receive a
reward of $5,000. So, what are you going to do with the money?
The man thinks
for a moment and answers, “I think the first thing I will do is go out and
get a drivers license.”
His wife
in the front passenger seat screams out, “Oh for goodness sake, officer
don’t listen to him, he always talks nonsense when he’s drunk.”
The
commotion wakes up their friend in the back seat. He sees the officer and
screams to the couple, “I told you we wouldn’t get far in a stolen car.”
And then
there is a banging from the trunk followed by a voice, “Ay amigos, did we
cross the border yet?
"
Maurice
and Isaac found themselves sitting next to each other in a New York bar. After
a while, Maurice looks at Isaac and says, "I can't help but think, from
listening to you, that you're from Israel."
Isaac
responds proudly, "I am!"
Maurice
says, "So am I! And where might you be from?"
Isaac
answers, "I'm from Jerusalem."
Maurice
responds, "So am I! And where did you live?"
Isaac
says, "A lovely little area two miles east of King David's Hotel. Not
too far from the old city"
Maurice
says, "Unbelievable! What school did you attend?"
Isaac
answers, "Well, I attended Yeshiva University." Maurice gets
really excited, and says, "And so did I. Tell me, what year did you
graduate?"
Isaac
answers, "I graduated in 1984."
Maurice
exclaims, "Amazing! This is Berschert. Hashem wanted us to meet! I can
hardly believe our good luck at winding up in the same bar tonight. Can you
believe it, I graduated from Yeshiva University in 1984 also."
About this
time, Moishe enters the bar, sits down, and orders a beer. The bartender walks
over to him shaking his head & mutters, "It's going to be a long
night tonight, the Goldberg twins are drunk again."
A man goes
into a pub, takes a seat at the bar, and orders five shots. The bartender gives
him an odd look since he’s all by himself, but he serves up the five shots and
lines them up on the bar.
The man
downs them all quickly. He finishes the last one and calls out, "Four
shots, please!"
The
bartender serves up four shots and lines them on the bar. The man downs them
all. Then he belches loudly, sways slightly on the stool, and orders three. And
one after the other, he knocks them back. "Two shots!" he calls,
and the bartender places two shots in front of him. Down they go. As the man
slams the last one down on the bar, he says, "One shot bartender."
So the
bartender fills the glass. The man sits there, staring at it for a moment,
trying to focus. Then he looks at the barman and says, "You know, it's
a funny thing, but the less I drink, the drunker I get."
What did
they call the arab dairy farmer who became the chief? A milk sheikh
Who is the
strongest Arab in the world? The Protein Sheikh
A golfer
is walking down the road carrying his clubs when he sees an Arab being held up
at gunpoint. He pulls out a wedge and smashes it over the back of the robber's
head, knocking him unconscious.
"You
probably saved my life,"
says the grateful Arab. "I am a member of the Saudi Royal Family and I
have the power and money to give you anything you desire as a reward."
The golfer
glances at his golf bag.
"Some
new golf clubs would be nice," he says.
Two weeks
later, the Sheikh's secretary calls him up.
"We've
got your golf clubs," she says,
"but the Sheikh would like to apologise to you in advance: only three
of them have swimming pools."
********************************
The answer to this week”s question is B –The “Green Line is the common term for the ceasefire agreement between Israel and all of the Arab countries we fought in 1948. But its certainly mostly used in regards to those “arbitrary” borders that for some reason the world feels should have some type of significance. The status of Yerushalayim was meant to remain as an international city where all religions would be able to worship freely… that probably would happen as it is that way in most Muslim countries throughout the Middle East… Uh huh…So got this one right again and now the score is now 11.5 for Schwartz and 2.5 for Ministry of tourism on this exam so far…
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