Karmiel

Karmiel
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Friday, May 24, 2024

The King's Blog- Parshat Behar- Lag Ba'Omer 5784- 2024

 

Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land

from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

 May 24th 2024 -Volume 13 Issue 32 16th of Iyar 5784

Parshat Behar / Lag Ba'Omer


The King’s Blog

The Torah speaks to us today. It’s not an ancient work of laws, history, ethics and values. It’s a newspaper. It’s Hashem’s daily blog for us to read and study in order to understand what the heck- or heaven, more accurately, is going on in the world. Our sages tell us that when Hashem created the world, He looked into the Torah, which seemingly was there first, and used it as the blueprint, fabric and DNA of the world. Yet, they as well teach us and we recite in our prayers each day before we read the Shema,

Ha’mechadesh b’tuvo b’kol yom tamid ma’asey bereishit- Hashem renews with His goodness every day constantly the act of Creation.

 Each day the world is created anew. Each day Hashem looks into the Torah portion and makes whatever is meant to happen there take place. And each day when one studies Torah, recites verses, studies Talmud and reads the holy words of Psalms we can find and tap into those hidden and sometimes not so hidden messages, to see and understand the world from the Hashem’s Yeshiva -Shel Ma’ala-World News website; His heavenly blog.

 Since October 7th, Simchas Torah this past year, that revelation and “website” has pretty much gone viral. Everyone is looking in the Torah for the messages, the hints, the answers to what in the world is going on. Verses that we took for granted, prayers, psalms, they all have new meaning and appreciations. So many prophecies that we studied about are being fulfilled. So many predictions that our sages made thousands of years ago about the Messianic era are coming true. It’s wild. It’s enlightening.

 To a large degree, I believe and feel, that it’s the revelation of those messages that gives me strength and faith that there is a Plan. What at first might seem like random chaotic occurrences are really part of a divinely orchestrated program that is taking us to our destiny. It’s bringing us closer to Mashiach. To redemption. To the day when the whole world will see and understand that Hashem in His glory is the King of the world, and He has always been behind the screen bringing us to the grand finale when we will appreciate that all He has done and that we have gone through has always been for our good.

 Each week in this column, I’ve shared with you some of those insights that I felt were speaking to me. Each time I recite the so many different Tehillim-psalms, many that I’ve never really recited before, it never fails to amaze me how many times the word Chamas shows up. Who ever thought the major final enemy that we and the world would face would have that name, which in Hebrew translates as corruption, violence and robbery? It’s the word that Hashem decreed was the reason why He decided to destroy the first world He created and herald in the post-flood era of Noach that we are still living in today. It is Hamas today again, and hopefully its very soon eradication, that will herald in the final era of the redemption.

 They didn’t know, back in 1988, when they called their organization, the acronym of Ḥarakah al-Muqāwamah al-ʾIslāmiyyah, which means Islamic Resistance Movement, that Hashem put that name in their minds so that when we recite our prayers and psalms for their destruction, we would know that Hashem and our sages knew about them way before they even thus identified. Hezballa didn’t know when they started up in 1982 that the name of their terrorist group, which they thought they were calling “Party of Allah” really translates as ‘garbage dump’ in Hebrew and manure in Talmudic terms. As the word zevel is in Hebrew, is the fertilizer that gets buried in the earth and from where our new life will sprout out from. But it’s all there in the daily blog of our holy Torah. Too bad they don’t read Hebrew or learn it.

 This past week the memes didn’t stop flying (excuse the pun…) with all the Ra’isi hints in the Torah. From the names of one of the sons of Haman who was killed, to the verse in psalms that say

 Ra’isi rasha aritz- Rai’si (I have seen) a wicked man powerful

U’misare k’ezrach ra’anan- a well rooted robust native tree

Va’yavor vi’hinei einenu- Behold he vanished and was gone

V’avakshenu, v’lo nimtzae’nu- I sought him but he was not to be found. (Psalms 37:35)

 Too bad for him that his morning didn’t start off with some Tehillim recital, rather than the “Allah Akbar” prayer that they have. Maybe he would’ve changed his flight plans.

 The missiles from Iran were predicted, the final battles and World Wars as described by our prophets are getting closer. It’s not just that we have returned to our land after 2000 years, that agriculture is flourishing, that there has been a mass teshuva movement and flourishing of the Torah that our generation is experiencing, that are all unprecedented in world history. It’s that all of this has been predicted and is unfolding precisely the way that has been described in books written thousands of years ago, that makes this truly amazing. One of my Rabbis once told me, that we are experiencing prophecy now more than ever before. For in the past there were prophets that told people what would happen. Today we are witnessing the fulfillment of those prophecies that they had only read or learned about.

That being the case, as I opened up this week’s Torah portion I was struck by how many times our Torah mentions one word repeatedly. The parsha of Behar, the second to last in the book of Vayikra is a parsha about the land of Israel and our relationship to it. It discusses the laws of the Sabbatical year- shemitta and the 50th Jubilee year of yovel. The word that repeats itself is Geula- redemption.

 The first time it appears is in the context of the mitzva of yovel. The land of Israel could never be sold permanently. A person that sell his land because of extenuating circumstances, at the end of the Jubilee year, gets it back. The purchaser can only buy land for the years that remain until the 50th year- the year after the 7th shemitta cycle. After that he needs to return it to its rightful owner.

 Throughout the land that you hold, you must provide for the Geula -redemption of the land. (Vayikra 25:23)

 Relatives though shouldn’t let it get to that point and should try to redeem the land earlier

 If one of your kin is in straits and has to sell part of a holding, the nearest Go’alo- redeemer shall come and  go’al -redeem what that relative has sold.

 If the guy himself makes money, then he can redeem it.

If any party has no one to be go’el -redeemer but prospers and acquires enough to ge’ulaso- redeem with,

 The theme continues not just with land, but with someone who had to sell himself into servitude. When yovel comes it’s all over. He is set free. He can always be redeemed. His kin could and should redeem him. He could always purchase his freedom and deduct the years left to yovel.

 There as well the word geula-redemption keeps coming up again and again…

[your kin] shall have the right of Geula redemption even after having been given over. [Typically,] a brother shall do the yi’galenu- redeeming, or an uncle or an uncle’s son shall do the  yigalenu-redeeming—anyone in the family who is of the same flesh shall do the yigalenu -redeeming; or, having prospered, [your formerly impoverished kin] may do the vi’nigal -redeeming.

 And that’s not even half of the times its mentioned in our parsha. It’s a parsha of redemption. A parsha of how we become redeemed. Of how we can return to our source. Of how we can bring Mashiach and redeem the world. The question though is how does this redeemed world look? What are we redeeming it from? To understand that Rabbi Dovid Fohrman points out remarkably, in an idea I’ve never heard before, we have to look at the word “Yovel itself and see where we find this concept before. We have to go back to the Beginning. We have to go back to Simchas Torah. To the day that everything started, this year. We have to go back to Garden of Eden from where we were first exiled from. Because if we really want to be redeemed. If we’re here to redeem the world, then that’s our ultimate destination.

 Fascinatingly enough, the word yovel actually pops up there in that Torah reading that we read on Shabbos Bereishit. In fact, it pops up a few times. Ever notice it before? I can tell you honestly that I never did- but hey, I never noticed how much the word Hamas pops up in Tehillim and our Prayers and all of the other prophecies that are unfolding now either. But that’s what this year of redemption we are in, that is 5784 years from the beginning of time, is all about. Seeing the fulfillment of our redemption.

So where does the word pop up? Have you figured it out yet? It actually shows up quite innocently right after the second exile- galus of history. What you never noticed that there were two exiles in beginning of time either? The first was of course Adam and Chava being chased out of the garden. Much like what our sages tell us was the cause of our first exile from the land of Israel, the cause was our sins against God. Idolatry. Adam and Chava sinned in the same way. They wanted to be like Hashem and they ate from the  forbidden tree. They were exiled. It’s that same underlying reason why we were thrown out of Israel the first time as well. We didn’t fix what we were meant to.

 The second exile though is a little more subtle and that is with the sin of Kayin. He kills his brother when his sacrifice isn’t accepted. It’s sinas chinam- baseless hatred. Hevel didn’t do anything wrong. Kayin was upset, was jealous, was vengeful and he killed his brother and buried him in the ground. We were exiled from the second temple for that same reason. We fought, we had civil wars, we were jealous. We didn’t fix this sin the second time we returned to the land and much like Kayin we were exiled, but this time until today.

 But what does this have to do with yovel? Where is it mentioned. Get it yet? So here you go. Kayin is nervous that everyone that sees him will kill him. Hashem thus tells Kayin not to worry.

I promise, if anyone kills Kayin-, sevenfold vengeance shall be exacted.”  

Fascinatingly enough the Torah tells us to fast forward a few generations and we are then introduced to Kayin’s great great great grandson named Lemech who bears three sons. Their names? All of them? Yovel.

 Adah bore Yaval; he was the ancestor of those who dwell in tents and amidst herds.

And the name of his brother was Yuval; he was the ancestor of all who play the lyre and the pipe.

As for Zillah, she bore Tuval-Kayin, who forged all implements of copper and iron. And the sister of Tuval-cain was Naamah. ( Bereshit 4:20-23)

Hmmm. Three sons all with a yovel connection. But is it just a coincidence? Let’s look at it. Another name that interestingly is similar to yovel is in fact Hevel; the brother that Kayin killed. Hevel, as we know was a shepherd, a man of the tent. Just like Yaval- which is what the past tense of the word yovel would be. Maybe Lemech’s son is there to fix things.

 Tuval-Kayin is a man of copper and iron. Those are weapons possibly. Tools of destruction. Murder. “Tuval” a future and present term of the yovel root. Uh oh... is he back? And then we have the music festival son. Yuval; the future tense. The son that will bring us to the time of music, of peace, of harmony. That’s what lyres and pipes do. They combine the sounds and blend them harmoniously into a glorious song of creation redeemed.

 Now if you think I, or Rabbi Fohrman to be accurate, is pushing it with these connections, let’s see if there are any other yovel hints here. Well it certainly is interesting that Hashem tells Kayin that it will be a seven year- a shemitta year time frame that he will not be avenged. But it gets better. Because the next verses tell us that Lemech who is the 7th generation of the world kills someone as well. According to the Midrash his victim is in fact Kayin, whom he kills-albeit accidentally. When faced with the consequences of his action we are bizarrely introduced to the first song in the entire Torah. A strange song that Lemech composes and would you believe it? It mentions a shemitta and even a count similar to a yovel counting.

Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;

O wives of Lamech, give ear to my speech.
I have slain a person for wounding me,
And a lad for bruising me.

If Cain is avenged sevenfold,
Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold

 Shemitta is seven, Yovel is seven times seven. All of Lemech’s children which are the 7th generation from Kayin are called yovel type of names. Finally, Lemech himself after killing Kayin with the tools of his son Tuval Kayin- kind of like a hevel-kayin blend, says that he will be spared 7 times 70 times. Do you still think there’s no connection here? How about I give you one more just to close the deal.

 After this chapter and saga in the Torah it lists for us the generations that lead up to Noach. There we are introduced to Noach’s father, his name is Lemech as well. Do you know how long he lives? Ready for this? Seven hundred and seventy-seven years! By the way do you know what the gematria of the letters of Noach’s name is. Nun is 50- which of course is the yovel year, the year after all of the sevens. And “chet” as well is 8, again the number after seven. The nun and chet together are repeatedly found by Noach’s story. He finds chein- grace in the eyes of Hashem. He brings nechoma to the world, our sages tell us by inventing the plow. He’s a farmer that removes the cursed land of Kayin. Yet at the same time he doesn’t manage to fix it. The world had to be destroyed in his lifetime. It was filled with chamas. With violence and robbery. And thus it is destroyed with a flood or in Hebrew a mabul-  which as you can already see,  non-coincidentally, also shares the same “yovel”  root. It had to be redeemed.  

Noach’s wife, by the way was none other than Na’ama, the sister of Tuval Kayin. And guess how many kids Noach has? You got it! Three, just like Lemech’s three yovelach…There’s something going on here that seems to be foreshadowing and echoing the mitzva of yovel What’s it all about? What could its message be for us?

 Perhaps we can understand this by examining the interesting name of Lemech. If you play around with the letters of his name you will very easily see that is has the same letters as the word Melech- King. Lemech has a distorted king concept. In fact, in yiddish we call someone who is a shlemazel, a patsy, or a klutz a lemechel. He’s someone that just doesn’t get it. Hashem’s kingship over the world since the beginning of time, is meant to be revealed in the 7 days of Creation through Shabbos. It’s the day when the world is completed. We are told that if Adam and Chava would’ve made it to that first Shabbos without sinning, the world would’ve realized it’s ultimate redemption. But they sinned. They wanted to be the King of the world as well. They didn’t want to just be partners in Creation and revelation. They wanted to control it as well. They wanted a piece of the action.

 But the world doesn’t and can’t have two kings. On the fourth day of creation when Hashem creates the sun and the moon as equals, the midrash tells us the moon complained that they both can’t rule equally over time. Hashem thus minimizes the moon. It tells it to make itself smaller. When it does so it will realize that sun in fact really wasn’t a ruler. His job wasn’t to be a king. It’s to reveal that Hashem is the one King. He is beyond time and place. He is above Creation. He is the number 8 after the 7 physical material days of the world. He is the yovel, the fiftieth year, the Shabbos year of the redemption that comes after we observe the shemitta Shabbos years properly seven times.

 Adam and Chava miss that. They lose the redemption. They are exiled from before Hashem. They have to learn how to minimize themselves. To understand that there is only One King in the world. There is a Melech that they have to reveal from the land that they are exiled to. Although Adam and Chava might get that, their son Kayin doesn’t. He definitely knows Hashem is above. He even brings Him a sacrifice from his crops. But it is his crops in his mind. It’s what he planted and he grew. The land belongs to him, he just has to pay it off and give Hashem his cut. And frankly Hashem doesn’t really need anything so fancy either.

 Yet this is not what Hashem wants and He lets him know that. He doesn’t accept his sacrifice. He tells Kayin sin is lurking outside his door. It’s a mistake. The whole world and land is also Hashem’s. Kayin, though, can’t take this rebuke or message. He can’t make himself smaller. So he kills Hevel. He wants to be the only king in this world. Take out the competition. He thus needs a Shabbos to redeem himself. He needs to go through a cycle of creation, a shemitta, a Shabbos of recognizing there is only one king. He needs to realize that the land doesn’t serve him. It won’t respond to him. He will wander and wander until he realizes that Hashem is the owner of the land. He needs to learn that he is a mere guest and a partner in creation, but never a king.

 The seven generations pass and in the seventh generation, the yovel has come. All three of them embodied in the names of Lemech’s children. The world is at the turning point. But Lemech is still a distorted king. He wants so much to bring that yovel to the world. That geula, that redemption. He wants the world to sing the song of Hashem. Yuval is preparing his instruments. The song can be sung, but it doesn’t. There is still some Kayin left that he can’t get rid of. He hasn’t minimized himself ebough. He’s still not there in understanding that Hashem is really in charge of and determining everything. Any Kayin,  which is that little piece of ourselves that we feel we need to control and can’t let go of will ultimately lead to Chamas. A world where there is those that think we can have a Tuval- Kayin- a little Hevel mixed together with a little Kayin, will end in murder. It will require 70 times 7 to be redeemed now. The first song of the world is this song of the recognition of what happens when we don’t get it.

 The next Lemech though does get it. His son Noach is righteous. He walks with Hashem always. There is no him-and-god. Rather it’s Hashem, the King alone wherever Noach goes. Noach brings consolation to the land. He marries Na’ama the pleasant daughter of Lemech’s good intentions and brings that peace finally to the land. They have three sons, but unlike Lemech the First, these three sons describe Hashem’s world. The first is Shem and is the neshoma of the world.  Cham is the heat and passion that is dedicated to God. And Yefet- the beauty and splendor of a world run by Hashem. The soul, the passion and the body.  Noach though fails to inspire the world with that message. The land itself will never be able to bring the people back to Hashem. The homing signal was filled with Chamas. They destroyed it. They burned it down. The yovel didn’t come so the mabul did.

 The redemption of the world and return to Hashem will have to wait for Avraham. Avraham who saw what happened with the Tower of Bavel- another root word yovel distortion- and found Hashem. He taught Him to the world. It is his descendants 3000 years later today in Eretz Yisrael that are facing a world that is again filled with Chamas that we need to fight against and declare that there is only One King. That the land is His and He gave it to us. That we have no right to give it to anyone else, because it’s not ours to give. It’s His.

 Hashem gave us a Corona virus to show us that we have no control on the world it was followed by a Shemitta year, where we declared that the land as well was not ours. More people observed that Shemitta this year in Israel since the times of King Shlomo (as in the first Temple we are told they didn’t observe the laws, and in the second it wasn’t a biblical obligation). The year after Shemitta we received the blessing of Hashem and basked in that 8th year and now at the end of what may or not be a biblical yovel on Simchas Torah is our time to finally eradicate Hamas and its world supporters by telling and even sacrificing ourselves selflessly to state that there is only one King. And we are here to bring His name and His Kingship to the world.   

 The year of yovel and redemption is heralded in by the sound and blast of the shofar that should be “heard throughout the land”. Some commentaries even suggest that the name yovel comes from the Hebrew word yabava based on that. In the story of Kayin , where this all starts there is as well a sound that comes from the earth that cries out to Hashem. It’s the voice of the blood of our brother that has been spilled. It’s Hevel. It’s the yovel that wasn’t realized.

 Sadly 5784 later the blood of our brother is still crying out from the earth that is waiting for us to redeem it. That blood comes from our heart. Our lev. Lev as well is the root of yovel. It is the heart connected to the yud of Hashem and the vov reaching out to connect to us. It is the gematria of the 32 days of the Omer which is this Shabbos and the 16 days that follow Lag Ba’Omer until that revelation on Sinai on Shavuot. May we soon hear that sound of the Shofar of redemption that will return our heart to Him and may He finally bring freedom and redemption to the land.

 Have a restful Shabbos and flamin’ Lag Ba’Omer,

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

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CHIZUK/TZEDAKA OPPORTUNITY OF THE WEEK

Beit Binyamin: Healing A Nation, One Retreat At A Time - On November 18th of last year, we stood out in the rain with Rob and Jen, paying tribute to Binyamin, Hy’d. We couldn’t really believe it had happened to our friends. We did our best to support them, and the Airleys were and continue to be a symbol of strength. And now, they’re taking their experience and using it to heal others.

Since the war began, Jews around the world have shown their true colors.  Words and prayers (and donations) were quick to come to help the war effort.  The outpouring of kindness was palpable.  Everyone found their own way to help.

The Jews in Israel, however, saw another side of the story.  A nation was wounded—millions of people, each in their own way—and those wounds are still bleeding. The Airley family’s experience was a local microcosm that allowed us all to better understand the national issue.

 Beyond the death toll and wounded soldiers, deep emotional scars have torn through the Jewish Nation. Soldiers, Zaka members, and entire communities are trying to find relief from the emotional pain and trauma of the war.

 Beit Binyamin was established by the Airleys in memory of their dear son Hy’d to begin to heal the nation.  And you can be a part of that healing. Perched in the mountains of Tzfat’s majestic old city, surrounded by breathtaking views of the Galil, Beit Binyamin hosts group retreats designed to rejuvenate and recover.  Every detail is taken care of – restful sleeping conditions, top-quality food, and, most of all, custom-made activities to provide recovery and strength to keep moving forward.

  A division of Golani soldiers came down from the Lebanon border for a day. We treated them to a BBQ, music, a therapeutic art workshop, a tour of Tzfat, and a relaxing spa treatment. They left invigorated, able to return to the front lines.  We’re actively reaching out to more groups.  Beit Binyamin will be a home for all those directly affected by the war, whether it be soldiers, families of fallen soldiers, or our unbelievable Zaka workers/medics who saw the most painful sites and desperately need a respite to heal their emotional wounds.

  We feel privileged to be doing this work and want to share this with our friends, family, and the entire Am Yisrael. Our success relies in an essential way on your partnership.

 Because of you, people with questions can find inspiration and a listening ear.

Because of you, children can gain the strength they need to keep on being children.

Because of you, pride can overcome fear.

 We mourned with the Airleys, and now, we need to be part of their legacy. Please join us in our campaign to build Beit Binyamin.

 and in English

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkYAyML9Izo&t=1s

 And here’s the link to donate                

 DONATE TO THE CAMPAIGN

https://causematch.com/BeitBinyamin/donate/

 YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

" Azoy lang der mentsh lebt iz im di gantse velt tsu kleyn; nokhn toyt iz im der keyver genug..” - As long as a man lives, the entire world is too small for him; after death, the grave is big enough.         

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

7. The Crusader order which built the Montfort Castle is the _____ order?

Why are some parts of the Old City of Akko named after Italian cities?

A) Because Italian knights established the Second Crusader Kingdom of

Jerusalem, which had Akko as its capital.

B). Because the urban planning of Akko was similar to Italian cities.

C). Because this was the compensation given to the Italian maritime communes

for their help in conquering the city.

D) Because Italian cities dominated the sugar trade in Akko during theCrusader period.

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/rebbi-shimon-bar-yochaiIn honor of Lag Ba’Omer my hartzig and incredible Rebbi Shimon Bar Yochai arranged and sung by the best! Dovid Lowy!!.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFXvld6ukjQ  Been missing this song? Am Yisrael Chai Acapella version..

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZHjFjzVDK0  Reb Shlomo Carlebach on Lag Ba”omer

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cbp1_IvoIs&list=PLa2PLAu-jBUtmXMXG4MhQ1vjANJNu6iAm -Joey Newcomb Tantz with Rashbi

 RABBI SCHWARTZ’S PARSHA PRAYER INSPIRATION OF THE WEEK

 The Rashbi’s Shabbos prayer- Lag Ba’Omer is here and it’s time to connect with the Rebbi Shimon Bar Yochai, whose yartzeit and celebration is this Sunday, and what better way then with a better appreciation of our prayers and an incredible insight I saw from the Shvilei Pinchas on Rebbi Shimon’s power of prayer.

 The Talmud tells us that when Rebbi Shimon left the cave that he was hiding from the Romans for 13 years he made a statement that he could free the entire world from the attribute of Divine judgement that may be upon us. The Pnai Yehoshua writes that we find that the ability to remove a judgement by Moshe Rabbeinu who was not successful in achieving this for himself when it was decreed that he couldn’t enter the land. The Midrash tells us that when Moshe tells the Jewish people that he beseeched Hashem with the words Va’Eschanan- that he davened 515 prayers and Hashem made him stop. For if he would’ve prayed 516 then he would’ve been successful. The 515 number which is the gematria of the word va’eschanan is one short of 516 which is 6 times the name Elokim- which is Hashem’s attribute of judgement- din. One more prayer and he could’ve taken overcome that judgement.

 The six names of Elokim and judgement correspond to the six days of creation where it is mentioned in the first day of Creation 6 times. Hashem started off Creation with the middah of din. It was only on the seventh day of Shabbos that the name of Hashem which represent the mercy of Hashem first pops up. Shabbos is rachamim that overtakes and softens the judgement. On Shabbos we good Jews that daven nusach sefard recite the Aramaic prayer of K’gavna which tells us that all the middas hadin goes away when Shabbos enters. The wicked are not punished in gehenom on this day. It is the time of mercy. It is as well why on Shabbos when we make Kiddush we begin strangely with a half a pasuk

 Yom Ha’Shishi Va’yichulu Ha’Shamayim. The 6th day and the heavens were completed.

 The first two words Yom Ha’Shishi are from the previous pasuk. Yet the Ram”a writes that we recite it because the first letters are an acronym of Hashem’s name of mercy Yud and hei and vav and hei. Shabbos comes mercy takes over.

 As well the ARI”zl writes that this explains why- again in nusach sefard- during the week we have the custom to start off pesukei d’zimra with Psalm 67 of

Lamnatzayach b’niginos mizmor shir which contains the name of Elokim 6 times in it. (It’s as well the psalm that we recite, after we bless the counting of the Omer).

On Shabbos though we don’t recite that Psalm but instead recite Psalm 19

 Lamnatzayach Mizmor l’dovid Hashamayim Misparim. Because that Psalm ahs the name of Hashem in the form of His attribute of mercy in it instead six times.

 Pretty cool isn’t it? Bet you never knew that…

 Here’s one more cool one from the Ari”Zl, Hey it’s a mystical week.. The Ari writes that when someone dies we recite Kaddish which begins with the words

Yisgadel Vi’Yiskadash Shemei Rabbai, Guess what the first letters of each of those first words Yud, Vav, Shin and Reish equal 515. We recite Kaddish so Hashem will remove His judgement from the deceased!

 Now what does this have to do with Rebbi Shimon. Well our sages tell us Rebbi Yehuda would call Rebbi Shimon by the nickname Shabbos. For just as Shabbos is holy for Hashem so to is Rebbi Shimon. As well the Shvilei Pinchas suggests that what distinguishes the Shabbos is that we are meant to work for six days. We don’t see Hashem and the blessing. We feel it comes from our own hands. Shabbos though is when we stop and we see Hashem and His mercy. Rebbi Shimon spent 13 years in a cave and he didn’t work and was just provided for by Hashem. In fact the Talmud tells us that he argued with Rebbi Yishmael- (in my great song that you can listen to the composition above) that if a person is working all the time they will never have time for Torah and therefore he should always be learning and Hashem will take care of his work through others. So that being the case we now can understand how Rebbi Shimon could say that he could remove the judgement from Klal Yisrael. He’s Shabbos.

 Shabbos our prayers are that have the power of mercy to overcome the harshest judgement. May this Shabbos the merit of Rebbi Shimon finally bring the day that is entirely Shabbos!

 RABBI SCHWARTZ'S ERA’S AND THEIR PLACES AND PEOPLE IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK

(in honor of Lag Ba’Omer this year and particularly without Meron happening, we’ll break from our usual chronology to the place and person of Rebbi Shimon- shhh I also had a real busy week 😊)

Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (160 CE)– The most quoted Rabbi in the Talmud without a chapter that doesn’t mention his name, Rebbi Shimon remains perhaps the most famous of and certainly the most connected to of all of the Mishna period Rabbis. He is the only person in the history of the Jewish people whose yartzeit became a national religious holiday with hundreds of thousands making their pilgrimage to his grave in Meron. I discuss Rebbi Shimon with my tourists and connect with him many places in Israel. When I am in ancient Roman cities, like Tzippori, Beit She’an and even Jerusalem by the Cardo, I mention Rebbi Shimon’s controversial opinion that he stated how these roads and markets were built in Israel by the Romans just to bring licentiousness and for their own financial gain. These public statements of his got him into trouble where he had to flee to Peki’in and hide in the cave that I take people to see there. The spring and Carob tree that sustained him as he hid for 13 years with his son are still there. When he came out he could barely move and he was taken to the hot springs in Tiverya to be healed. Afterwards he wanted to express his appreciation and he purified the city, by identifying all the graves that were scattered throughout by the earthquakes that had devastated it.

 Rav Shimon was most known for his revelation of the “hidden secrets” of the Torah”. Much of his works of Kaballa what is known as the “Idra”- the granary where Rebbi Shimon studied with 7 of his students the deepest secrets of the Torah, was written in the hills and caves in the mountains of the upper Galile on many a jeep ride I stop and we pray over there as well. And of course finally I take people to Meron where we talk about the great light the Zohar that was revealed on the day that he died.

 RABBI SCHWARTZ'S RAISI / IRAN HELICOPTER MEME JOKES OF THE WEEK

UNITED NATIONS PRESS RELEASE: We condemn the actions of Israeli Mossad Agent Eli Kopter and his Mossad handler Kareesh Landeeng…                                                        

Jewish people continuing our long tradition… Is it Eli Kopter or Eli Copter

Great T-shirt to get your Iranian friend or your Free Palestine one- “Helicopter rides are fun until “I slam” into mountains

 Israelis new favorite chocolate “Raisi’s pieces”

 New conspiracy theory- They just found in Rai’si’s E-mail that said “I have information that could lead to the arrest and convict Hillary Clinton”

 Iranian helicopters have a higher kill rate then their ballistic missiles

 Iran’s president’s plane crashes due to extreme weather conditions, right after Israel’s Eurovision song “hurricane” coincidence?

BREAKING NEWS TWEET- Ibrahim Raisi updated his pronouns to was/were

 Israel’s head of the Mossad has issued an official statement that he had no knowledge of anything that happened or didn’t happen. He left at  5:00 PM

A helicopter carrying passengers suddenly loses engine power and the aircraft begins to descend

The pilot safely performs an emergency landing in water, and tells the passengers to remain seated and to keep the doors closed, stating that in emergency situations, the aircraft is designed to stay afloat for 30 minutes, giving rescuers time to get to them. Just then a man gets out if his seat and runs over to open the door.

The pilots screams at him, "Didn't you hear what I said, the aircraft is designed to stay afloat as long as the doors remain closed?!!!"

"Of course I heard you", the man replied, "but it's also designed to fly, and look how good that one worked out!!!"

 Ra’aisi’s pilot, Achmed, wanted to learn how to fly a plane, so he goes to the flight school and asks one of the instructors to help him. He looks at him and says " All of our planes are taken right now, but we do have this helicopter you could learn to fly. "

Achmed accepts and they go off to the helicopter. The instructor teaches him about all the buttons and knobs, all the levers and pedals, and he's ready to fly. The instructor tells the man that he is to fly to 5 thousand feet up then and come back down to the ground, and lets him know he will be checking on her every 1000 feet to see how she's doing. He lifts off and before long she's at 1000 feet; " How's it going?" The instructor radios in.

"Fine" he says.

2000 feet came quickly afterwards; "Status ?" asks the instructor.

"Everything is A-ok!" says the Achmed.

3000 feet went by well from what he could see, and right at 4000 feet the helicopter falls out of the sky! The helicopter crashes into the ground and miraculously the pilot survives the crash.

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" yells the instructor.

Achmed says, "Well, at 1 thousand and 2 thousand feet everything was going great!.

Then came 3 thousand feet and I started feeling a little uncomfortable, and once I got to 4000 feet it got *really* cold, so I turned off the big Fan!"

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 The answer to this week”s question is C– OK so got this one half wrong, or half right depending on how you look at it. I wasn’t sure which Crusader Order it was. To be honest I really don’t care about which order these mamzer murdering Crusaders which killed out about 30% of the Jewish population of Europe- mostly during this period of Sefirat Ha’Omer- as most of the Crusades were between Pesach and Shavuot. In fact that’s why we say Av HaRachamim which was written about the Crusades even on Shabbos that we bentch Rosh Chodesh during this period. So it doesn’t really matter which one it was. I guessed Hospitalliers, but it was Teutonic. Oh well.. Germans instead of French Crusaders- same garbage. I got the second part right though. The different Akko Italian quarters were given to Venice and Pisa and others in exchange for their help in providing Maritime military assistance in their conquest and defense of the city.  So half right half wrong and the score is now.  Rabbi Schwartz 5.5 and Ministry of Tourism 1.5 on this exam so far.

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