from the
Holy Land
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend in Karmiel"
August 23rd 2024 -Volume 13 Issue 44 19th of Av 5784
Parshat Ekev
Reverse Psychology
Ok. It’s time for some reverse psychology here. It seems that is the only tactic that I haven’t tried yet. But I think that is what finally might work. See, as you loyal readers know, I was pretty sure Mashiach would be here by now. He should’ve came Chanuka or Purim. Both are great appropriate holidays of miracles. Pesach, I had no doubt he was coming as it was the holiday of redemption. I was sure I would open my door for Eliyahu and he would be here. He wasn’t….
Next was Lag Ba’omer, with the merits of Reb Shimon bar Yochai. For sure the holiday of Shavuos when Hashem has His big revelation. Maybe Yom Ha’Atzamaut, Yom Yerushalayim both pretty appropriate days that perhaps it was time all of Klal Yisrael should be celebrating already with the final salvation and that “beginning of the redemption” finally coming to the conclusion. How cool would that have been with the Beit Ha’Mikdash on top of the Har Ha’Bayit that was already somewhat bi’yadeinu. But nisht… It didn’t happen.
The past month and half I have been getting more desperate. The months of mourning of Tamuz and Av were the months it would happen on. They would be turned to days of rejoicing as the prophets foretold. This stinking war would finally be over. We would finally have unity. We would finally destroy Amalek. All the Jews in America would get out on the wings of eagles before the goyim killed them all there. And once again, we sat on the floor and recited Kinnos and it was same-old bloody war same-old. We’re still here and no shofar blasts in the distance. Mashiach ain’t here.
The last holiday before the High holidays and Rosh Hashana which is the start of next year was Tu B’Av this past week. It was the last chance. Maybe… maybe… maybe… Nope. It didn’t happen either. So now it’s over. This Sunday is 11 months since 10/7 and there will be many azkarot for those that were killed on Simchat Torah, as their family members will conclude saying Kadish for them. 11 months, and he hasn’t come, and I finally realized why… It’s because Hashem likes to do the opposite of what I think and say He should do. He gets a kick out of showing me up each week to be the false prophet that I am. I get it. It’s fun. I like to do that to other people as well, particularly to big Rabbis. So I have to change tactics a bit. It’s time for some reverse psychology here.
So here’s the new platform, the new strategy to bring Mashiach. From here on in, the new game plan is to tell you all that we don’t really want Mashiach. Things are good here. We’re really fine. We have Bibi Netanyahu. We have great soldiers and an army. The truth is I like my shul in Karmiel and it’s a pain to shlep to Jerusalem to bring sacrifices. The Golden Pimple on the Temple Mount is actually not that ugly. It looks nice there. We really have a great life and thanks Hashem, but You really don’t have to make Yourself crazy killing out our enemies, getting back our hostages and bringing all the Jews on wings of eagles here to Israel. We’re all good.
See even the Jews over there in America are pretty fine, as well. Trump will take care of them. Even if Kamala wins, it’s still better over there. You know that they don’t really want to come. They have great yeshivos, good neighbors, meatboards, backyards and frankly none of them are really are that into the whole “Milk and Honey” thing. They’d rather have flayshigs. Pastrami and Corned beef are better there. So really, Mashiach is doing important stuff, from what I hear. Changing the bandages of lepers and everything in a cemetery or something like that. Let him be. We’re good. Keep Your redemption. We’re good as we are.
I know I have to work on this a little bit more. It’s not yet that convincing yet. But who knows? It’s time to change tactics. Achdus didn’t work. Prayers, Torah, chesed, kabbalos, stopping talking during davening, throwing out smartphones… and we’re still here. The hostages are still there. The soldiers are still getting killed. It’s time to change tactics. Who else is in? What do you think of the new plan?
Now the truth is as I was reviewing the parsha this week, I noticed something that I really never did before. As all the parshiyot this year and particularly this book of Devarim, when we are literally at the point of the last few months before we first entered the land, I find that there are messages and lessons that are literally screaming at us today. They were written 3000 years ago, but they are the Mussar of Moshe Rabbeinu for the generation that is meant to enter the land. The nation that is meant to enter eternally and never leave and never get thrown out as they build the final ultimate Home of Hashem that will last forever. That generation my friends is us. It wasn’t the ones Moshe was speaking to then. They didn’t last long. Not even a half a millenia, which is really nothing in the big picture of infinity and eternity. No, Moshe is speaking to us. He’s speaking now in this final year of redemption and He’s telling our generation the important things we need to know to close the deal. Reverse psychology, incidentally, is not one of them.
It’s really fascinating as one examines this last long speech of Moshe to the nation, and to us, as he recalls to them the events of the past 40 years in the wilderness. There are things that he mentions and others that he doesn’t. There are some that he adds some insights nuances that we never heard before. Perhaps most telling is the order that he puts things in, particularly when they seem to contradict stories we had in the past. We find this in the story of the spies, the giving of the Tablets, the golden calf and the Korach story (which he pretty much attributes to Dasan and Aviram in this week’s parsha) and all the sins he rebukes us about that we fell to in the wilderness. What stood out to me in this week’s parsha though was not in the long history for which most of that generation didn’t witness, as the old generation had died. Rather it’s his recollection of the events that took place pretty much the last few months before this speech, which seemingly should’ve been fresh in all their minds.
The parsha tells us right after Moshe repeats the story of the golden calf of Aharon’s death 40 years later although he juxtaposes them, which in itself is strange. The commentaries and chazal suggest this is to show that the death of the righteous is like the breaking of the tablets. Yet there seems to be more there than that. For in that description Moshe seems to get some facts wrong. The pasuk tells us
“And the children of Israel traveled from Be’erot Bnai Ya’akon to Mosera and there Aharon died and was buried and Elazar his son became the Kohen in his place. From there they traveled to Gudgoda and from Gudgoda to Yatvata a land with springs of water. At that time Hashem separated the tribe of Levi to carry the Ark of the covenant before Hashem, to serve Him and to bless in His name until today.” (Devarim 10:6-8)
There are quite a few problems and perplexing things about this little speech. Some fact-checking is in order, Rashi notes. See, from what I remember Aharon was buried on Hor Ha’Hor not Mosera. As well in Maasey the directions seem to be going the other way. They went from Mosera to Be’erot which is North, rather than back down South. Gudgoda and Yotveta are even further South and again it seems to be the opposite direction that is described that they traveled in Masey. If you’re a tour guide, you’d get this. Something is off here. As well what’s all this about the springs of water? Who cares? This is not ancient history, remember this just happened a few months before this speech. Aharon having died on Rosh Chodesh Av of this last year and they’re standing there hearing this speech from the month of Shevat a half year later.
So our sages in the Yerushalmi, along with the Targum Yonasan and Rashi all tell us a backstory that many don’t pay much attention to. It seems that right before we entered the land of Israel after the death of Aharon a lot of things happened. The King of Canaan (or Amalek) attack us and take hostage(s?). We wipe out Midyan- which is incredible to think about as we were at the time standing at the doorway of Israel by the Jordan River and then headed all the way over to Saudi Arabia to wipe them out. But as well the Midrash tells us that the people fell apart after Aharon’s death. They turned around and headed back to Mitzrayim. It seems that there were no more Clouds of Glory guiding the way and the nation decided “the heck with it”. Let’s go back to Egypt. We don’t need Mashiach. We’d rather stay in galus. And they headed from Hor Ha’Hor all the way back 8 different camp spots that they camped at before on the way back to Egypt.
Now I imagine this process didn’t happen overnight. We’re probably talking a few weeks or month or two. So to put that in perspective, here we are in the month of Av, Aharon dies, and we spend the next few weeks heading back to Egypt. Renouncing our Promised Land, literally minutes before we’re supposed to enter and instead heading backwards. What happened to us? This, by the way, isn’t even a generation that saw Egypt. All those guys died. What’s going on.
To make this story even worse. The tribe of Levi goes running after the families that head back and kill out 8 entire family clans there. The tribes in turn kill out four families of Levi. It’s a civil war. Mashiach is right around the corner. We’re about to enter and build a Bais Ha’Mikdash and we ‘Chosen Nation” of Hashem is busy protesting, retreating, fighting, killing one another and everything is falling apart. Now are you beginning to understand who this is talking to? What makes this even more perplexing and aggravating is that this is really right after we miraculously wiped out Og and Sichon and the King of Canaan and all the heavy hitters in the Middle East. So what’s going on?
Saadia Gaon, has a brilliant and unique insight into this entire story. His reading of this story is perhaps even most relevant to us today. You see as we know it was in the merit of Aharon Ha’Kohen that we had the protective Clouds of Glory. It wasn’t merely that he was a big tzadik, it was that he was the inspiration of the love and unity of the Jewish people. He was ohev shalom and rodef shalom- he brought peace between all Jews. He was the unifying force that all felt connected to and loved by. That unity brought the Clouds of Glory. We were all one and thus Hashem’s presence surrounded us. We’re all in one big Sukkah. When Aharon died that ended. The Clouds of Glory disappeared and they were replaced by clouds of strife, fighting and jealousy. The finger pointing started.
The Gaon writes that there were two factions in Klal Yisrael that divided. There were the holy spiritual ones the ones that were from the camps of “Mosera” or Mussar ethics who preferred to live separate from the rest of Israel in their Gudgoda- their separate agudot- or groups. And then there was the other tribes that preferred Be’erot- the wells, the springs the Yotvata- the “good” fun stuff. The lands of streams. He writes that this division started after the sin of the golden calf. It’s then when they separated. It’s really then already that they “buried” Aharon and his loving ways in a spiritual sense. It’s spiritual division and journey back then forty years prior that Moshe is talking about. It’s why the Torah and Moshe says it started at that time.
It started when the tribe of Levi went out and answered the call of Moshe and wiped out the three thousand calf worshippers and it continued throughout the desert. Moshe tells us he prayed for us and Aharon stayed alive and his spark held us for another 40 years, yet with his death it all fell apart again. The Clouds of Glory we’re gone. Hostages were taken. We resented the tribe of Levi that just wanted spirituality and didn’t want to serve in the army. We just wanted to go back to Egypt. We didn’t need a holy land. Sure there are beautiful springs and great Falafel and Shwarma stores in Israel, but we’ve got Yotvata, Be’erot and Lakewood and Boro Park.
The tribe of Levi as well resented us non-inspired Jews. They knew and understood that we all needed to come into the land, because if we didn’t they couldn’t get their Bais Ha’Mikdash either. But rather than be mekarev us, they came with swords and protests and screams and names and killed 8 families. And we killed them. The story went back to the Golden Calf but this time it was worse. We just don’t get it… We don’t understand that the death of Aharon, the death of that Achdus and Shalom that he brought amongst the people is just as bad as worshipping a golden calf. That it’s worth breaking the tablets of the ten commandments over. That the Shechina can’t come down and we can’t build a Bais Ha’Mikdash and conquer and settle the land and be successful in wiping out our enemies unless we’re all united. Unless we’re all in. We all love each other. We all see the spark in one another. Until we are “all in” and ready to move to Israel and finally get farkakteh Egypt and its Prime Grill out of our head. Unless the spirit of Aharon will rest amongst the people. That’s the message of Moshe. It’s the message of Mashiach.
Moshe concludes this part of the speech with the aftermath of this story and perhaps the message for us frum Jews, who when it comes to staying in Kollel and not getting a job or serving in the army like to call ourselves “the tribe of Levi”. He tells us that this tribe was then chosen and separated to carry that Torah; that Ark of Hashem. Yup… that’s us… And then to serve Hashem… Yup that’s us too… and then to bless the people. To bless them with love. To uplift them. To care for them. And best of all to renounce any claim to any portion in the land of Israel. No Jerusalem Estates, No Shneller, No fancy mansions. No income. Just going around and teaching and loving and uniting. And bringing the clouds of glory of protection with our prayer, our Torah that only works if they are on behalf of the unification of the nation. They are for our “brothers”. They are our full-time jobs. Everything we do is for them. How do we do that? Moshe then continues…
“And I then stood at the mountain (after that sin of the golden calf) for forty days and forty nights like the first time.” (ibid 10)
Forgiveness wasn’t enough for Moshe, neither was a promise that Hashem wouldn’t destroy us. He started Rosh Chodesh Elul to take it up another notch. He wanted unity. He wanted Shechina. He wanted Hashem to be amongst us. So he didn’t eat and he didn’t drink and he fasted. He cared for the Jewish people. He cried. These terrible sinners of the golden calf who renounced Hashem, Moshe gave them his all. And Hashem heard his prayers. That’s the avoda that we need before we come into the land. That’s what Hashem responded to Moshe
“Arise and travel before the nation and they will come and inherit the land that I swore to the forefathers to give them” (ibid 11).
It’s time for some reverse psychology rabbosai. It’s time for us to reverse our thinking. To think about where we live and we’re were supposed to live differently and how we need to get there. To think about the “sinners” amongst us differently. To reverse so much of what our thinking has been about what it really needs to take and how far we need to get to where we need to get to. It’s not just improving. It’s thinking in reverse. It’s turning around our conceptions. It’s becoming aligned with what He really wants.
Hashem doesn’t need a holiday to redeem us on. He was ready 3000 years ago already. Eluuulllll is coming. Moshe’s up there on the mountain waiting of us to stop running away from him. From Him… The spirit of Aharon is awakened. Enough with the killing of one another. Enough with retreating to Mitzrayim… We’ve had a whole year of holidays and we’re in the final stretch. The speech of Moshe is almost over. It’s almost realized. Next week is Parshat Re’eh- may it be the parsha when we already see the blessing and the redemption.
Have a horrible Shabbos- reverse psychology of course😊
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
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YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK
" Mehr krechts und mehr geyt veyter.- I complain and I keep going..
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK
answer below at end of Email
19.The Roman emperor during the Bar Kokhba Revolt was______.
Which church was inaugurated by Kaiser Wilhelm II during his visit to the
Land of Israel?
A. Augustus Victoria
B. Church of the Redeemer
C. Dormition Abbey
D. Immanuel Church
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaqJSx2EzHw – Bardak’s Big Vaaction…. Yup..
https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/kum – My classic summer Hiking composition arranged and sung by Dovid Lowy… Kum Kum!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiDO-DGadBY – My buddy Nissim Blacks latest song Glory!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3Fd--IxIrY – Benny Friedman and Baruch Levine Yearrning for Yerushalayim medley amazing…
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S PARSHA PRAYER INSPIRATION OF THE WEEK
Biblical Blessing Bentching! – Although this column is dedicated to becoming more inspired by our prayer and we’ve been focusing on the daily prayers we say, there is only one blessing that is biblical in nature that we can make everyday and its source is our parsha. The Torah tells us how when we come into Israel we will find houses full of all good and fields and great things and we will eat and be satisfied and then we should bentch. We need to thank Hashem for that good that we experience. The Chasid Ya’avetz writes that many mitzvos have more mazal then others. Purim, Pesach, mixing milk and meat, people are very careful and go to extremes to make sure to not violate them or celebrate them properly. Other mitzvos? Not so much… They are mitzvos that get squished under our heels, our Ekev, the title of this week’s parsha. Bentching after we eat is one of them. We eat and then quickly bentch and leave. Even as we’re bentching we’re busy with other things and distractions. The Shulchan Aruch notes that bentching is not merely a blessing but it is in fact a prayer on the same level of the recitation of Shemona Esrei, where one is prohibited to interrupt out of fear of danger or honor someone. The Mishna Berura notes that it’s even more restrictive then Shema which could be recited while walking around, while bentching one needs to be in same spot. And yet, its something we take for granted.
There’s a fascinating idea that is particularly significant in these times that is mentioned by the name Meshech Chochma and the Imrei Emes. They note that the biblical obligation to bentch, the Torah tells us, is only when one is satiated. Although we bentch even after a small olive sized amount of bread. As well the obligation is only as long as we are still satisfied from the meal, which is generally only 72 minutes from when we ate. They ask why is it only in this scenario? Shouldn’t we thank Hashem even biblically for any amount that we eat? Furthermore, why is there a time limit on that obligation to thank Hashem? As long as we didn’t say thank you, isn’t that obligation outstanding?
They answer that the reason is because, as the next verses tell us, it is that sense of satisfaction and satiation that is a most dangerous for our souls and our faith. When everything is going great we forget Hashem. We think it’s coming to us. We deserve a good meal. He made us, He should feed us. We worked hard to make this meal. It’s at that point while that feeling of satiation overcomes us and threatens to make us forget Hashem that we need to bless Him and recognize His Hand and kindness. bentching after we eat is our insurance policy that we always recognize the source of the good that we receive. It’s what prevents us from forgetting Him. It stops us from thinking that it’s our own might that puts food on our table. That will win us wars. That will bring us to the Blessed promised land and rebuild the Bais Ha’Mikdash.
If there was ever a message that we needed during this war to internalize it should be this one. Hashem has brought us to the land. Yet our purpose here is to reveal Hashem to the world and and to build His home. In order to do that we need to not forget and focus on where it all comes from and what it’s all about. Our ancestors for millenia bentched after their meals and dreamt of being able to taste and experience the fruits and good of the land that we are privileged to experience. They are sitting in Shamayim looking down upon us and getting nachas that their descendants are realizing their dreams. Let’s make those blessings count for them and with those blessings the building of our Temple.
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S ERA’S AND THEIR PLACES AND PEOPLE IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK
Menashe 697 BC -He is the longest reigning king of Israel. For 55 years he ruled our nation. As well, being the king that followed the devastating defeat and exile of the Northern Kingdom of Israel that affected the nation with much trauma besides the economic fallout, he was charged with rebuilding the country. In that regard Menashe was certainly one of the most remarkable kings. He developed relations with Assyria. He built up the maritime trade and he exported olive oil around the world. Just as Shlomo Ha’Melech who also took reign at age 12, Menashe, Shlomo’s descendant, built up Israel and brough an end to warring an fighting. But that’s where the similarities end.
Menashe the verses tell us was the most evil of the kings of Yehuda. That’s not an easy title in our sorry history of the kingship in the 2nd Temple. There’s a lot of competition. He did things no other king before him did. We had idol worship prior to Menashe, yet he that idol worship always was in addition to the service of Hashem. He pretty much moved the people to a new level of the abandonment of the service of Hashem, even extinguishing the fires of the altar and replacing it with a huge idol. According to the Talmud he brought back and even himself sacrificed his own children to the Molech child worship god. He had relations with his own sister. He built temples and ashera trees over the land. All the spiritual revolution that his father Chizkiya and his grandfather Yeshaya brought to the land he turned back the clock on. According to one midrash he even had his own grandfather the great prophet Yeshaya killed. He was as bad as it got. We fell from being the almost messianic generation of Chizkiya and it’s miracles to the lowest of the low in a few decades. The destruction of the temple and the prophets Yoel, Chabakuk and Nachum who foresaw this we will discuss in in the coming weeks, yet just as Achav had an end story that turned things around Menashe perhaps did as well. It’s not for naught, he had the longest reign… Let’s learn about it next week.
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S REVERSE PSYCHOLOGY JOKES OF THE WEEK
The best way to find an answer to the question on the internet isn't to ask it. It's actually to post a wrong answer to the question and have people correct you.
"I thought reverse psychology was when you made your therapist cry."
"You know women hate when you tell them, "Calm down." So now when she yells at me I just go, "Love your energy."
"I told my wife she needs to embrace her mistake. So she gave me a hug."
"I’m writing a book about reverse psychology. Please don’t buy it!"
Sometimes you will have good moments with your parents where you think you can share anything with them. Don't. It's a trap.
"My therapist refused to help me with my fear of backing up my car. She said she would under no circumstances perform reverse psychology."
How do you get her to finally decide what she wants to eat?
Just tell her that for dinner she can choose anything she wants except Mexican food.
Grandma" "You need to eat 4 more bites since you're 4 years."
Me: "But I'm 5!"
Grandma: "Oh, well I don't think you can eat that much."
Me: *eats 5 bites to prove her wrong.*
The best way to get your husband to do something is to suggest that perhaps they are too old to do it.
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The answer to this week”s question is B- Kind of feel like this is the war here in Israel here where I get one week wrong and one week right or back and forth 50/50s on this exam. So last week got it wrong this week is all right. The first part was easy, the Bar Kochva revolt was against Hadrian who put it down and wiped out Rabbi Akiva’s army. The second part as well I got right. Not that I know or care about Christian stuff too much. But those three ugly desecrating towers that one can see from all over the surrounding area where I point out the Temple Mount from include the Church of the Redeemer, the correct answer to this question, that was built under Kaiser Wilhelm, and Augusta Victoria, so it was a tricky question. Yet the church was the reason he came and the inauguration of it and only then did he commission Augusta Victoria afterwards… How I remember that I don’t know… But anyways got it right so the new score is Rabbi Schwartz 12 and Ministry of Tourism 7 on this exam so far.
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