Insights and Inspiration from the Holy Land from Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz "Your friend in Karmiel" June 31st 2026 -Volume 16 Issue 39 17th of Av 5786 Parshat Eikev Some Things Don't Change and Need To
Click here below for print edition (Weekly Newsletter - Parshat Eikev ) It was 97 years ago this Shabbos. "We thought they were our friends" is what they testimonies all say. We would go to their weddings, they came to ours. The Gerrer Rebbi came to Israel and he was impressed with the incredible relations the Jews of Chevron had with their neighbors. The Slobodka Yeshiva was flourishing. There were students from America that were studying there. Sure there was noise from Jerusalem. The Zionists were starting up with the Waqf and trying to put up a mechitza by the Kotel to daven and the Arabs weren't too happy. But that's just radicalism. Here we live in peace. Here we get along with them. It's a new era. Torah will protect us. We just wish those radicals would be quiet already and let us stay here in galus in Israel and study Torah like we did in Europe. Let us grow our crops on the fields of our ancestors. And continue to sit on the floor on Tisha B'Av and mourn the destruction and exile we're still experiencing. In fact, Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank, whose own nephew, the Slonim family who were the leaders and founders of the community, and were descendants of the granddaughter of the Baal Ha'Tanya, Menucha Rochel, were killed in that massacre that Shabbos. The story the family retells is how broken he was afterwards because a wealthy American father was concerned about sending his son to the yeshiva there and Rav Tzvi Pesach assured him he had nothing to worry about. That bachur was killed along with 23 other bochrim, that black Shabbos as the Arabs rioted pillaged burned and raped our country in what was always until 3 years ago considered the worst massacre and pogrom to take place in our country. 133 Jews were killed 339 wounded and the country was changed. This Shabbos 97 years ago. The Black Shabbos of Eikev. Today those numbers seem small. There were more that were killed and kidnapped from Kfar Aza alone on Tisha B'Av. There was almost ten times as many in the following days that were killed. Yet, back then the population of Israel was 150,000. The number killed was .1% whereas our population in 2024 was close to 6.5 million and the death and tragedy was not even .015 percent. Yet, the message and lesson hadn't changed in close to a century. It never changes. It's the earliest lesson and perhaps the only message that is more emphasized than any other lesson and message Hashem and Moshe repeatedly tell us. The nations in the land will hate you and kill you. They're not your friends. They will never be your friends. Your job is to finish them off. Your job is to build a Bais Ha'Mikdash. Your job is to wage war against them. Chazak V'Ematz, Chazak V'Ematz Chazak V'Ematz. No other message is repeated so many times that Hashem tells us that we need to be careful and have strength to carry out. Don't stop short. Don't get lulled into a quiet peaceful ceasefire. Don't think that they will ever give up the land and allow you to remain that way. As long as I don't have my home, Hashem says, you're not going to have peace and quiet in yours either. The week of the massacre followed, Shabbas Nachamu, as it does this year. It follows as it does every year the holiday of Tu B'Av, the 15th of Av. It's the parsha of Eikev every year as well. The Talmud tells us that from Tu B'Av and on the nights become longer. U'dlo mosif- He who does not increase, does not gather, does not add to the light. Yasif- he will be gathered in, or as Rabbi Yosef explains, his mother will bury him. He will die untimely death. In a pogrom. In a massacre. In a way that is befitting to someone who has themselves just gone to sleep in a grave, as we said last week and the Jews of the Desert did every year after Tisha B'Av, until they realized the redemption had arrived and it was time to enter the land. Tu B'av commemorates various historical "holidays" of this nature. Perhaps one of the most striking that I literally just learned yesterday in my Nach Yomi limud (two perakim a day since Shavuot and almost done with Melachim Beis!). It is the story of the last king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel Hoshea Ben Alah. He does something tremendous and is considered a righteous king for this act. He does it on Tu B'Av. For a few hundred years the majority of our nation, that didn't live near Jerusalem didn't see the Bais Ha'Mikdash. It's pretty much incomprehensible when we think about that. We all know, or at least should know that the first Temple lasted for 410 years, however since the death of Shlomo Ha'Melech and the rebellion and secession of Yeravam Ben Nevat with the 10 tribes, most of Klal Yisrael didn’t and couldn't go to the Temple. Thus, we only all worshiped there for about 20 years of Shlomo's rule. Yeravam made sure of that. He put up big blockades and checkpoints and no one was allowed to go. And somehow we became fine with that. We were good just living in Israel in a sometimes-religious country but mostly not. Yet, on that Tu B'Av the righteous King Hoshea tore down those walls. The gates were opened. He proclaimed that anyone that wanted to was now free to head to Yerushalayim. We could see Hashem. We could be Oleh Regel. We could worship in the Temple, bring our sacrifices, redeem our ma'aser and tithes and come with our wagonloads of first fruits. We could have it all back. And the Jews celebrated. They made it a Yom Tov. They sang songs of praise. Maybe even sand Bar Yochai and made bonfires. We like new holidays. They're fun. And there wasn't even Chanuka or Purim yet as those don't happen until after the destruction and exile. This became the first post-biblical national holiday. Yet, somehow… we missed the point. We didn't add light. We didn't go to the Temple. We didn't go to the Temple Mount. We didn't make Aliya... Our parties I'm sure continued each year. The maidens danced in the fields. But like our Palestinian neighbors we like usual never miss and opportunity to miss an opportunity. We chose our graves over redemption. We chose our yeshivos in Chevron over the Bais Ha'Mikdash. As the Chasam Sofer tells us we chose Tzfat and Tiverya and Meron over Yerushalayim and thus the earthquake happened in Tzfat years before. We're still choosing today Lakewood over Eretz Yisrael, and the Kotel over the Temple Mount and Bais Ha'Mikdash. We're not adding light. We're frozen in the darkness. It is a result of that uncelebrated and recognized holiday of Tu B'av that we didn't take with us past the day, that the exile of the ten tribes began. Sancheirev comes to the land. He exiles ten tribes and most of the Jewish people are chucked out of the land never to come back again, until this very day. They're "disappeared." Until this very year, in which things have changed we have never had a majority of Jews living in Israel including during the second Temple period as well. We weren't mosif after Tu B'Av… so we were yasif… we died untimely deaths in putrid impure bloodstained lands that we were never meant to live in. That were places were no matter what mitzvos we do, how much Torah we learn, how many shuls we build. The light of Hashem, that only rests on One Place can never shine out from. Although it makes our graves there quite comfortable. It's like Air-conditioned coffins. The parsha we read each year as well is Eikev on this Shabbos after Tu B'Av. There is perhaps no parsha that accentuates and replays more and more this Post Tu B'Av theme. I'm too tired to give you a dvar Torah. I'll just review the parsha and point it out to you again and again and again. Which is what Hashem is screaming at us about on this week. Consider it me Highlighting His notes for you that people in galus-like myself, by the way, because yes, here we're in Galus too- sometimes miss. Two points He keeps making. One, the Land is good and everything we need to do is over here. Two- the goyim need to go and we need to liberate the country. So here goes. And it will be as a result of us listening to the these mitzvos and observing and fulfilling them. Then Hashem will observe His promise and kindness which He swore to our ancestors and will love us and bless us…. On THE land He swore to give us. We just need to listen. Listen to what? The mitzvos He gave us. What mitzvos are those? Take a look at the previous verse. Wipe out the enemies. Destroy their temples and idols. Burn them in fire. Don’t find or give them grace. These are all mitzvos that the Torah says we need to do Eikev. With our feet. Not sitting on the floor and mourning, but get up on your heels and start making them happen. The parsha continues though, with our objections. The thing that's holding us down. (Ibid 17) If you will say in your heart, the nations are too great. How can I throw them out. What will the world say? Trump? The UN. It's not politically correct. We can't just walk in and destroy everything. They were here first. (Ibid 18) Don't fear them. Remember what I did to Pharaoh and Egypt. The great miracles and signs… the outstretched arm. So I will do to those that you are scared of./. Don't be intimidated by them, because Hashem your god who is in your midst is a great and awesome God. When we don't listen to these words, then what we are inherently saying is that Hashem is not a great God. If we're scared of what the nations will say, then we are saying that we don't believe in the exodus from Egypt as more than a historical story to eat matza and drink wine and talk about. We don't believe it's us today. We don't believe He is in our midst. We don't believe what He is telling us. We're not listening. We're back in our graves. Chapter 8 it continues, in case you weren't listening. All of the Mitzva that I command you to guard is in order that you should live and multiply and and come and inherit the land. And He's not talking about Lakewood. Tom's River, Square Town or Boro Park. He reminds us about how we wandered for forty years and we constantly tested Hashem and He always showed us and rebuked us in order that we get that He's our Father. He wants what's good for us. He will never abandon us and the land that He's taking us to is worth the trip. It's a good land, springs and rivers in hills and valleys, wheat barley and the 7 species. We will eat and we will be satisfied. And we will thank Hashem not for our delicious Meatboards. Not for our delicious Pizza or French pastries that we eat in other places but rather
Al ha'aretz ha'tova asher nasan lach- on the good land he gave us..
Did you ever think about that? Whenever we bentch with a lot of kavana from a siddur of course, where are thanking Hashem not just for the food, but rather for the land, Who mentioned land and Israel here? We're living in galus for 2000 years. We're not in Israel. Why mention that now? The answer is because thanking Hashem for food, no matter how delicious it is, but if it's in galus then it's like prison food. It's like praising and thanking the warden for your last meal before the executioner. It's thanking your captors in Gaza for a pita. It's not really geshmak. Only when we thank Hashem for the land of Israel and we turn to Him and think about the real meal that's coming for those not here yet, then can our hearts be full of thanks and praise and then we can ask for the Temple. Then we're finally uplifted and out of our graves. Because we're listening to His words. Hashem then turns in the second aliya with the warning of what happens when we get to Israel and have that good. We become fat and we forget. We don't bother going to the Temple. We start allowing others to worship here. We stop listening. We ignore our Father. We think it's our strength. Then guess what? We get chucked out. We lose it all. If we're not mosif, we're yasif. But what if we're not worthy? What if we're not frum enough? How can we believe Hashem is amongst us if we don't do the right things? If there are pride parades in Jerusalem If people have smart phones. If they go to the har ha'bayis. If our government is not frum and our court is anti-frum, anti-Torah? Hashem knew that was coming. He barvorned it as we say in yeshiva. Don't worry, He says. I'm not giving you the land because I think you're tzadikim. I know you better than anyone. I know you’re the most stiff-necked people around. But that has nothing to do with it. I want home. These people living there are worse than you. They're Nazis. They're evil. I need the place cleaned and you guys are hired despite your failings because I love you and you're my child. I've loved you since Sinai. I've loved your ancestors. You've sinned and sinned and I've never abandoned you. Just come Home. Just build the Temple. Just say you care enough to take your heels and move here. I gave you second Luchos. I forgave and forgave and will forgive again. Just come home. All he wants Moshe tell us is for us to truly fear Him. To see his awesomeness, and then follow the leader. Take the path of that awe and walk with it. Remove that orla from your hearts all that decay that has numbed you to seeing the truth. All that social media about politically correctness and all of those years of bad chinuch that may have led you to believe that He wants you to be frum outside of Israel. That mitzvos have meaning there. That all He wants is a Kotel. The parsha goes on and on. You don't need a dvar Torah this week. You just need to read the parsha. You just need to see the gates are open. That there's nothing stopping us. That Hashem has comforted us. That Tu B'Av is over. That the light is starting to grow. There is a tradition from the Baal Shem Tov that beginning from Tu B'Av we start to wish people with a ksiva V'chasima tova- the blessings for a new year. In fact the Komarna notes that "Chamisha Asar B'Av-" tu b'av is in fact the exact gematria of Ksiva v'chasima tova. Tu B'Av is 40 days before the 25th day of Elul when Hashem created the world on the first of the 6 days of Creation. Parshat Eikev is in fact the only parsha that uses the word Rosh Hashana- "Reishit Hashana"- the beginning of the year. It is that description of Hashem always having His eyes on this country. It's all He has on his screen. It's what he looked at 40 days before the creation of the world. It's the reishis that He looks at us and the Torah. That 40 day conception process began Tu B"Av. I'll conclude with the end of that Rav Pesach Frank story above. For many years he felt broken that he advised this father to send his son to yeshiva. 40 years later, Rav Frank's son was once in café and he was talking to someone who he shared that story with. It seems he was relative of that father. He told Rav Franks son, that after the massacre the father was a very influential person and he put tremendous pressure on the US senators to put pressure on England to make changes in their mandate anti-Jewish and Israel behavior in Israe. They immediately switched the British Military Governor for a new one who was pro-Jewish and Israel. Within ten years from that story. The population of Israel tripled. He opened up the gates. A Jewish army had formed. There were 450,000 Jews in the 1930''s and during the Holocaust tens of thousands more came. It was all because of that boy. That advice. That sign of Hashem. It was the light that came out of the darkness of the graves of Chevron. Rav Frank's son immediately came home and told his wife that they have to travel to their father to tell him She told him that they were going to go anyways next week. Today was Friday. It's erev Shabbos. But he refused. He said that his father had been mourning for decades over this story. He deserves to see the hand of Hashem. So he went and he told him Rav Frank hugged him and cried. He expressed his appreciation for him coming to tell him and not waiting until after Shabbos. They parted ways and he went home. That Friday night Rav Frank returned his soul to Hashem. It was the last message he heard. The geula can happen even when we don't see it. We just need to listen. We need to come to Shabbos, with the message of redemption. Have a remarkably fun and exciting delightful Shabbos, Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK " Nit mit sheltn un nit mit lahchen ken men di velt ibermachen."- Neither with cursing or laughing will the world change.
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK answer below at end of Email 10. The ANZAC Museum is located in the city of __________
What was the purpose of the establishment of the "11 points in the Negev" in 1946? A. Taking control of coastal aquifer reservoirs. B. Including the region in the Jewish state’s territory in a future partition plan. C. Strengthening the defense of the small Jewish settlement in Gaza. D. Controlling the route leading to Egypt
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/eretz-tu-bishvat – This week's parsha Rabbi Schwartz composition best song ever!!! You should be singing this song of the words of Hashem on the amazingness of Eretz Yisrael all week long!
https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/kum - Every four steps you walk this Bein Hazmanim is a mitzva if you're doing it here! Kum Hithalech Ba'Aretz my song is based on yesterday's Daf of Hashem folding up all of Israel under Yaakov to teach us that the whole Israel is 4 Amos conquerable. Dovid Lowy did both of these songs arrangements and Vocals… Rock Em!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yb_-z7gCJVs - Joey Newcomb- Rely on Hashem… latest Bein Hazmanim release…
https://24six.app/preview/music/content/446598/homeward-bound – Benny Friedmans latest release Homeward Bound… no video posted but just great song.. Only wish he and all of you would say those words…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXKsf5mdG-g – Elka's favorite new song and I'm loving it also… Eternal Tai!
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S ERA’S AND THEIR PLACES AND PEOPLE IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK
Guardians of The Wall -333 BC- So the plan of Nechemia worked! He had broken through the walls of Jerusalem in order to convince the nation that the time was here to start to rebuild the city and protect it. He has the permission of Darius, although he didn't even tell them. He wanted it to come from them. They needed to do it on their own. And we did. Now our neighbors were not too happy. They felt that Jerusalem was there. In the past they had terrorized the Jews and pretty much held us back, but now with the walls breached they plotted to up the terror a notch and truly begin to stop us from our project. It's kind of like what the Chareidim have been doing to the light Rail on Bar Ilan for the past ten years… So they planned their big intifada, what they didn't know was that Nechemia had good intel. He knew what they were planning. And thus he prepared for it. Do you know that famous Carlebach song. Shomrim Hafked L'ircha kol ha'yom v'kol ha'layla- He established an armed watch guard over the city walls to oversee the work of the wall. The Navi tells us that the walls were built with half the nation holding swords and spears and the other half with hammers and nails. That's the way Jerusalem was rebuilt and there is a deep eternal message on a spiritual level as well. Can you figure it out? Jerusalem needs both. It needs our soldiers and needs our wall-builders. Only when the two work together, can the city be united. Can we truly have Yerushalayim Shel Mata. RABBI SCHWARTZ’S TERRIBLE CHANGE JOKES OF THE WEEK Yesterday, I changed a light bulb, crossed the road, and walked into a bar. My life is a joke. Alabama changed the drinking age to 34. They wanted to keep alcohol out of the high schools My friend really changed when she became a vegetarian... it's like I've never seen herbivore. What’s it called when a chameleon can’t change its colors anymore? A reptile dysfunction! How many drummers does it take to change a light bulb? 10. 1 to change the bulb and 9 to tell you how much better they could've done it How many cops does it take to change a light bulb? They don't, they arrest the bulb for being broke and beat the room for being black. How does a Jewish mother change a lightbulb? "No, that's all right. I'll just sit here in the dark." How many Yekkis does it take to change a light bulb? One. We are efficient and dont have humour. How many divorced men does it take to change a light bulb? No one knows. They never get to keep the house. The sweater my wife gave me was picking up static electricity, so I went to the store to change it. They gave me another one, free of charge How many Trump supporters does it take to change a lightbulb? Look, we can change the lightbulb. That I will tell you. We're changing it, ok? And I understand what you're saying, I hear it all the time. People call me and say "Is the lightbulb really dead?". Thats what they are asking me, its unbelievable. The lightbulb is in big trouble, that I can tell you. But we are going to change it. How many kids with ADD does it take to change a light bulb? Wanna go ride bikes? My wife the English Teacher explained, "You need to do more chores around the house." I moaned, "Can we change the subject?" She smiled and said..."Ok. More chores around the house need to be done by you. There are a pair of twins called Ving and Ling. Ving decided to go to the town hall to change his name. Ling decided to give him a lift there. When they arrived Ling reminded Ving that he would disgrace their family if he changed his name to Lee. Ving takes a form and quickly fills it out to change his name. He sends off the form, but immediately starts to regret it. He is told that to revoke his form he must pay a small fee. Ling takes out her purse and is about to hand over the money when suddenly… A man, their father, bursts through the door and embraces Ving and tells them, “Don’t stop, be Lee, Ving”, “Hold on to that fee, ling.” ******************************* The answer to this week's question is B- I feel a streak coming on here. This one was pretty easy. Not that I've ever been here, however I know and am familiar that the whole ANZAC thing, the Australian WWI horse brigade forces that fought against the Turks was in Beer Sheva where the memorial is for them. As well the 11 points question is pretty basic and important Israel history where in one night in order that they would be part of the Jewish State in 1946. As if there was Jewish life there, the Two State solution would have to include them. Those 11 points include, by the way Beeri, Urim, Chatzeirim, Tekuma, Nirim and other Kibbtuzim that sit on the Gaza Border that you may be familiar with… By the way what date did this take place. Motzai Yom Kippur. What was the English date? October 6th… Fast Forward 80 year… October 7th… Wow… pretty scary… So we're getting into decent grade level here with Rabbi Schwartz having 7.5 points and the MOT having 2.5 points on this latest Ministry of Tourism exam.
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