Messages from the Other Side- Parshat Emor 2026 5786

 Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land

from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

May 1^st 2026 -Volume 16 Issue 27 14^h of Iyar 5786

 

Parshat Emor

Messages from the Other Side

 

Have you ever gotten a message from the grave? From someone that you loved and that had passed on. I'm not talking about a dream, where they come and talk to you. That's a bit too much. Although I have a friend and colleague of mine whose son passed away at a very young age and he claims to be constantly in contact and getting messages from him and even recently published a book about those conversations that have changed his life,  

(You can check it out here  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/with-love-from-the-holy-land-shabse-werther/1149819450?ean=9798369467374 ), but that's not what I'm talking about. Rather I mean just being in a place and experiencing that person's presence as if they were manipulating you to send you a message, a sign, a hug and a hello. That happened to me this past week. It's a pretty amazing story.

 

So as my regular readers know, I've spent some time the past few weeks down by the Sinai desert. Man, I'm milking this thing for three E-Mails already, not bad! Well anyways I returned again this week, but this time not to work or volunteer vine pruning and weed whacking, but rather to interview some of the holy Jews that are living in the area for and article for my upcoming return to Mishpacha Magazine column this coming Shavuos edition. Hooray! Listen, a man's gotta put bread on is table one way or another… And the truth is I loved writing those columns about Eretz Yisrael and sharing the beauty, glory, history and holiness of the land, with the so many that I haven't yet toured or who haven't been here. Yet. The marketing is an added bonus, of course. So I figured what better place to start back up again then one where most have never seen or experienced. As well, what's more appropriate for a Shavuos edition than an article about Jews living in Midbar Sinai, keeping the Torah, hearing that voice calling out, returning to their roots.

 

Now my job there wasn't an easy one. As there is perhaps a handful of Shomrei Torah U'Mitzvos besides Yishuv Eretz Yisrael, of course, the one mitzva that all these chilonim are fulfilling every minute of the day, that you losers in America have for whatever reason not chosen to be zocheh in- yes, I called you losers. Nebachs. Anyone that doesn't have the ability to get mitzvos every step they take and every falafel they eat, forget about planting and growing stuff and just chilling in their home with their children, is a nebach, losing out on the easiest and best mitzva there is. But besides that mitzva, there is certainly not too many of the 900 or so residents, or 300 or so families that live in the four or five yishuvim there that keep Shabbos, put on tefillin, daven- at least formally, or are strict about kosher. I was able to dig up 5 or 6 and I don't think there's many I left out.

 

Yet, each one of these special souls had a story, that in truth is worthy of a column within itself. What I thought was going to be a rather short article, now has me taking my first draft of 8395 words and figuring out how to crunch it down to my allotted 3500 article word count. Aren't you glad this E-Mail doesn't have a limited word count…? Don't answer that. It was rhetorical.

One of the places I visited was Kadesh Barnea, or as its officially called Nitzanei Sinai, although the locals still call it by it's old name it had before it moved here after the 1979 Peace Accords from its original location on the Egyptian side of Sinai, near the original biblical site.

My visit here was with Lior, the Moshav's religious person or Ba'al Teshuva. We had schmoozed a bit in advance, and to be honest, Lior was even reluctant to meet. He claimed he didn't have much to say and that his story wasn't too interesting. But I was persistent and we had set up our appointment.  I was a bit taken aback when Lior came out to greet me with a large Kippa, flapping tzitizis and a sefira beard. It didn't match the profile picture of a typical secular Israeli I had seen on my phone. He welcomed us in to his home, showed his chickens where he gets his daily eggs from,  his book shelf reaming with a diverse potpourri of all your greatest sefarim and we sat down on his porch to take in the view of the midbar and to talk. Needless to say, I was intrigued.

Lior was raised in Lehavim in a secular home near Beer Sheva, where he had never heard kiddush in his life and even their Pesach seder was only a family meal. His father was a socialist lawyer who was a very special man of Chesed, that had left religion very young, however he was always involved and would bring Lior with him on his daily trips to the street picking up homeless people and taking care of them and eventually established the first shelter in Beer Sheva.

In a fascinating way his father also served as his shadchan. Their close family friend and neighbor had become sick and Lior's father who had at that time already moved on to becoming a hospice adviser, would visit him daily. Yet, as his condition worsened and with all of the overwhelming sorrow that he was experiencing himself, Lior's father died suddenly at age 51 years old. Meanwhile the neighbor would ask daily where his friend was, as they didn't want to tell him. Until he went up to the porch and saw the shiva sign for his friend and understood. The next day the neighbor died as well at the young age of 47. Shira, the neighbor's daughter was Lior's sister's best friend and Lior and she met being menachem avel one another. They hit it off and have been together since. The Rav that buried their fathers was the same that married the two of them.

Since his army service, Lior had been working at various hill-top farms. A life of shepherding, living in a tent alone, smoking away whatever he was paid was the freedom he was looking for. Despite not being interested in religion per say, however he would read a copy of Rebbi Nachman's likutei Mo'haran a friend had gifted him. He found through it a connection with his neshoma, not unlike many of our Patriarchs and leaders as shepherds did. Yet, family life requires something more concrete and thus with the birth of their second child they made their way down to the new Yishuv of Kadesh that had just been established. The divine shepherd was calling him to Sinai.

In 2001 there were 40 families living there non were religious and most were farmers. He as well began taking out the free loans offered by the Jewish agency to open up a tomato farm, as many in the area did. Yet his first season his entire crop was hit by flooding and he lost his it all. Without options and debts piling up he turned to Hashem and asked for help and opened up a convenience store for Thailandi workers. That evolved into him eventually taking over the local makolet and life was good. Until…

Seven years ago, Lior was hospitalized with a serious infection that caused his liver to shut down. It reached a point where the doctors told Shira to bring the children one Friday to say good-bye, as Sunday might be too late. Friday night lying alone in his hospital bed, resigned and even accepting of his fate, his thoughts were interrupted by his roommate, a religious man that started making kiddush. It was the first time in his life that he ever heard kiddush and somehow those simple words of holiness penetrated his heart. He turned to Hashem and felt regret that he had never had that. He found himself wishing that he could remain alive, not for his wife, his children of even his life, but only to make kiddush. To have Shabbos. He made a vow, that if he would recover, he would stop smoking and other not healthy habits and highs and become a shomer Shabbos. It would be the only high he ever needed.

By Sunday he had miraculously recovered. The next week he was home, and thus his spiritual journey and Shemiras Shabbos began. Fascinatingly enough his biggest challenge was to daven from a siddur with vowelization. He had never read Hebrew like that. Each day his tefillos took him an hour and a half. He had always loved to read and study and slowly began researching online, listening to shiurim and thus he continues on his personal daily growth. Shira, although not fully observant herself, is the tzadekes that he describes that supports him. She is stricter about kashrus than he is in their house and vets all their invitations bringing only her kosher made food. She is involved in chesed projects as they share their open home with many that join them for Shabbat meals.

The next part of our conversation though is really what threw me for a loop and send shivers down my spine. Upon recovery Lior sought new work, as the makolet was not working out. One day Shira came home, and told him about a phone call that she had received from guests they had recently hosted for Shabbos. It was from an American family with a daughter that had a severe drug and opiate problem and was even suicidal. She had been in and out of rehab, and they felt that perhaps the only thing that would help her would be to send her away to Israel. Perhaps the peacefulness of the desert they experienced over that Shabbos could help her to recovery.

Shira, of course invited them yet Lior as a recovering addict himself told her that it was a bad idea. However, as Lior puts it "when Hashem sends someone to your door, you can't turn them away". So he began to research to find her a place. Yet, after a day or two of google searches and numerous phone calls, he understood that there was really no place available that had a Jewishly spiritual orientation, or one that wasn't even Christian, he saw this as a sign what the next stage and venture of his life should be. Thus the concept of Shivtaya spiritual rehabilitation center that would accompany their patients on their sobriety journey was conceived. Yet, they didn't have any funding or know how to get something like this off the ground and thus they turned to Reb Tzvi Gluck of Amudim to see if he could help them. It was at this point that I stopped him in the story.

Amudim, I told him was founded by my Uncle Mendy Klein Z'L who had passed away 8 years ago. Mendy was at the forefront of bringing awareness to many of the problems in our community and worked with gedolim to found Amudim and bring help to the many suffering in shame and in silence. When I told this to Lior, he turned white and told me that the only reason he was able to get started was due to Mendy. He had set up a meeting with Mendy and Tzvi and a few of their chareidi supporters. He stood before them without a Kippa, as he had not yet started wearing one publicly and told them that despite the fact that he wasn't religious, this was his vision, and this is what he felt he needed to do. After the meeting Tzvi called Lior to tell him that Mendy had told him that he wasn't sure how and what Amudim's connection and support may be for them, but one thing he was sure of… Lior would be successful. He would have siyata di'shmaya.

A week later, Lior got the call from Tzvi that Mendy had passed suddenly. Yet it was that chizuk, that allowed him to move forward. Although they are not connected with Amudim and didn't receive significant financial support. Yet from that meeting and those words of chizuk, Shivtaya was founded and has helped hundreds of people on their road to recovery.

I had goosepimples all over, and I turned to Lior, who was very emotional and did the math. It seems, that this meeting he had with Mendy, a week before he died, was actually on the same day that I was sitting there with him the 10^th of Iyar. I felt my Uncle Mendy, looking down and smiling had sent me to this door, to hear this story. I wasn't sure why at the time. I'm still not sure why totally, yet I have some clues. I know there's inspiration there.

One of the things that came out of that discussion was that I sent this story on a little video clip to a few friends of mine that were close with my Uncle. I can't even tell you how many people responded that it was exactly the message they needed that day. They had personal dillemas and struggles, that some of them shared with me, others not. One even thought, I wondered what Mendy would tell me to do. And out of the blue they received my video and it was like a message from him. It opened up that door, that Mendy never would close.

This week's Parsha is Emor. It discusses the mitzva or more accurately the prohibition of Kohanim to come in contact with the dead. It seems like a strange and perhaps even uniquely Jewish prohibition. By most religions it is the priest that preforms the last rites and officiates the funeral. So to speak sends them off to the next world. As well, it seems strange that generally we view the Kohen as one who is always given more mitzvos than others. He is meant to be the intermediary between Klal Yisrael and Hashem, why isn't he there for this last special mitzva of burying the dead and accompanying the family.

The answer though is that the tumah that is associated with death, the Maharal and Rav Kook as well as many other commentaries explain come from the void created by the loss of the neshoma. There is a disconnect from Hashem. That exposure to our mortality and the finality of our lives creates a distance from Hashem. The process of coming back and purifying oneself from that is a personal one that requires a process of rebirth, the sprinkling of ashes of the parah aduma. It is there where the Kohen actually does get involved. For his role is to bring us back. The Kohen however in order to be able to do that, must always be in that state of purity himself.

Rav Sorotzkin notes that the Kohanim Aharon and his children of who experienced the death of their son and brothers Nadav and Avihu on the day and moment of their inauguration always had that balance in front of them. They symbolized the purity that stands free of the impurity. They were able to express the "va'yidom Aharon", the accepting of the fate and judgement of Hashem and yet remain in the mikdash and even eat sacrifices at that time. Klal Yisrael needs that pure pillar to turn to, and they have to always been in a state of purity to serve as the lighthouse that brings them home.

Yet there is a deeper concept as well. The world was not created with death. Adam was created to be immortal. Heaven and earth were eternal. Hashem was walking with us in his garden. Yet, when he sinned, death came into the world. Man became mortal. The world became contaminated and the sparks hidden and our role in life is to lift it up and purify the world, and reveal the godliness in it. When one dies, that job ends. We can no longer do or accomplish anymore. That spirit that connects us to that first sin and our exposure to it that we encounter when we come in contact with the dead, exposes us to tumah. The Kohen though, has been chosen to show us that death is not final. That we can transcend this world. That our exit from this world, is really just a birth into an eternal one. He has been sanctified by Hashem. He goes into the holy. And thus, every death enters one's soul into that holy state as well.

It is therefore when we talk about someone dying in Hebrew we call it being niftar. Niftar not only means being exempt or leaving a place, but it is also only used in the Torah as a form of birth, "peter chamor v'seh" the first born of a donkey or sheep. It is the first to come out of the womb. It is holy. It has entered a new world. The Kohen in his constant state of purity stands as a symbol of that to us. That holiness doesn't disappear. It continues on and is eternal.  

Is it possible for someone to come back from the dead and send us messages? The Talmud is certainly replete with stories of that happening. I believe that there are many that can attest to stories, dreams, connections and supernatural events where they felt that their departed was with them. To a large degree we are all one soul. Lior was reminded of that when he tapped into that kiddush. It is perhaps as well the reason that the parsha that follows this one contains the mitzva of the sanctity of the holidays. It's a statement that just as the Kohen is constantly connected to Hashem, we each have that opportunity on all of our holidays. To transcend time and the mundanity of the world. To turn the chol to kodesh. To become one with Hashem, like we were back in that garden. Next week's parsha will take that theme even further to living in the land, to the entire Shabbos of the year of shemitta, to ultimately seeing the blessing of our redemption.

This week is the yartzeit of my Uncle Mendy. If there was ever anyone that transcended this world and truly was full of love and compassion for every Jew, as a talmid of Aharon is described to have that trait, then it is him. His impact and the sparks that he raised and still continues to inspire continue to ignite menoras in many. His ner tamid is still lit. He also didn't sleep very well, and it seems he's not doing so there as well. He still is being a meilitz yosher, and maybe has even been given the ability to send us messages. May his neshoma have an aliya and may we soon be reunited in the geula shlaima.

Have a meaningful Shabbos and an uplifting Lag Ba'Omer

 

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz 

 

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YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

 

" Zicher iz men nor miten toit."– One is only certain of death.

 

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxKtPDC7Rwg  – Ba'Derech El Ha'ohr Moshe Klein

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77b3QTOOPTI  - A powerhouse podcast of Michael and all the Aliaya Geula voices at a El Chamis party, check em all out, The Eli's Friedman and Wolbrun, Nesanel, Yossi Rabin, Saadia, Nesanel Eisenman, Koby of Gat Ba'Selah and more…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJxvx08Dl6I  - What a great Shwekey Acapella Medley all the greatest hits with Yonasan Stern

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sYoAUa9G3Y&list=OLAK5uy_mnD6rUCFN1Y6VjE-U1vOGgdCddduGhGk0    – A great Acapella Journey at Sea Abie and son Chananya Rottenberg and Eli Shwebel… awesome

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

 

. For most of his life in the land of Israel, Hayim Nahman Bialik lived in the city of ______

_____________

Where can one find buildings in the so-called "International" architectural style in Israel?

A. In urban localities as well as in rural localities such as kibbutzim and

moshavim

B. In urban localities only, such as Tel Aviv and Haifa

C. In rural localities only, i.e. in kibbutzim and moshavim

D. In the city of Tel Aviv only within the boundaries of the UNESCO declaration

("the White City")  

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

Shomronim 352 BC-  So today is Pesach Sheini and a bunch of friends of mine and guides made their way over to check out the one place in Israel where this holiday is being celebrated by Har Gerizim or as it's referred to as well Har Bracha, the mountain where the blessings were given when we came into the land. The people that celebrate this holiday though are not our fellow Jews. They're Shomronim, Samarians they are the only people living in Israel with dual Israeli and Palestinian citizenship and it seems that is the game that they always play. Who are they? What do they believe? And what do I think about them? Here we go.

 

So the Shomronim according to their claim, were a breakoff of traditional Judaism in the times of Eli Ha'Kohen and his corrupt sons, where their Kohen who had been jilted left and started his own mikdash on Har Gerizim, claiming that was the mountain Hashem had rested His name on, and it's where Akeidas Yitzchak took place as well. The claim to be from the tribes of Ephraim and Menashe who live in that region around Shechem and of course Levites. Our tradition rather places them in the times of Sancherev who after exiling the ten tribes, brought foreign nations and settled them here. Hashem, brought lions to attack them and out of fear many of them underwent questionable conversions that were ultimately proven to be inauthentic and they were not accepted into the nation. Although in the Talmud it refers to the Kutim as those that underwent that conversion, it seems that they intermingled with the Samarians who had not even undergone the conversion and the entire people were considered invalid.

 

After the destruction of the Temple and exile of the Jews in the times of Nevuchadnezzar, it seems that many of the shomronim were left to live in Eretz Yisrael and when Ezra returned with the Cyrus's permission, they tried to join the party and build the Bais Ha'Mikdash and were denied. They then sent messages to Cyrus and the entire project was halted. As well the history we will pick up with Nechemia getting permission from Darius the son of Esther and Achashveirosh will also encounter them and have problems. In the times of Chazal there were many different opinions about their Halachic status and even their origins. Rabbi Akiva held that they were true converts. Rebbi Meir in the Midrash that they were even from the tribe of Yissachar, yet ultimately the final ruling was they they're not legitimate Jews.

 

Today there is about 900 of them living in Israel divided between Har Luza near Shechem and city of Holon. They're rather peaceful and kind of like the Amish in America, a bit of a freak story to watch and gawk at. Yet to me it is unquestionable that they are an abomination as is their service that needs to be destroyed from the land. The role of Klal Yisrael here has always been to rebuild the Bais Ha'Mikdash and to shine out the true light from Jerusalem to the world. As long as we allow their candle be lit, and we attend with awe and respect their ceremonies, we are darkening and bringing and supporting tumah in the land. And to me that is unconscionable.  

 

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S TERRIBLE AFTERLIFE JOKES OF THE WEEK

 

Did you hear about the new Italian restaurant that just opened in the afterlife? It's called Pasta Way.

 

A killer Dies and meets his victim in the Afterlife. The killer stares awkwardly at the victim, the victim stares back. Unsure what to do, the killer finally says, "Well... This feels pretty tense."

The victim replies, "Oh, we're past tense."

 

A young couple dies in a car wreck on the way to their wedding. They arrive in heaven where they are welcomed by the angel. Before they are admitted to heaven they ask if they can get married in heaven.

The angel scratches his chin. “Hmm, I’m not sure. Let me find out.”

He goes into heaven to find someone who might know.

Well he’s gone for a very long time, days at least. The young couple were starting to worry when the angel finally returns. He looks very flustered.

“Yes, you can get married.” He says.

So the couple go into heaven, get married, and enjoy the afterlife. However not long after they begin to realize how terrible eternity with the other person would be and decide to divorce.

They go to the angel and asks if they can get a divorce in Heaven. The angel throws down his quill and growls in consternation.

“Do you know how long it took me to find a priest up here?! Now imagine how hard it’ll be to find a lawyer!”

 

So a Rabbi walks up to an atheist and says afterlife. The atheist stares and says I don't get it.

The priest says I know.

 

Our local cemetery reported problems with kids going into the cemetery at night to take flowers off graves so they can sell them on street corners the next morning. I have a hard time believing this, but I did see a kid selling flowers this morning with a sign that said "reincarnations, $10.00"

 

How can you tell if being a suicide bomber really guarantees you blessings in the afterlife? You have to C4 yourself.

 

An Anti-Vaxer goes and arrives at the gates of heaven. Upon meeting God, she asks him a question.

"Do vaccines really work?"

God replied simply with, "Yes."

The Anti-Vaxer mumbled to herself, "The lies do spread that far..."

 

My dad died, and I wanted to talk to him in the afterlife. So I went to a woman who could speak with the dead. I told her my situation, and described my dad. She went into a trance and, after a few moments, said "I'm communing with your father."

Then she smiled, so I punched her.

"What did you do that for?!" she demanded, shocked.

"It's what my dad would have wanted," I told her. "He always said it's important to strike a happy medium."

 

Bill Gates dies and goes to heaven, where the angel gives him a nice, modern six-bedroom house with a pretty garden and a tennis court. Pleased with his lot, Bill quickly settles into the afterlife.

One day he is out walking when he bumps into a man wearing a fine tailored suit.

"That's really nice," says Bill. "Where did you get it?"

"Actually," says the man, "I was given 50 of these, plus two mansions, a yacht, a golf course and four Rolls-Royces."

"Wow, were you a pope or a doctor healing the terminally ill?" asks Bill.

"No, I was the captain of the Titanic."

Bill storms off to see Saint Peter. "How come the captain of a sunken ship gets all that while I, the inventor of the Windows Operating System gets a crummy little house?" he asks.

Saint Peter replies, "The Titanic only crashed once."

 

People ask whether I’ll make cheese in my afterlife. I tell them, “There’s no whey in hell.

 

Ancient Egyptians who worked to preserve the Pharaoh for the afterlife are known for having being very good businessmen. In fact, they even invented what we know today as the "return policy."

It was know back then as the "mummy back guarantee..."

 

A doberman, a golden retriever and a cat enter the afterlife. God asks the golden retriever to tell him about himself, the dog says “I’ve been very loyal to my master,”

 God says,”That’s wonderful why don’t you take the seat on my right,”

God asks the Doberman to tell him about himself, the dog says “I’ve been a great protector of my whole family,”

God says,”That’s great why don’t you take the seat on my left,”

The cat walks in and says to God,” You're in my seat,”

 

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The answer to this week's question is A– Ok another 50/50 here. The first part was easy. Bialik is a big Tel Aviv/ Yaffo name. I knew that. On the other hand architecture has never been my strong point. I guessd Tel Aviv and Haifa as I knew they both have unique artchitecture. I was wrong, the international construction is the basic simple apartment buildings they have all over in rural and urban areas as well as the cities.  So half right and wrong on this one score is no Rabbi Schwartz having a 21 points and the MOT having 9 points on this latest Ministry of Tourism exam.

I - Openers- Parshat Acharey Mos- Kedoshim 2026 5786

 Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land

from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

April 24^th 2026 -Volume 16 Issue 26 7^th of Iyar 5786

 

Parshat Acharey Mos- Kedoshim

 

I- Openers

 

It was an eye-opening conversation. Something that I never really thought about. That I took and take for granted and assumed because it meant so much to me. Because, I felt it was so obvious and so incredible, and almost incomprehensible how one could feel the way that I do. But I was so wrong. It really shifted my mindset. I gave me a lot to mull about and process. I'll share it with you, because that's what I always do. But, I sure am curious what you have say about this as well.

 

It was this past Wednesday, which here in Israel is celebrated as Yom Ha'Atzmaut. At least by most, I should preface. For others its also a celebration and an excuse to bash the State, to bash those that say Hallel- with or without a bracha, or say tachanun or not. As well to bash those that don't say. You know, your typical Jewish fun and recreational sport "brother bashing". Personally, I don't really like to play that game. I'm in the major leagues. I like to bash the bashers on both sides. Why limit your fun to only one team?

 

But anyways, I was having a conversation with my neighbor, Meir, who had just come back from his Pesach trip with his family from America. Now, I just want to clarify who Meir is. He's not an American. He's Israeli- Israeli. This is Karmiel, not Ramat Beit Shemesh or Ramat Eshkol. He's an avreich/ Kollel Rabbi here. He's Chariedi. He's never been on a plane in his life. He's never left Israel. Yet, he has a brother-in-law that lives there in New York and family in Lakewood and they invited them to come with his family for the Chag. At first he wasn't sure he could make it there with the war and skies shut. But in the end he did what way too many did, unfortunately in my opinion, and headed down to Egypt, Taba, flew through Europe- I asked him if he waved at the concentration camps along the way, and headed to Galus America for the holiday that celebrates the ability of the Jewish people to have the strength to break free from that slavery galus mentality and mindset and come to Israel. I can't imagine the irony of that whole thing that happened this year was lost on anyone. Not that it stopped them from leaving…

 

So Meir had just come back yesterday and we schmoozed about his trip. Needless to say, he was enthralled. I asked him if he learned English. He told me that he was in Boro Park most of the time and Lakewood so he didn't really need it much, although his yiddish has gotten a lot better. In terms of what he experienced there though was truly disheartening. He said he didn't feel any anti-semitism, surprisingly enough. Although he did say his relatives there expressed more nervousness. But in regards to the lifestyle, he couldn't even compare it. America is amazing. The people are nice (In New York!!!). The stores are friendly. The quality of the meat, the steaks, the shopping was out of this world. And just the whole Torah lifestyle, the shiurim, the classes, the minyanim, the nice shuls. He saw Batei Midrash full of people learning. Nice Mikvaos. There were no missiles. No sirens. No Jews protesting or fighting. People worked, supported their families. Had nice homes and schools. It's a good life, he told me. It's an amazing one. I can't imagine anyone leaving there and moving here. In fact he expressed admiration and even a bit of incredulity that I or anyone from America would leave and move here. 

 

This wasn't the first time, I've had this reaction from Israelis, who look at you a bit crazy for making Aliya. I'm used to it. They were born here. They don't get it. The grass is always greener. Rav Margalit, the Rav of Karmiel has told me numerous times that one of the most important things that Olim bring to Eretz Yisrael is that enthusiasm and appreciation for the land that Israelis take for granted. That wasn't the chiddush or epiphany that Meir gave me. It was what he said next that really blew my mind.

 

"I don't think I or any chareidi Kollel guy living here in Israel if we would've been born there would ever move here or make aliya…."

 

Boom! That was what he said that hit me. Because to a large degree I think he's right. I know I shouldn't generalize. I've never done a statistic or a poll. I just know people. A lot of people. They're my friends. We learn. We schmooze. We daven together. They come to my shul. The truth is many of them love it here and really, I believe most of them, if given the choice and even good money and lives in America wouldn't leave for anything. And that it is a big zechus to be here. And I believe they even thank Hashem for that merit and privilege. Yet, at the same time, I don't think there's any question that if they would've been born in America they would never make Aliyah. It's not a value to them in that way. It doesn't mean to them, even now, what it means to me. And that was a very eye-opening conversation to have on Yom Ha'atzma'ut with my neighbor here in Israel. And it really bothered me a lot.

 

To be honest, which I usually try to be, at least with myself… I know that I didn't move here because it was a value or something that I really appreciated or was in a real sense connected to. It was a pragmatic decision more than anything else. It was right for the point I was in my life, from a financial standpoint. Or more precisely from a lack of financial standpoint. I was out of a job and I figured once I'm starting fresh, it's easier to do that here than there with a lot less upfront tuition, health insurance etc… expenses. And if I'm going to be poor, here at least you get a mitzva by living here and your mere existence is meaningful. But it wasn't out of any deep passion or love for the land, the air, the even incredible fulfillment of the dreams of all my ancestors. It was a mitzva. It made sense. Why not?

 

Had the opportunity not presented itself, I doubt I would've come. I might even still be there. In Iowa, Seattle or Virginia. Not Lakewood or Boro Park though… you couldn't pay me enough…😊 So I understood what he was saying. It just shook me to the core and gave me a whole new perspective on the people, my friends living here.

 

They really don't get it. It's not part of their heart and soul as it is to mine. They don't see it as truly being essential to what it means to be a servant and chosen one of Hashem. They don't feel their lives and every step that they take here has purpose, has meaning. They're not living like I am. I'm not blaming them. I just think I understand them and perhaps what goes on in this world and here so much more with that insight. This has nothing to do with the State at all. Or without the State. It's nothing to do with the Army or even wars from enemies from without and within. It's if I had to put this in to one sentence description, I'd say they're living here in Eretz Yisrael not too much differently then many chareidi Jews living in America. They like the land and benefits and freedoms, but they're really not invested or connected or see much value in the land or country itself on a spiritual level. And that is so sad.

 

The truth is I have that same perspective about non-religious or observant Jews in America. I don't look down upon them. I'm sad for them. They don't have Shabbos. They don't have Torah. They don't have the same relationship with Hashem and expression and connections that I have, because of the gifts of my upbringing and education. To be honest as well with myself, and certainly its something that I developed over my 15 years of Jewish outreach work in far-out places in America, I understood that if I would've born and raised like they were, then the chances were that I would never become frum. I wouldn't pursue that type of life. It's easy being non-religious, not keeping kosher, not having to worry about what you watch, how you speak, where you live, how you spend your money. To live a life without a higher purpose. I don't judge them. I certainly don't hate them or even look down on them. I really would be them. I would be the guy still living in America. I'd be the Kollel guy living in Israel without an appreciation for the land. And I wouldn't have even a clue and how blessed and how much I was missing out on by not being the person, that really through no great action or even inspiration of my own, I am fortunate enough to be today.

 

All these thoughts, epiphanies and self-reflections come after another few days out there in the Sinai desert farming by my friend once again this week. It seems I couldn't get enough of it last week to return yet to society. I was like a metzora that needed a second week of isolation. Of hisbodedus and meditation while connecting and slurping up the holiness pouring out of the land of Eretz Yisrael, the brown sandy desert that was flourishing and becoming green before my eyes. That process which I think is really so essential and what this period between Pesach and Shavuos is all about. The journey from exile, slavery and the 49^th level of tumah, to redemption, freedom and the revelation of Hashem is what we are meant to be counting to and focusing on. And that journey really continues from last week's two parshiyot of metzora and tumah to this week's two portions of Acharei Mos the service of Yom Kippur and Kedoshim, becoming holy. It's what one is meant to learn in their second week and step of being alone outside the camp.

 

Acharey Mos and that service of the kohen being alone in the holy of holies, I've noted in previous years, doesn't even mention that this service takes place on Yom Kippur until 29 verses into the parsha. The commentaries note this. It's almost as if its meant to be read as an eternal message for all of us all year round "when we want to come into the Kodesh" the holy. It's a process in which we become embodied in the Kohen Gadol and he is us and we are him alone with Hashem in that private room. The process is one of recognizing that there is a lottery that takes place. We all have a goral- in life. A role that we were given that we did nothing to choose. Our job is to make that choice we've been given and to bring it to Hashem while sending the other one out to the mountain, to the midbar, to that isolated place and throw it off the cliff. It doesn't get much deeper and more personal. And it seems that it is really the only true starting point to being able to come close to Hashem and experience that revelation of Him within ourselves.

 

If Acharey Mos is about the Kohen within each of us, Kedoshim is about all of us being gathered together as one and taking that inner holiness and we've found within ourselves and moving back to the camp and finding it in everyone. About becoming a mamleches kohanim and goy kadosh- a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. It starts with the realization that we all have fathers and mothers. We're human. We come from somewhere. We're part of a legacy, a chain we're meant to continue. We have a goral. We all have that. We all share that. Just as we understand that we need to follow that knowledge of that with the fact that there is a third partner. There is Shabbos. We have a Creator. It is from Hashem that it all starts. Our parents are obligated in His honor because He's their Parent as well. We're not turning outside to any false gods or values. We're not bowing to any masecha- any face masks that cover up our essence. We're holy. Ani Hashem Elokeichem. Hashem is our God and we are one with Him and have found Him in ourselves.

 

When we get that we can then bring Shelamim sacrifices. We're complete. We're looking at the whole picture. We can eat a portion, we can give a portion to Hashem and we can give to the Kohen who connected us. We appreciate the sanctity of the time we have together with him. The fleeting moment that leaves if we miss out on it. We recognize the holiness of the place Hashem has put us and where we are complete with Him. We're not thinking about being somewhere else. We're fully present with him in the moment. We're not on phone. We're not looking at someone else's life. It's only when we do that then we are shaleim and when we can't do that then we're cut off. We're disconnected from Him and from our essence.

 

If one follows that introduction and mindset as you read through the parsha it has so much more meaning. It's not just laws. It's not chukim. It's not mitzvos or ethics. It's holiness. It's rising above the mundane and connecting with ourselves and Hashem within us. It's about understanding how every Jew has their own circumstance, their own challenges, their own story, their own occupation, their own temptations, sins and pitfalls and their own relationship with Hashem. We each have a goral. His is not mine and mine is not his, but each of ours are connected to Hashem. They come from the same source. The same Parent.

 

Perhaps the center of all of this in our parsha is what Rabbi Akiva tells us is klal gadol ba'torah and what Hillel says is the entire Torah on one foot. Loving your friend like yourself. What is hated upon you don't do to him. The essence of the Torah is premised on the two criterion that lie in this commandment and dictum. The first is two know and truly understand who I am. To take off all my masks, to look deep into what really makes me who I am. To be honest with my challenges, my sins, my weaknesses and my failures and to understand that at the end of the day, I still love myself. I love myself, because I understand that deep down there's a holy good divine spark within me that's untainted. That there is Ani Hashem within me.

 

As long as I'm still wearing all my masks and patting myself on the back, then you really aren't connected to that. You're taking credit for something that you don't deserve. You're kochi vi'otzem yadi asah li es ha'chayil ha'zeh. It doesn't make a difference if you're saying that in a secular Israeli army and see your victory over 5 arab nations as coming from the strength and heroism of your army and soldiers, or if you're sitting in the Bais Medrash in Lakewood or in Kollel in Jerusalem and feel that all your learning, your Torah, your chesed and mitzvos is because you're such a naturally good frum person and a gaon olam who's a big masmid and is sacrificing the world and gashmiyus for that avoda. Your sacrifice to make yourself feel good and meaningful is no different than the soldier who as well gives up this world to go fight for his meaning and sacrifice and sense of worth and genius. At the end of the day, it's still attributing it all to your kochi- your strength. You're not realizing it's just a goral. It's where Hashem placed you.

 

The second criterion once one has understood themselves, once they've found their "kamocha" is to then find it in the rest of our holy nation. To understand what their goral is. They are rey'acha because Hashem is their Ra'ayah as well. He is their friend. He is their shepherd. We're all His sheep. The verses before the mitzva of loving your friend begins with the fascinating uniquely Jewish perspective. Goyim say don't judge anyone. Don't be so judgy. Its not good to be judgey lest you yourself be judged. That's not what the Torah tells and teaches us. The goyishe approach is to live and let live. Judaism and the Torah doesn't believe in that. In fact quite the opposite. The Torah demands that we judge everyone. It's natural. It's the way we were built. Yet here comes the hard part.

 

B'tzedek tishopt amisecha- Judge them with tzedek. Find them righteous. As Rashi tells us

 

Hevei dan es kol adam l'kaf zechus- One should judge their friend favorably to the side of merit.  

 

Our job is to judge favorably. To look at them and see in them that same spark that you found in yourself. To see the Ani Hashem in him as well. To realize that if you were in his boat, if you had his goral, you might be the same way. Yet, you weren't. You were given a different goral. You are more blessed. Hashem put you in a different place. Why? It's not because of anything special about you. It's not because of anything you've done or deserved. It's because He has a job for you here. It's hochayach tochayach es amisecha- It's perhaps to show and share with your unfortunate friend, what he's missing. What he can become. How great and holy and how special he is as well. To help him find the Ani Hashem inside himself as well.

 

When one comes with that approach, the verses that follow are natural. You won't hate your brother in your heart, you won't want to take revenge, won't want to spite him or embarrass him. He's just as holy as you. Doing so would be a chilul Hashem of the godliness within him. It would be embarrassing or desecrating Hashem. Being spiteful to Him. And in doing so, hurting yourself as well. Not judging him favorably. Living and let living, or god forbid doing worse by looking down and shaming or excoriating him is standing by on his blood. It's draining him of the life force that needs to be revealed within him. It's minimizing the shechina in the world. And thus yourself in the process.

 

Each day of this holy month of Iyar we count. We add a number each day. We get closer and closer. Each day we build on the previous one. We're on a journey to Sinai. Each day we move further and further from Egypt from being constrained to being free. To moving beyond this world. To the complete redemption. It's a job that is meant to be done in the field. It's the counting of that Omer. It's uplifting that barley offering and the old wheat and coming to the chadash- the new wheat. On Shavuot, the offering we bring is the shnai ha'lechem- the two loaves of bread. Lechem is gematria 78. The shnai Ha'lechem is the years of 78. May this 78^th year of Hashem blessing us with our own State to return to, be the one that we finally merit to bring that together with Him in His home rebuilt.

 

Have a holy Shabbos,

 

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz 

 

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YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

 

" Besser zikh tsu vintshen aider yenem tsu shelten."– Better to pray for yourself than to curse another.

 

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNIadAMPp6M – Amazing Reb Asher Weiss on Israeli Soldier shaylas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsidUkVq1eQ   - If you have time an amazing great and Fun interview/podcast with my buddy Michael and Eli Friedman about Aliyah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziVmUK6r6_Q&list=RDziVmUK6r6_Q&start_radio=1&t=50s    - Here's Kempeh's whole new acapella album starting off with that amazing Ohr Ein Sof

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6NDclFLRSs   – Baruch Levine latest Acapella Release album the longing for "We are one".

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

 

29. A spring in which the emanation of water occurs intermittently is called a __________ spring

Which of the following public struggles in Israel has failed?

A. The struggle to provide access to the shores of the Sea of Galilee 

B. The struggle to prevent the privatization of the Dead Sea Works 

C. The struggle to preserve wildflowers

D. The struggle to prevent construction in Jerusalem's Gazelle Valley     

  

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

Hallel Post Purim?- 352 BC- We know the story of Purim in a nutshell. They tried to kill us. We won. Let's eat and drink. The part that we sometimes forget is how the "we won" part happened. There was no ceasefire or Trump. It was the Jews that took up swords and guns and slaughtered 75,000 anti-Semites around the world. Men, women and children. We killed them. Not in Israel. But in Iran. In Poland. In The Hague and in Gracie Mansion. We killed them all. And that's what we celebrate. Think about that at your next peace rally. It wasn't Mashiach. It wasn't King David's army. It wasn't Chasmonaim and Maccabees. It was good Jews with guns that understood what self- defense and pre-emptive strikes on heir enemies and neighbors that want to kill them if they had the chance. It was Hamas lovers. And it was understanding that we can't rely on the goyim to do the job for us….

 

But in the end we were saved. It was miraculous. So we celebrate. What about saying Hallel? As the gemara puts it. If when we left Egypt from slavery to freedom and we say Hallel so certainly when we go from death and genocide to life? So why not say Hallel? And on that note- and pay attention to the answers of the Gemara here- how does this apply to saying Hallel on the miracles of today? Of Yom Ha'Atzmaut?

 

So the gemara gives three reasons why we don't say Hallel on Purim. Reb Chiya Bar Avin says the reason is because once we entered the land of Israel miracles that take place in any other land is not worthy of saying Hallel in. Perhaps because our entire existence there is meaningless. It's sad. It's like Hashem changing the lightbulb in your prison cell, or your tunnel in Gaza or Lakewood or Volozhin. It's not anything worthy of saying Hallel for. What would that mean in regards to miracles here today? You tell me…

The next reason given is Rav Nachman who says that the reading of the Megilla is actually the Hallel and takes its place. If that's the case then it would seem that the recital of Hallel is in fact obligatory even today in circumstances of death to life salvation like that story. Or like 1948 when we were outnumbered by 5 armies 10 times the size and for 1967 as well in the Six-day war and perhaps even with thousands of ballistic missiles falling on us today.

 

The third reason given by Rava is that when we left Egypt we were no longer slaves of Pharaoh, but today we're still slaves of Achashveirosh. We remained slaves under Persia even in the first part of the return to Israel post- Achashveirosh and then we were slaves to Greece, until we became independent after the war and miracle of the Jewish army Chanuka time. Chanuka is our first Yom Ha'atzmaut and Hallel was said on the miracles of that day! As the Rambam notes Jewish sovereignty was restored for 200 years. Seemingly Jewish sovereignty over Israel is a reason to recite Hallel on miracles.

 

That period ended with Rome taking back control. Rome incidentally took control because we invited them in and asked them to help us with our problems. The question today though perhaps is are we still slaves to Rome? To Achashveirosh? To Trump? Are we free and sovereign to do what we need to do to make this a Jewish country. Are we free to destroy all of the idolatry from the land and certainly from Jerusalem? The churches, the mosques to expel and execute our enemies? If your answer is yes… then according to Rava you should say Hallel. If it’s no, we can't do that… Then According to the first two opinions you should say it anyways. Afterall any salvation of genocide is worthy of saying Hallel and certainly if its in the land of Israel.

 

I'm not a posek. Certainly not yours. But for those that don't say Hallel, because they see that golden pimple on the Temple Mount and say we're still in galus and jail… Then they need to do something about that. They need to truly long to bring that day and do whatever they can to make it happen. To come, to vote, to declare an end to this tyranny and to daven for the day of the fall of Rome…. When we can finally declare Hashem's sovereignty on the land.

 

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S TERRIBLE MEDITATION JOKES OF THE WEEK

 

What do you call a meditation retreat? A concentration camp… (we're off to a bad start..)

 

I tried to get a job teaching meditation. But I didn't have a good inner view

 

If I were a farmer, how would I measure my height? From my head, tomatoes.

 

A man's wife decides to take up meditation, among other things

The man asked his wife why she was doing meditation. And she answered that she was feeling lost and trying to find herself.

So the man went and printed out a map of their local area, then made a pen mark where their house was on the map with a caption that said "You are here". Then presented the map put in a picture frame to his wife.

 

A pond would tell you about introspection. if it wasn't so busy self-reflecting.

 

I bought my wife a book on Mindfulness...... but she didn't appreciate the present.

 

A Dolphin meets the Buddha. The Buddha says you may ask me any question young dolphin and I shall answer for you.The Dolphin thinks about what he should ask and after several minutes of soul searching he ask the Buddha "What is my Porpoise in life?"

 

I recently took up meditation. It beats sitting around doing nothing.

 

Yankel has just reached his 110th birthday. A reporter comes to his birthday party and says, “Excuse me, sir, but how did you come to be so old?”

Yankel replies, “It’s easy. The secret is never to argue with anyone.”

The reporter is not impressed. “That’s insane!” he says. “It has to be something else – diet, meditation, or ‘something.’ Just not arguing won’t keep you alive for 110 years!”

Yankel looks at the reporter and says, “Y’know, maybe you’re right.”

A humble monk sits at the peak of a hill that overlooks where the grassy Earth meets a river, and the river flows with the breeze, and the breeze explores a mountain range, and the mountains neighbor the sky, and the sky conceals the entire universe, hiding the unknown in plain sight. Softly, the monk exhales "Ooooomm".

He repeats this until a noise, very quietly, breaks his chant.

"moo."

The monk stops for a moment, and without changing his position, dismisses it. "Ooooooommm."

He begins again. Slightly longer this time, he's interrupted again, "moooo."

The monk turns to find a cow looking up at him from the bottom of the hill. "Kind cow," the monk says, "please do not interrupt my meditation."

The cow stares blankly back at the monk. The monk sighs and continues.

"Oooooommmm-"

Even louder, "Mmmooooooooo."

"Dear cow, I must reach enlightenment. Please, refrain from making your cow noises or find another hill."

The monk continues again, "Oooooooommmm-"

"MMMmmoooooooooooO!" The cow exclaims.

The monk stands up angrily, "Cow! Why must you interrupt my chanting?"

The cow replies, "Because you're saying it backwards!

 

Tired of the modern world, a businessman visited a monastery to seek a simpler life

Entering the monastery, he saw monks in simple robes practicing their meditations and tending to the grounds.

"Ahh," he thought, "here is a life free from distraction!"

But walking into the study halls, he discovered monks staring into laptops. In the wings, he saw monks typing on iPads. Shaken by this intrusion of the outside world into monastic life, he sought out the abbot.

The abbot looked up from his phone, greeted the man and asked if he had a question.

"Abbot, I came here expecting a place free from distraction, and yet I see distraction all around. Tell me, is it now acceptable for monks to spend their time answering emails?"

"Of course," said the abbot, "provided there are no attachments."

 

The Police Officer fronted the press conference. "A major incident happened at the Goodsprings Buddhism and Yoga Retreat this morning. To put it frankly, it was a bloodbath,” explained the Commissioner.

A sea of hands go up from the journalists.

“When did this happen, and why?” asked the first.

The Commission replied “Pre-meditation.”

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The answer to this week's question is B– So this was one of those interesting questions that would have been easier in Hebrew than English. The correct answer is a rhythmic spring, a term I never really learned or knew. Although it’s a pretty easy one. I knew there was a term for it. I thought it was called a kziv spring, which means that its false, not always reliable. I was wrong. The correct term is nachal po'em- which means rhythm. The gichon by Ir Dovid is one as well as Mabua and there are many more. The second part though was easy. Israel did the Gazelle and the wildflowers and plenty of beach accesss by the Kineret. And of course the Dead Sea Cabal breakup is never going to happen. Because we can improve and fix Hashem's world. But we can't stop scandal crime and government shmutz and beuaracracy and payoffs. Oh well… Mashiach will take care of that.  So half right and wrong on this one score is no Rabbi Schwartz having a 20.5 points and the MOT having 8.5 points on this latest Ministry of Tourism exam.