Insights and Inspiration
from the
Holy Land
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend in Karmiel"
from the
Holy Land
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend in Karmiel"
December 28th 2012 -Volume 3,
Issue 12 –15th of Tevet 5772
Parshas VaYechi
The Beginning of the End
Did
you survive? I'm still here. It was a close call though. I mean who would've of
thought that that great bastion of wisdom and prophecy, the Mayan's, and their
apocalypse would be wrong? For those who don't know what I'm talking about, the
ancient Mayan civilization's calendar concluded on December 21st of this
year, leading many with not much purpose in their lives to predict and prepare
for the "end of the world". Incredibly according to our dear friend
Wikipedia
"
In May 2012, an Ipsos poll of 16,000 adults in 21 countries found that 8
percent had experienced fear or anxiety over the possibility of the world
ending in December 2012, while an average of 10 percent agreed with the
statement "the Mayan calendar, which some say 'ends' in 2012, marks the
end of the world", with responses as high as 20 percent in China, 13
percent in Russia, Turkey, Japan and Korea, and 12 percent in the United
States, where sales of private underground blast shelters increased noticeably
from 2009".
I
guess the Mayan's were wrong. Maybe their calendar ended- as a friend of mine put
it- because they ran out of "inca"… oyyy…
But
once we're on the topic of the end of the world, let's take a peek at this week's
Torah portion, (maybe that's the reason the Mayans picked this week for their
prediction- they knew I needed something to write about). And what do you know?
We have no less of a figure than our forefather Yaakov on his death-bed trying
to tell his children
"What
will happen to you at the end of days".
Rashi
notes though, how when one examines the following blessings that Yaakov gives
to his children though there is no sign of when the end of the days will come
or what will happen then. Talk about a tease… The truth is Rashi says that
Yaakov wanted to tell them, yet he was over-ruled by Hashem. "the
Divine spirit left him". The information suddenly became highly
classified. And until today the when and what of what the coming of moshiach
and redemption will be like is shrouded in mystery.
Yet
that hasn't stopped Jews from trying to figure out when that will happen. The Talmud
tells us that the timeframe of the world is a macrocosm of the 6 days of
Creation. There will be 6000 years of the world's existence (according to the
Jewish calendar this culminates in the secular calendar equivalent of the year
2240). The classic work of Jewish mysticism, the Zohar talks about how just as
before Shabbos man prepares himself for Shabbos so to before the 6000th
year is up there will also be preparations and a hearkening of Mashiach.
From
the start of that 6th millennium in 1240 (the evening of that
"last day") the Ramban/Nachmanides (who came to Israel) and other
great Jewish leaders have predicted and seen the opportunity for the potential
redemption. Many sages have calculated
that last few hundred years of that "day" and the morning, afternoon and
twilight periods of that millennium and seen historic events that were
prologues to the redemption. The morning is when the light of Kabbala of the
ARI"ZL start to develop (1540 ish). The pogroms of the Chimlinizki
revolution which wiped out of 1/3 of the Jewish population in 1640's the
messianic movement that followed of Shabtai Tzvi were also misconstrued as
harbinger of the redemption. In the 1740's we find the start of the Chasidic
movements and the following Aliyot to Israel by the students of the Baal Shem
Tov and the Gaon of Vilna. The 1840's saw the start of the industrial
revolution and based on verses in Song of Songs (Kol HaTor Nishma
B'artzeinu- the voice of pigeons are heard in the land- Tor being the year
1840) many felt the redemption was imminent. The 1940's were the Holocaust and
the from ashes to the re-birth founding of the State of Israel. Yet Mashiach is
still not here- notwithstanding what some may claim after the recent American
election J. We are still waiting… although
most of us have given up on trying figuring out exactly when. Yet every so
often we get an E-Mail, a link, a prediction or a current event on the news
that tickles that natural Jewish inclination. Is it now? Could it be? Does it
really say that in that verse… this year…this war… this leader? Has the day
finally arrived?
How
much simpler it would've been had Yaakov revealed that date to us, when our
Exile would finally be over when we would finally be redeemed. So why wasn't it
revealed? Or was it?
If
one takes a look at the blessings that Yaakov gives his children, the 12 tribes
of Israel, after he is unsuccessful in telling them the end of days, one can
see that within each blessing lays a hint of future events. Reuvein's losing of
the birthright, Shimon and Levi's future rebellion (Zimri and Korach) Yehudah's
leadership, the future prophets and leaders that will come from the tribes of
Yosef, Dan and Binyamin. The blessings also include words of rebuke and deep
insights into each of his children's personalities, strengths, and weaknesses
giving them the "roadmap" they would need to achieve their own
personal and our national fulfillment. Mashiach will come when we are able to achieve
the mandate he gave them
"Hi'Asfu- gather together…and I
will tell you. HiKabtzu- form a group (like the word kibbutz) and
listen children of Yaakov; listen to Yaakov your father."
From
that moment on we have longed for that day. Only Hashem knows when the Acharis
Ha'Yamim- the final end of days will be. But our sages tell us that it is
in our hands to bring the end earlier. The keitz- the finish of our
Exile will happen when we can all, as 12 tribes, as a nation achieve our
personal greatness that will bring it closer; when we hearken to the final
words of our ancestor Yaakov.
Rabbi
Noach Weinberg used to tell his students to observe people coming off a roller
coaster ride. At first they giggle and laugh then there is a somber silence for
a few minutes and then they try to find the next ride to go on. He suggested
that what happens is that people laugh and are relieved that they are still
alive they have experienced an encounter with death. Suddenly they then are
forced to think about what this new gift of life means for their lives. What
will they do differently? What are they meant to accomplish? Why are we here
for? They are silent. It is momentarily troubling. The solution? Let's find
another ride to distract me from the reality of living.
We
Jewish people don't need an apocalypse to wake us up. Each week we have a
Shabbos when we leave the mundane of this world and elevate ourselves to a
higher place and return to our blessings and to our Divine mission. Our sages
tell us that the Gematria/numerological value of Acharis Hayamim/End
of days is the same as Teshuva/ returning. We await Mashiach daily for
that day that will be completely Shabbos. The day of rest for the world. The
day when we can return to Hashem and see His Kingdom once again complete on
this world. Yaakov told us how we can accomplish our mission by focusing on our
personal areas of growth and becoming the united chosen nation of Hashem. The
day is not far. Our belief and our actions will bring it closer. May we merit
to see and celebrate in it soon.
Have
a Shabbos as if it was the first of your new life,
Rabbi
Ephraim Schwartz
*****************************************RABBI SCHWARTZ MAYAN VIDEO OF THE WEEK
(see if you can make out the song at 40 seconds)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZTkWWEbe-s
Something you didn’t know about Santa
************************************
RABBI
SCHWARTZES TOUR GUIDE COURSE QUESTION OF THE WEEK
(answer below)
The
updated Coastal Plain Plan prohibits construction at a distance of less than:
50 meters from the coast(a)
(b) 100 meters from the coast
(c) 300 meters from the coast
(d) The law sets not limitations
RABBI SCHWARTZ COOL PLACES IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK-
Shechem/
grave of Yosef – Not a place one can visit today sadly enough, although
ironically it is one of the three cities (along with Jerusalem and hebron) that
the Talmud tells us that that the non-jews could never have a claim against the
jewish peoples ownership over as all three traditions believe in the authenticity
of the bible that explicitly tells us that they were purchased for full paymen
by our ancestor. Today once can overlook the city from the mt. of Gerizim
and visit the tomb of our forefather Yosef buried there.
Modern
Shechem is the 2nd largest Palestinian city and was formerly a
Byzanine capital built by Vespasian called Neapolis after he destroyed the
Temple. It was handed over to the Palestinans in 1995 Oslo accords with the
understanding that its religious sites would be open to all three religions.
However very shortly afterwards with the outbreak of the intifada the tomb and
yeshiva built there was vandalized and burned by our cousins… Rabbi Hillel
Lieberman (a cousin of the US Senator Joe Lieberman) was murdered upon assessing
the damage done. Along with Yosef's grave there is two pillars that tradition tell us
are the graves of Ephraim and Menashe his two children that were buried with
him and the well of Yaakov who first camped in this city and created a monetary
system and wells for its inhabitants. Shechem was the first city Avraham came
to when he first came to Israel as well as where Joshua came with the Jewish
people on their way up to Mt. Gerizim and Eival upon our entrance in Israel. In
Kabbala the first letters of the name B'Shechem stand for Baruch Shem Kvod
Malchuso-Blessed is God's name and his kingdom. Maybe we see it revealed once
again soon.
******************************
RABBI SCHWARTZ MAYAN QUOTES OF THE WEEK
(I Am not making this stuff up)
Nya b’a’n tu’n tnicy’in yol mo tu’n t-xi tewin jun ti’la cywutz ttijila, ku’n nokx ti’la c-ocila k’o’niy.-It is not good to lie or hide anything from your parents because you don’t know what they will change into.
Nya
b’a’n tu’n t-xi t-xon tsmal twiy, t-xcy’aka, mo tstey, ku’n ka mina× i jet aj
tcyima, ocx cok’ila cyi’j.-It is not good to throw away your hair, fingernails
or teeth because if you don’t find them upon your death, you will regret it.
Nya
b’a’n tu’n tchub’ key toj b’e, ku’n nlay ch’iyl twe-It’s not good that you sit
on the road because you will no longer grow
Nya b’a’n tu’n twa’n toj chuj, ku’n b’e’x cy-elil chuj tc’u’ja.-It is not good to eat in the bath or your stomach will grow that size.
**********************
Answer
Answer is C- 300 m. or at least I think it is… This is a classic case of the ministry of Tourism playing with my mind (or maybe they are not sure themselves what is the right answer). According to the Protection of the coastline of Israel act of 2004 the law states that "a 100 meter stretch from the coast is prohibited in building and specifies that any construction or building improvement within a 300 meter line will be subject to a strict and specific permitting restriction." What do you think is the right answer?
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