from the
Holy Land
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend in Karmiel"
June 13th 2013 -Volume 3, Issue 33–5th of Tamuz 5773
Parshas Chukas
Well
Songs
I sing in the shower. Maybe it’s the pounding beat of the
spray on my body, that delicious cleansing power of water running down my head,
the echoes of the walls or maybe I'm just happy that somebody remembered to
leave the "Dood" (hot water boiler switch that needs to be turned on
in this highly advanced third world country that still hasn't figured out how
to provide hot water all the time yet sigh..) on. Regardless water makes me
sing. It's not only me I imagine. Some of you readers I'm sure are also "water
"closet singers. Truth is my experience as a tour guide as well has taught
me that when you are on a hike in Israel and you hear some loud singing coming
up ahead of you in general it is a sign you are near some type of waterfall. Underneath
the glorious cascading dalls inevitably you will see some crazy Israeli teens
jumping up and down or some yeshiva students and than some americans on the
side wondering if it is dangerous and taking pictures and arguing with their
children whether they need life jackets or not to go in. Yet the hills are
truly alive at that moment with the sound of music…
Yet with all the singing that takes place under water I have
yet to find anyone that sings what should be the most popular song to sing
while frolicking in the water. That would be the first and only biblical song
that this week's Torah portion tells us the Jewish people composed in honor of
the miraculous well that provided them with water in the wilderness for forty
years- Shirat Ha'Be'er -the song of the well. Perhaps it is because no
great Jewish singer has yet to come up with a tune for it. Perhaps it's because
like most of my readers, most of us don't know the song by heart and those that
do probably don't find it too inspiring. We know the song of the sea that the
Jewish people sang when we left Egypt. It's part of our daily morning prayers.
Many of us know the song of the Torah portion of Ha'azinu that Hashem commands Moshe to
write and "place in their mouths" so that it will be for us
eternally. After-all we read it annually the Shabbat right before or after Yom
Kippur when everyone is still paying attention to the Torah reading as those
New Year's resolutions last at least that long. But somehow the song of the
Well has been forgotten. And that is something we have to do something about.
The truth is out of all of
the biblical songs, mentioned above, the song of the well in the Torah's introduction
to it describes it as one that we are perhaps most obligated to remember
"About this it shall
be said in the books of the wars of Hashem" and Rashi's comment is that
when we are meant to recall the miracles Hashem performed for our forefathers
we should relate this miracle and song. He adds even more than that. "Just
as we are meant to remember the miracles of Splitting of the Sea, so too we are meant to remember the miracle of
the valley of Arnon" (where this song was composed). Now I know that
all of us have a whole holiday to remember the splitting of the sea and some
great and not so great Hollywood movies to help us visualize it, but what about
Nachal Arnon? Where is our song and commemoration that Rashi dictates we must
remember? Perhaps even more perplexing is why did we have to wait until the end
of our 40 year sojourn in the wilderness to sing this song. After all this well
miraculously accompanied the Jewish people throughout our whole trek. As well
(excuse the punJ) we find many miracles in wilderness,
the clouds of glory, the manna and the miraculous battles, yet it is only for
the well that we ever composed a song. If it is that important shouldn't we be
singing about it a little more?
Perhaps it's not our fault.
Unlike the other songs in the Torah the song of the well isn't framed in the
traditional style of a song with a separation of the lyrics. It also has no
refrain, as the song of the sea did. In fact if one looks in Torah you have to
search pretty hard to find the few verses that compose this song. Yet it's
about time we learned it and perhaps even got some inspiration from the only
song in the Torah sung and composed spontaneously by our ancestors. So here we
go close your eyes start humming your favorite tune and then insert the
following words…(if you need help with a tune you can scroll down to RABBI
SCHWARTZ'S YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK for my favorite tune this weekJ)
Then Israel sang this song:
“Spring up, O well!
Sing about it,
about the well that the princes dug,
that the nobles of the people sank—
the nobles with scepters and staffs.
Sing about it,
about the well that the princes dug,
that the nobles of the people sank—
the nobles with scepters and staffs.
There it is. Are you
inspired? You’d think after the big build up I just gave you that it would be
something more. Maybe that's why we haven't been too big in the music business.
What is this song really about? What is the miracle of Arnon?
So Rashi and the medrash
share with us that the impetus that led
to the composition of this song was the battle that never happened. We were
camped as the previous verses tell us on the other side of the Jordan river and
the Emorite nation wishing to prevent our entry to the land camped out in the
cliffs of Moav to attack us. Miraculously, we are told, Hashem shook the earth
causing the mountatins to collide and smushing (so much more Jewish than
smashing) the Emorites in the middle. This was a miracle we would have never
known about. Yet Hashem sent the rolling well into the valley and the blood of our
would-be murderers flowed around the camp. It was at that moment that we broke
out in the above song.
Rav Mordechai Alon suggests
a fascinating insight into this song and miracle. He notes that most of our Torah
portion which contains the story of the Jewish people before we entered the
land in year 40, corresponds to the first portion of our Exodus in Parshat
Beshalach. We have the Jews complaining about the food again. We have an attack
by the Cananite/Amalek, another water crisis with Moshe hitting the rock
instead of talking it to and of course we have the song of the Sea and the
Well. The difference between the two narratives is that whereas at the start of
our Exodus the Jewish people had miracles performed for them via Moshe and
Aharon and in the merit of their forefathers, at this point is was time for
them to stand on their own; to recognize their own greatness and potential and
to acknowledge that we had what it takes and we were connected to Hashem enough
to move forward and conquer the land.
Aharon dies, Miriam dies, Moshe is not allowed
to bring the Jews into the land. Yet miracles can and would still be performed
for them. They are loved by Hashem and protected. The miracle of the cliffs of Arnon and its
subsequent revelation via the well showed them that even after Miriam and
Aharon had passed they have within the merit and potential to achieve that
special Divine care. It is perhaps for this reason that Moshe was so severely
punished in hitting the rock rather than speaking to it. The wellspring for
miracles within the Jewish nation had already been dug and uncovered. There was
no longer any need to force it. It just needed to be spoken to and coaxed. We
were that well. Our ancestors, our experiences and miracles in the wilderness
had given us all that we need. We had within us the power to conquer the land.
And thus we broke out in song. A song to the well we found in ourselves. A song
that perhaps we have forgotten…
The miracles of that last
year in the wilderness was the transformative experience for our nation. It gave
us the strength to eventually conquer that land. To wage wars that all odds,
besides the Divine, were against us ever winning. We had faith in Hashem and in
His love for us and our potential to create that special country and Nation
that was our destiny to create. Yet with time we forgot the song. It wasn't
standing out in the Torah like the other songs. It has to be searched for. It
is a song each Jew has to seek as he studies and grows and builds that special
relationship of love with our Father, our Creator. It can be found in the Book
of Wars that Hashem fights for us on a personal and daily basis. Perhaps even
in the ones we don't even know about unless we hear that song of the well. Yet
if we can sing that song once again and have the faith and confidence of a nation that knows that
with Hashem's eternal love for us we can rightfully return and claim our place
in the world…see the redemption…return to Israel…be victorious once again.
Have a transformative
Shabbos,
Rabbi
Ephraim Schwartz
RABBI SCHWARTZES QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"The bad part about singing your heart out in the shower is watching it go down the drain"
- Susan Gale.
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RABBI SCHWARTZ YOUTUBE LINK OF THE WEEK
·
WARNING*This song will make you smile but will stick in your brain
SINGIN'G IN THE BATHTUBhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rj5OQirHfY
************************************
RABBI
SCHWARTZES TOUR GUIDE COURSE QUESTION OF THE WEEK
(answer below)
What is the leading site of
the Society for the Perservation of Israel Heritage sites where illegal
immigration (ha'apala) is commemorated?
(a) Atlit
(b) Nahariya
(c) Giv'at Olga
(d) Nitsanim
Caliber
3-Efrat-A super
cool place and experience, although not cheap (actually kind of expensive) Caliber
3 is not just a shooting range where your whole family (any age!!!) can shoot
handguns, rifles and snipers. It is a actually one of the top counter-terrorism
training centers in the world where Navy Seals and special forces from all over
the world come to learn from Israeli expertise that has developed much to our
sorrow in this area. American tourists can come here with their passports and
will learn hands-on firsthand from experts in the field about the skills and dangers
that make this essential section of Israels defense forces unique. You will
train learn how to handle (and respect) the weapons that you will be using and
then you will practice your skills with live ammo on the range. A truly unique
one of a kind experience only in Israel.
Answer is A- The Atlit detainee camp (a
previously described Rabbi Schwartz cool place in Israel and I quote from there)-
As you make your way up the coast of Israel a little before Haifa one can visit
the historic refugee camp of Atlit for an experience in what true dedication to
come to Israel felt like. After WWI when many Jews assisted the British in
fighting against our common enemy in exchange they were promised with the
Balfour declaration a Jewish State. The British reneged on their deal creating
the infamous White paper limiting Jewish immigration to Israel. But we were not
to be stopped. Illegal boats smuggling in Jews brought thousands of Jews home.
Yet many were stopped and captured by the British and kept in this camp to be
sent to Cyprus or other countries that wouldn't take.
As one walks through the camp one can
see the showers and sanitation centers that they first came to and can imagine
how those who had just experienced the horrors of the holocaust must have
viewed these barbed wire chimney stacked rooms. One can view the barracks where
they stayed and see the graffiti on the wall of survivors looking for the
relatives. A small hike to the shore brings the visitor to a recreation of one
of the many refugee boats where you can watch a super short film experiencing
what the trip and conditions were like for those who smuggled into Israel. At
the end of the tour one can visit the room where they have computerized
archives of those that were in the camp as well as hearing the story of the
famous breakout on October 1945 led by Yitzchak Rabin.
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