Insights and Inspiration
from the
Holy Land
from
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend in Karmiel"
February
13th 2015 -Volume 5, Issue 16 -24th of Shvat 5775
Parshat Mishpatim/Shekalim
(A
golden oldie from back in Seattle as I am in the States now for a Simcah was
last week as well and couldn't send out an Email…sorry..and touched that so
many of you noticed..)
The Whole Truth
Do you swear to tell
the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God? It was
just another day in the Seattle Municipal Courthouse, that I recall from a few
years ago when I lived in that city. Can someone explain to me why everyone who
comes into court to fight a traffic ticket thinks they are auditioning for Law
and Order? Why absolutely no one that I have watched take that oath on the
stand had any intention of telling the truth.
It's almost like
those security airport questions. Has your luggage been out of your sight at
all since you packed it? (I can barely keep track of my three kids you think
I'm watching my luggage). Or has anyone given you any packages to take? (I'm
going to Israel , darling is there anybody I know that hasn't
given me something to take is a much better question to ask!) Yet I remember sitting
and watching each defendant try to
explain "how the light was really yellow", "how my car really
stopped fully- the officer just didn't see it", "how I know I was
sober I only had one drink at noon". It was going to be a long morning… as
I waited my turn. So I started preparing the Torah reading for the weekly
Parsha instead.
The weekly portion of
Mishpatim seemed quite timely here in the courthouse. It contains a
significant portion of the gamut of Jewish law; Damages, Torts, Witnesses,
indentured Servants. It also contains holiday laws and sacrifices, Shabbat and
Sabbatical year laws, Kosher laws, Witchcraft, Bestiality, respect for parents,
Charity and caring and sensitivity for the poor and the orphans. The Parsha it
seems is a virtual "chulent" of all aspects of Jewish law. In fact
the first word of this Parsha "And these are the
Laws which you shall place before them" the Midrash understands to be
a continuation of the previous portion. Just as the previous Ten Commandments
and laws mentioned were from Sinai, so too all of these were given at Sinai
too. The Whole Truth.
Reb Elya Meir Bloch,
the founder and Rosh Yeshivah of Telshe Yeshivah in Wickliffe Ohio in the early
1940's, explains the message of the juxtaposition of these laws and the Torah's
need to relate them to their Sinai source. He suggests that there are those
people that look at being religious or observant in terms of the degree of
their ritual performance. How Kosher they are, their Sabbath observance the
sacrifices they may bring. Unfortunately their business dealings may not always
be done with the fullest honesty. "Business is Business". The
not-always- such "white" lies and the disregard for the moral
implications of ones business and ethical practices for the sake of the
"bottom" line instead of the "higher" road. To those the
Torah goes out of its way to say "AND these are the laws". Your
business practices are just as Sinai oriented and Divine as "I am the Lord
your God". In fact they are a result of them. One who is not upright or
observant or yes, even religious in their business practices the Talmud states
is denying that God is the one who provides for all needs and stating that his
livelihood as comes a result of any of man's manipulations. Thus the
demand is always for Nothing but the Truth.
The opposite is true
as well. The premise of the Torah, of Sinai, is that all of the ritual laws and
observances were said at Sinai together with Thou shall not steal or murder.
Judaism declares that there is no difference as to the source of the mitzvah to
observe the Shabbos or the Kosher laws to those that speak about social justice
and caring for the poor and freeing slaves. Traditional Judaism always
understood that there is the only one unchanging Truth. It was not something
that man created that could be further amended with the consistently changing
times, desires and morals of the prevailing culture. When our all-knowing
Father declared His system of the purpose and fulfillment of life to our
grandparents at the foot of the mountain as being Eternal, He really meant it. So
help me God.
There are many amazing
stories of our great leaders and teachers who lived and strove their entire
lives to abide by the truth. They understood what the great Chasidic master Reb
Zusha homiletically understood in the mitzvah of this parsha -Midvar Sheker
Tirchak- From matters of falsehood -be distanced. Reb Zusha explained
it as being read as not just a warning but rather as a consequence; one becomes
distanced when one is not living the truth. The early 12th century
commentary Rabbeinu Bachya explains that is the understanding of the verse in
the Ashrei prayer Karov Hashem L'Chol Koruv L'Chol,-Asher Yi'Kreoo'Hu
B'Emet- God is close to all those who call out to him. Those who call out to
Him and are of Truth.
I recall hearing a
story once about Rav Bengis one of the leaders of the Eidah Charedis in
Jerusalem who was asked to sign a letter of protest to the Israeli government
back in the day when there was a move to forcibly draft Jewish women in the
Israeli military service. When the letter that was brought to him, signed
already by many of the great Rabbis of Israel of the time he sat and read it
quite a few times before putting down his pen closing his eyes and beginning to
cry. His student fearing that perhaps the Rabbi was conflicted about
signing asked him what was his hesitation. He responded to the question in a
lesson of truth that we can strive for.
"I have no
hesitation about signing my students" the Rabbi said. "It is
important that this letter which will protect the modesty and sanctity of our
daughters be sent out. Rather my hesitation stems from the line the concluding
line that one Rabbi wrote that says Hachosmim Bi'Dema- tearfully signed
by the following Rabbis."
"I have as of
yet not shed tears on this matter and therefore it would be dishonest of me to
sign unless I had. I therefore had to pause and contemplate the severe
ramifications of this conscription in order to sign the letter in truth."
How often do we sign
our letters Sincerely Yours or Yours Truly? Do we really mean it? How often do
we satisfy ourselves with larger and less tangible aspects of good that makes
us comfortable and distance ourselves from the little more difficult
truths that are just as significant and are all part what it means to be a
nation of God -a Nation of Truth.
We took an oath 3,327
years ago to live to that truth; the whole truth and Nothing but the truth.
How
do you plead?
Have a marvelous Shabbos,
Rabbi
Ephraim Schwartz
**********************
RABBI
SCHWARTZ'S YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK
FUNNY LIE DECECTIVE-KIDS ON A FAKE LIE DETECTOR…
AND A SECOND ONE
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S FAVORITE QUOTES OF THE WEEK
“I know you think you
believe you understand what you thought I said, but I am not sure you realize
that what you heard is exactly what I meant.”- Richard Nixon
“Reports that say that something hasn't
happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known
knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known
unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But
there are also unknown unknowns- the ones we don't know we don't know.” ― Donald
Rumsfeld
RABBI
SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK
(answer below at end of Email)
Q. In which century did most of the
Circassians arrive in Israel?
A.
19
B.
18
C.
17
D.
16
RABBI
SCHWARTZ'S COOL MIDRASH OF THE WEEK
I'm at a
wedding this evening and there is a fascinating Midrash about the protocol for
a wedding based on the verse mentioned above about falsehood and a discussion
between the two schools of Shamai and Hillel.
"How does one dance before the bride? Beit Shammai says describes the bride as she
actually is. Beit Hillel says 'A
beautiful and graceful bride.'
Beit Shammai said to Beit Hillel: Say she is
lame or blind; we say to her, 'A beautiful and graceful bride'?! But the Torah said, 'You shall distance
yourself from matters of falsehood'!
Beit Hillel said to Beit Shammai: According to
your view, one who made a poor purchase in the market – should one praise it
before him, or denigrate it before him?
Surely we would say, he should praise it before him. Beit Hillel therefore says, One's disposition
must be pleasant towards people.
Beit Hillel also argues do we not have here
'beautiful' in terms of her conduct?
Perhaps when we compliment the bride we mean 'beautiful in family
background, graceful in her conduct' – for we do not presume one to be not nice!
Beit Shammai responded: Is it written, 'You
shall distance yourself from sheker [falsehood]'? Rather it says, 'mi-dvar sheker'
['from MATTERS of falsehood'] – implying even plainly if the comment is subject
to various interpretations.
Beit Hillel responds:
Regarding what does the Torah say, 'Mi-dvar sheker tirchak'? Only because of the continuation of the verse,
'do not bring death upon those who are innocent and in the right'; but to
sustain life rather than kill– this is permissible."
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S COOL THINGS TO DO IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK
Appreciate Israel currency – They make the money in ths country to look
like monopoly money so that its easier to spend. But jokes aside it is pretty
amazing that we are using shekels and it has become a world currency and it s
the same types of coins that we find used in the Torah. Israels historic coins
and bills are packed with Jewish history references many of them that are
replicas of coins used in the times of the kings of Israel and during the Bar
Kochva revolt there are some great museums including the Israel museum and
other places in Israel where you can trace the history of Israels ancient coins
and monetary system which is pretty amazing. Today thank God n addition to the
cheap airfares to Israel that you can get the exchange rate is almos 4 to 1 for
a dollar. So you have no excuse…come visit!
******************
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S JOKES OF THE WEEK
A guy
gets pulled over for speeding 88 MPH in a 45 zone. The cop askes for his
drivers license and the guy says, "I'm sorry officer, but my license
was suspended after my 5th DUI."
The cop
askes for his registration and the guy says, "It's in the glove
compartment, but it's not in my name because I stole this car in a car jacking
and I killed the woman that owns the car and stuffed her in the trunk and the
gun I used is in the glove compartment." At this point the cop tells
the guy to keep his hands in sight and he radios for back-up.
When a
supervisor shows up, the cop tells him the story and he walks up to the guy in
the car. The supervisor asks to see the guy's drivers license and the guy hands
it over and it is valid with the guys real name and information.
The
supervisor asks for the registration and the guy says, "It's in the Glove
compartment." The supervisor tells the guy to keep his hands in sight and
walks around to the passenger side and opens the glove compartment. There is the
registration in the guys name and everything seems in order.
Next the
supervisor asks the guy to get out and open the trunk. The guy opens the trunk
and the only thing there is a spare tire.
At this
point the supervisor tells the guy what the other cop had told him. The guy
says "I'll bet that lying cop. told you I was speeding too!"
*************************************************************
Answer
is A: The Circassians, or Tcherkessim- as they call them here in
Israel, is another one of those interesting minority religions/cultures in
Israel. They were brought here by the Turks from the Northern Caucasus where
they were being massacred and expelled by the Tsar in Russia. The Turks as the
sick man of the Ottaman Empire saw in them srong fighters that would protect
their borders. And moved them up to the Galile. They're religion is Sunni
Muslim but they are quite different than the typical muslims, their mosques are
shaped like churches and they are very well educated both men and women have
equal rights and they have a language with like 60 letters in it. Almost all of
them serve in the Israeli army and since they came around the same time as the
first Aliya of Jews from Russia they built great relationships with the Jewish
immigrants that last until today.
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