Insights and Inspiration
from the
Holy Land
from
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend in Karmiel"
July
8th 2016 -Volume 6, Issue 40 2nd Tamuz 5776
Parshat Chukas
Family Values
It’s a funny thing family. There is nobody more important to us in
the world then the people that we are we related to. Our parents, our children
and our siblings, certainly our spouses the one person that we had a choice in
being related to, at least in most cases. I didn’t really give Aliza much of a
choice when I put her on the spot and proposed with a rose in front of the
entire classroom of the kindergarten children she was teaching. Incidentally I think she told me that there
were about 5 proposals that took place the next day between the children. Talk
about one way to solve the Shidduch crisis. But even our non-immediate
relatives, cousins, our uncles and aunts, in-laws and their children. There is
a connection. We share blood. We have a bond that we immediately feel with
them. It’s interesting.
At the same time. There’s nobody that we fight with more, argue
with and challenge more than our family. As the saying goes “There’s no
fight like a family fight”. Many times the fights resolve themselves.
Tragically there are brothers and sisters, parents and children that can’t get
past those disagreements, disappointments and shattered expectations that
inevitably occur from those that are closest to you and they remain estranged
for years. I don’t think there are too many people that I fight with in
general, but when it comes to my parents, my siblings (really just my dear
sisters- No one fights with Gedalia J) and my children, cats
and dogs would be putting it mildly. More like Israel Vs Hamas, The Allies
against the Axis, Cowboys against the Indians, Luke Skywalker and the Jedi
Knight rebels against Darth Vader and the Dark Side; I of course being the
former in all of the above. Nobody can bring out the heightened emotions, the
degree of spitefulness and vitriol then family members. Things we would never
say to others we more often than not can lose ourselves and lash out when it is
those closest to us. But it’s precisely because we are so close, because we
feel that we have so much we have in common, because of that shared family
agenda that we have the greatest expectations. One big happy family, right...?
Or not?
This week’ Torah portion, Chukas, begins with the oddly placed
laws of the red Heifer that purifies from the impurity of death-as seemingly
these laws which were given back in Mara even before the Torah was given
and had applicability, before we brought our Pesach offering, before the
service began in the Mishkan or even in the book of Vayikra with the laws of
purity and sacrifices. It continues with the death of Miriam the water crisis
and Moshe’s mistake of hitting of the rock rather than speaking to it and his
subsequent punishment prohibiting him from entering the land. This is all on
the cusp of us entering the land after the forty years in the wilderness after
the spy debacle, the revolt of Korach and the death of thousands after that
story. It was not a great time for our family. The Torah then introduces us to
our attempts to take a shortcut to get into Israel. PS- there are no shortcuts
as we see.
There are quite a few nations that we approach in this parsha
that we send messages to try to give us passage in our land. Each of them has
different responses with unique nuances. I f we examine them I believe there
are incredible lessons to be learned. The first and easiest way in would be
through Edom. Moshe himself, the Torah tells us, sent the messengers. He writes
them a whole shpiel.
Bamidbar (20:14) So says your
brother Israel, you know all the hardship that befell us. Our
forefathers descended in Egypt and we dwelled in Egypt for many years, and the
Egyptians did evil to us and to our forefather. We cried out to Hashem and He
heard our voice; He sent a malach (messenger) and took us out of
Egypt. Now behold! We are in Kadesh a city at the edge of your border. Let us please
pass through your land…
This is a unique message that we don’t find by any other nation.
The Canaani and Amalek comes out to kill us. The Emori we
also ask and they come out to kill us, as does the giant Og in the Bashan. Next
we will read about Moab and their attempt to curse us with Bilaam. Yet Edom the
descendants of Esau are the only ones that we give this whole history lesson
to. That we call our brothers. The truth is that unlike the Cananani,
the Emori, Amalek, and Og, the nation of Edom had nothing to
worry about as we were prohibited from attacking them. Yet Edom responds
decisively “you shall not pass lest we come out with sword against you”.
And we have to go and wander and try and fight to get back home. It’s family
and the tensions are high.
If one looks at the text the Torah in this narrative echoes a
previous reunion between these two ‘brothers’. The last time we had Yaakov
sending out messengers to Esau, years before. Back in Vayishlach
Bereshis (30:4) And Yaakov send messengers
to Esau his brother to the land of Seir the fields of Edom… So says
your brother Yaakov.
This is almost the same words as here,
messengers, Edom, brothers.
There as well Yaakov gives Esau of history
lesson I dwelled with Lavan, I was persecuted. There as well, Esau comes out
with sword. Over there however, the story ends differently. Yaakov finds mercy
and brotherly affection from Esau. They hug, they cry. There Esau approaches
Yaakov and suggests that they travel together. Both brothers reunited, hand in
hand. Yaakov however demurs.
My Master should please pass before
his servant; I will make my way at my slow pace according to the pace of my
work and the pace of my children until I come to my lord at Seir
Rashi notes that the time that Yaakov would catch up with Esau is
when mashiach will come as the prophet says
V’alu moshi’im b’har tzion- and
the saviors will arise up on the Mount of Zion to mete out justice to the mount
of Esau. And on that day Hashem will be one and His name will be one”
It is fascinating that this reunion could have happened already
before Mashiach at this first time we came into the land of Israel. The Torah
portion this week, which starts of off with the parah aduma temima-pure
red Heifer that brings purity after death, life again to those that have been
tainted by the sadness of the separation from the spirit of the one Hashem.
Edom is red in Hebrew pure is Tam. Esau is Edom- his brother Yaakov is known as
the Tam, the pure, the simple, the complete one. It is only when the two of them
come together that the world will see the oneness of Hashem. Moshe feels the
moment has finally arrived. He sends messages like Yaakov did centuries ago. He
reminds him that we share forefathers, that we are family. That the two of us
together have a shared destiny. The path of the King.
Yet Esau responds with sword. Esau remembers that the blessing of
that shared ancestor Yitzchak was that the power of the Jewish people with
their voice.hHakol kol Yaakov and the hands of are the hands of Esau.
The blessing of Esau is that he shall live by his sword. Edom is telling Moshe
if the time has come for us to reunite, then why did you not use your words
when it came to the rock? Why did you hit it? In the Messianic era one merely
has to talk and the miracles of Hashem will be revealed. The time is not yet.
We will still use our sword. And thus our long journey began.
We ultimately entered Israel, but it was not the Messianic Era. We
came again and had the second Temple and it was again destroyed By Rome the descendants
of our brother Edom/Esau. We are still waiting. Esau is still waiting for us to
redeem our power of words. Our prayer. We have a shared destiny that has begun
with the return to Eretz Yisrael miraculously with the entire world’s
permission this time around. But we still have not merited to have Esau
appreciate and feel confident that we are prepared to create that Beit
Tefila L’Kol Ha’amim- that House of Hashem for all nations. We are still
using the sword of Esau to establish our legitimacy, our soldiers, our army. We
are still hitting the rock, rather than turning our eyes and hearts up to
heaven and realizing our blessing and power is through our words. Through the
truths and light that we should declare to the world. We went to down to Egypt
and the time has come for us to finish the final piece. To bring the shechina
home. To settle that family fight and bring to mankind that oneness that we all
share in the image of our Creator. We are the first-born and it is our role to
share that with the rest of the world. May we soon seen the day where Hashem,
His name and the entire world are one.
Have marvelous Shabbos,
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
*****************
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S VIDEO OF THEWEEK
http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/media_cdo/aid/3294671/jewish/Inside-Operation-Entebbe.htm
– Entebbe inteview
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S
FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK
“A tropn libe brengt a mol a yam trern.”-. A drop of love can bring an ocean of tears.
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S JEWISH PERSONALITY AND HIS
QUOTES IN HONOR OF THE YARTZEIT OF THE WEEK
“To be kind
is more important then to be right. Many times what people need is not a
brilliant mind that speaks but a special heart that listens”
“You cannot add more minutes
to the day, but you can utilize each one to the fullest.”
“If
you see what needs to be repaired and how to repair it, then you have found a
piece of the world that G-d has left for you to complete. But if you one
see what is wrong and how ugly it is, then it is yourself that needs repair.”
Rabbi
Menachem Mendel Schneerson, The Lubavitcher Rebbe 3rd Tamuz
this Shabbos (1902-1994), the seventh leader in the Chabad-Lubavitch
dynasty, is arguably one of the most impactful figures and Jewish leaders of
modern times. To hundreds of thousands of followers and millions of
sympathizers and admirers around the world, he was -- and still is, despite his
passing -- "the Rebbe," undoubtedly, the one individual more than any
other singularly responsible for stirring the conscience and spiritual
awakening of world Jewry.
When I was a young child I attended Camp Gan Israel, a Chabad camp in Kalkaska
Michigan. I hated it. I hated as a result of that the Lubavitch and the Rebbe
movement. It is only recently, tha tpst few years or so, that I have grown up
and truly began to appreciate the incredible teachings, learning and impact
Chabad has had on the world and the greatness of the Rebbe’s vision and
realized dream of spreading Torah and Judaism all over the world.
The Rebbe was
born in 1902 Russia, to the renowned kabbalist, talmudic scholar and leader
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak and Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson. His mother’s courage and
ingenuity became legend when during her husband's exile by the Soviets to a
remote village in Asian Russia she labored to make inks from herbs she gathered
in the fields -- so that Rabbi Levi Yitzchak could continue writing his
commentary on kabbalah and other Torah-subjects.
There is a
story told about the Rebbe's early life that seems to be almost symbolic of
everything that was to follow. When he was nine years old, the young Menachem
Mendel courageously dove into the Black Sea and saved the life of a little boy
who had rowed out to sea and lost control of his small craft. That sense of
"other lives in danger" seems to have dominated his consciousness; of
Jews drowning in assimilation, ignorance or alienation--and no one hearing
their cries for help: Jews on campus, in isolated communities, under repressive
regimes. From early childhood he displayed a prodigious mental acuity. By the
time he reached his Bar Mitzvah, the Rebbe was considered an illuy, a Torah
prodigy. He spent his teen years immersed in the study of Torah.
In 1929 Rabbi
Menachem Mendel married the sixth Rebbe's daughter, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka, in
Warsaw. For sixty years she was the Rebbe's life partner; she passed away on 22
Sh'vat in 1988. He later studied in the University of Berlin and then at the
Sorbonne in Paris. It may have been in these years that his formidable
knowledge of mathematics and the sciences began to blossom.
There he developed a close personal relationship with Rabbi Yosef Soloveitchik
who became the leader of Yeshiva University.
On Monday,
Sivan 28, 5701 (June 23, 1941) the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin arrived in the
United States, having been miraculously rescued, by the grace of Almighty G‑d, from the European holocaust. The Rebbe's arrival marked the
launching of sweeping new efforts in bolstering and disseminating Torah and
Judaism in general, and Chassidic teachings in particular, through the
establishment of three central Lubavitch organizations under the Rebbe's
leadership: Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch ("Central Organization For Jewish
Education"), Kehot Publication Society, and Machne Israel, a social
services agency. Shortly after his arrival, per his father-in-law's urging, the
Rebbe began publishing his notations to various Chassidic and kabbalistic
treatises, as well as a wide range of response on Torah subjects. With
publication of these works his genius was soon recognized by scholars
throughout the world.
After the passing of his father-in-law, Rabbi
Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, in 1950, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson reluctantly
ascended to the leadership of the Lubavitch movement, whose headquarters at 770
Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, New York. Soon Lubavitch institutions and activities
took on new dimensions. The outreaching philosophy of Chabad-Lubavitch was
translated into ever greater action, as Lubavitch centers and Chabad Houses
were opened in dozens of cities and university campuses around the world. Under his leadership Cahabd took over the world. The joke was
that the two things you could find any where were Chabad and Coca Cola. Radiating
a keen sense of urgency, he demanded much from his followers, and even more
from himself. The Rebbe led, above else, by example. From the moment the Rebbe arrived in America in 1941,
his brilliance at addressing himself to the following ideal became apparent: He
would not acknowledge division or separation. Every Jew -- indeed every human
being -- has a unique role to play in the greater scheme of things and is an
integral part of the tapestry of G‑d's creation.
For nearly
five of the most critical decades in recent history, the Rebbe's goal to reach
out to every corner of the world with love and concern has unfolded
dramatically. No sector of the community has been excluded -- young and old;
men and women; leader and layman; scholar and laborer; student and teacher;
children, and even infants.
He had an
uncanny ability to meet everyone at their own level -- he advised Heads of
State on matters of national and international importance, explored with
professionals the complexities in their own fields of expertise, and spoke to
small children with warm words and a fatherly smile.
On Monday afternoon (March 2, 1992), while
praying at the gravesite of his father-in-law and predecessor, the Rebbe
suffered a stroke that paralyzed his right side and, most devastatingly, robbed
him of the ability to speak.
Two years and
three months later, the Rebbe passed away in the early morning hours of the 3rd
of the Hebrew month of Tammuz, in the year 5754 from creation (June, 12 1994),
orphaning a generation.
And certainly
his Chasidus. Sadly there are many that because of that loss. Created a
Messianic figure out of him. Which is why many opposed him during his lifetime.
Yet he leaves behind incredible works of Torah that I grow from each day as I
have begun studying them and become more and more inspired by the depth of his
teachings and knowledge. I would not call myself a Lubavitcher chasid, yet I
can certainly now say that I have become his student. And I appreciate the
desperate need for leaders of that caliber and vision that we so lack in todays
world. May his memory be blessed
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF
THE WEEK
answer below at end of Email
Q. Tegart
police stations are found in:
A.
Ya’ara and Safed (Tzfat)
B. Nebi Yusha and Jerusalem
C. Abu Gosh and Hanita
D. Caesarea and Latrun
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S COOL RASHI OF THE WEEK
Rashi as we have noted will sometimes quote
sources for his explanation of the simple understanding the of the text. Other times he may merely paraphrase the
source and not attirbuite it to its source. There are times that he may even
make slight changes in the text that he is basing his commentary on. And in
those situations it is important and absolutely enlightening to see why he did
not quote the exact text and what changes he felt necessary to make. If you
take the time to exam his quote you may be surprised at the complexity of the
insight that Rashi is trying to give. In this week’s Torah portion there is a
short Rashi that is worthy of examination. The Torah tells us about the Jewish
people complaining once again-against Hashem, the manna and Moshe. Hashem sends
a plague of snakes on the people and they start dying. They repent and they ask
Moshe to pray on their behalf. Moshe davens for them and Hashem commands him to
put up a copper snake on a post the Jews will raise their eyes up to heaven and
see it and repent and they will be healed. (Incidentally I believe this is the source
for that universal symbol).
Rashi comments on the verse that Moshe prayed
Bamidbar
(21:7) From here we derive that someone who is asked for forgiveness should
not be- either ‘cruel to forgive’ -or in ‘his forgiveness’-
two different versions of Rashi.
The source for Rashi is a Midrash which quotes
a different verse for this concept which is the story of Abraham and Avimelech
who kidnapped his wife and was struck with a plague and Avraham prayed for his
forgiveness also. The question is why does Rashi not quote this teaching that
one should forgive back on that story. As seemingly that seems to be the
earlier and original source for it.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe suggests a brilliant
idea- that really fits into a lot of different areas and answers quite a few
more questions as well. He suggests that when it comes to forgiveness there are
two types of forgiveness. 1) you forgive someone in order that they should not
be punished as a result of the action they did against you- He calls this
forgiving the sin. 2) Forgiving the person. Here you want the person to be
complete once again. You want to restore your relationship with him as if the
sin never happened. You wish for him to be good with you and God as it was
before.
He therefore suggests that by Avimelech
Avraham just prayed that he should not be punished. The Medrash therefore
teaches us one should always forgive someone so that they will not be punished.
Here The Torah says that Moshe prayed for the nation. It wasn’t about the
punishment in as much as it was about getting them to be totally cleansed of
the sin so that there relationship should be back to what it was. Therefore
Rashi says that from here we see that one should not be cruel in their
forgiveness- forgive all the way, for give the person don’t hold back.
Therefore here as opposed to Avimelech, Hashem commands Moshe to put up the
snake and go through the process of full teshuva-repentance, rather than just
removing the snake.
Wow! Pretty incredible isn’t it?
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S COOL HISTORICAL EVENT THAT
HAPPENED ON THIS DATE IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK-
Rescue from Entebee- 6th Tamuz July 4th
1976-The United States
was celebrating its bicentennial 200 years of its independence. Meanwhile in
Israel we were once again realizing that our 3000 year old story of
anti-semitism, the silence of the world while once again Jews were being
kidnapped and threatened. A week before hand an Air France had been hijacked
and over close to 100 Jews were being held hostage in Uganda by Palestininan
and German terrorists. The non-Jews had been released it was once again the
Jews. The hijackers had the stated objective to free 40 Palestinian and
affiliated militants imprisoned in Israel and 13 prisoners in four other
countries in exchange for the hostages. The flight, which had originated in Tel
Aviv with the destination of Paris, was diverted after a stopover in Athens via
Benghazi to Entebbe, the main airport of Uganda. The Ugandan government
supported the hijackers, and dictator Idi Amin personally welcomed them. After moving
all hostages from the aircraft to a disused airport building, the hijackers
separated all Israelis and several non-Israeli Jews from the larger group and
forced them into a separate room. Over the following two days, 148 non-Israeli
hostages were released and flown out to Paris. 94, mainly Israeli, passengers
along with the 12-member Air France crew, remained as hostages and were
threatened with death.The IDF acted on information provided by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. The hijackers threatened to kill the hostages if their prisoner release demands were not met. This threat led to the planning of the rescue operation. These plans included preparation for armed resistance from Ugandan military troops.
Success was hardly foregone conclusion: Israel was sending 100 of its best commandos into a situation far away, where they could be badly outnumbered; where there was no backup or rescue plan if the mission went awry; where maintaining the element of surprise required convincing Ugandan soldiers that they were Idi Amin’s entourage by having them drive up in his car; Which incidentally they were only able to find an old Mercedes that had to be rebuilt and painted and because it was painted the wrong color. Although when they came there their cover was blown because Amin had a new car the day before and the driver’s seat was on the wrong side. To get there the planes had to fly distances only 100 feet off the ground to avoid radar detection (creating such turbulence as to make those commandos vomit incessantly). Oh, and let’s not forget: Israel’s planes did not have the range to fly to Uganda and back; nevertheless, they embarked on their mission, unsure of how or where they would refuel, as nearby African countries would fear reprisals from Palestinian terrorists and Amin’s military if they’d help Israel. (In another fascinating chapter to this episode, Kenya bravely came through, and refueled the planes in Nairobi; Kenya would pay a heavy price for its role.)
The operation took place at night. Israeli transport planes carried 100 commandos over 2,500 to Uganda for the rescue operation. The operation, which took a week of planning, lasted 90 minutes. 102 hostages were rescued. Some of the passengers noted that the seats were uncomfortable and when they stood up they realized they had been sitting on hand grenades. Oops... Five Israeli commandos were wounded and one, the unit commander, Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, was killed. All the hijackers, three hostages and 45 Ugandan soldiers were killed, and thirty Soviet-built MiG-17s and MiG-21s of Uganda's air force were destroyed. Kenyan sources supported Israel, and in the aftermath of the operation Idi Amin issued orders to retaliate and slaughter several hundred Kenyans present in Uganda. The UN almost condemned Israel for the violation of foreign sovereignty and refused to pass a resolution condemning hijacking and that worthless self-hating Jewish secretary of State Henry Kissinger criticized Israel for using US equipment.
Operation Entebbe, which had the military codename Operation Thunderbolt, is sometimes referred to retroactively as Operation Jonathan in memory of the unit's leader, Yonatan Netanyahu. He was the older brother of Benjamin Netanyahu, the current Prime Minister of Israel. If you ask me this was one of the last high points in Israeli history where the world recognized and respected to a large degree that the Israeli army will do whatever it takes to save Jews around the world regardless of the political correctness of the situation and despite any fall-out. Tragically that is not the case anymore today when 13 year olds are being massacred in the bed and 100’s of attacks are being perpetrated monthly and our response is merely to continue to take it…Ahh.. for the good old days!
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S FAMILY JOKES OF THE WEEK
A police officer jumps into his squad car and calls the station.
“I have an interesting
case here,” he says. “A woman shot her husband for stepping on the floor she
just mopped.”
“Have you arrested
her?” asks the sergeant.
“No, not yet. The
floor’s still wet.”
My sister
once gave me the silent treatment for an entire week, at the end of which I
declared, “Hey, we’re getting along pretty great lately!”
Hanging up with my 90-year-old mother, I
sighed, then said to
my 96-year-old uncle,
“She’s so
stubborn.” He shook
his head sympathetically and warned, “You’re going to have trouble with her
when she gets old.”
Texting acronyms can stump even the best
parents:
Mom: Your great-aunt just passed away. LOL.
Son: Why is that funny?
Mom: It’s not funny, David! What do you mean?
Son: Mom, LOL means Laughing Out Loud.
Mom: I thought it meant Lots
of Love. I have to
call everyone back.
Mom: What do IDK, LY &
TTYL mean?
Son: I don’t know, love you,
talk to you later.
Mom: OK, I will ask your
sister.
I asked my brother, the
father of four boys, “If you had to do it all over again, would you still have
kids?”
“Yes,” he said. “Just not
these four.”
A 3 years old boy sits near a
pregnant woman.
Boy: Why do you look so fat?
Pregnant woman: I have a baby inside me.
Boy: Is it a good baby?
Pregnant woman: Yes, it is a very good baby.
Boy: Then why did you eat it?! -
Boy: Why do you look so fat?
Pregnant woman: I have a baby inside me.
Boy: Is it a good baby?
Pregnant woman: Yes, it is a very good baby.
Boy: Then why did you eat it?! -
And the great Bill Cosby line-
Human beings are the only creatures on earth that allow their children to come
back home….
**************
Answer is A – Ok first of all do you know what these things are? Tegart
fortresses or stations are all over Israel and you’ve certainly seen them around.
They were designed by Charles Tegart a
Broitish officer who had previously been stationed in India and designed
these walled in stations with a tall watchtower and fortified water supply in
order to withstand a siege in case of revolts. In Israel in 1936-37 after the
arab riots and pogroms that took place they were placed along the northern
border and places where there was fear of revolt. This is not an easy question
as of course every answer has one correct place. Nebi Yusha was the first one
that was built but there was none in Jerusalem. Latrun is the most famous and
visited of all of them as it hosts the tank museum, but Casarea never had
one. Abu Ghosh, right next to Telshe
stone has one, but Hanita did not although it does host the first tower and
stockade Israel settlement there which might confuse you. Which leaves Tzfat
which had two one the current police station and the second by the center of
Jerusalem street by the former michlala and the Davidka monument. The fact they
write ya’ara up here in the North by Shlomi is a bit of a trick as well because
it wasn’t founded until 1950. But yet that is the correct answer the Tegart
fortress being Basa that was in the arab village before it was established.
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