Holyland Insights and Inspiration: May 2026

Thursday, May 21, 2026

The Unlikely King- Shavuot Edition / Parshat Naso- 5786 2026

Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land

from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

May 21^st 2026 -Volume 16 Issue 30 5^th of Sivan 5786

Parshat Naso - Shavuot

The Unlikely King

(Amazing newest and latest Edition for you guys… After years of making me crazy… I'm delighted to share with you each week a PRINTABLE LINK! For the Dvar Torah or whatever you wanna call this portion of the Weekly E-Mail for your Shabbos table…

Thank you Amit Landau for putting this together for me…

CLICK HERE BELOW FOR PRINT EDITION

( weekly newsletter parshat naso Shavuot edition )

They called him a "mamzer". That's not a nice name. Others called him a "goy". A "sheigetz". I don't know if there were any Yerushalmi kids there at the time, but they might have even called him a "Nazi". It was really a shame, they said. His father was such a holy special person. Some say that he never did an aveira his entire life. He was the gadol ha'dor. It's a really Shanda, that he has a kid like that. It's no wonder, that he really doesn't want to talk about him to much, and he just lets him wander around on those hilltops with his guitar all day, like those "lost boys". Those na'arei ha'gevaot that are just violent psychopaths in the making with their slingshots and stuff. At least they're taking out their aggression issues away from the rest of us normal people. He's a red-head, and you know what they say about "gingies". He's got that Esau blood running through him.

He's so wild, did you hear? The army didn't even want him. All that crazy radical talk about wiping out all those uncircumcised goyim. Liberating the land, as if we aren't already living the geula for the past few hundred years. We have our Mishkan in Shilo. Our Beis Medrash and Torah in Bnai Brak and Ponivizh. Sure, we have to deal with those Philistines coming up from Gaza every couple of years and terrorizing us. But that's life in Israel. No one ever said it was going to be easy. Anyways, we have a man in office that's dealing with that. We have an army. The most moral army in the world…

Somebody's got tell this kid to stop with his posts and whatsapp statuses. He's irresponsible. He's endangering all of us with his rhetoric. With his violence. With constant nagging for the Beis Ha'Mikdash. With those Mashiach patches and those Har Ha'Bayis signs he's putting up all over the place. Can't he see, that there's a reason why Hashem never revealed to us the place to build him that home, yet. We're not meant to go there. There's probably some grain yard, or some golden pimple there. When the time comes, Hashem will bring us all there. For the meantime, just hang out with your sheep. Because you're not accepted into any of our yeshivos. You don't fit into our system. You're a loser. A blight on our elitist Torah system and world. Even the Gadol Ha'Dor your own father knows that, and every day you're alive you’re a shame and Shanda on him and your entire family.

Little did anyone ever dream that this kid would become the King of Israel and the grandaddy of Mashiach. That he was the only one that really had it right the whole time. That his father, that gadol ha'dor was so wrong about him. He was wrong about himself, about his wife, about his bubby, about his own roots and insecurities that he projected onto him. That this youngest son of his, that everyone wrote off and were sure would never amount to anything, turned out to be greatest leader of the Jewish people.

He really was the only one, and the first in a few hundred years, that actually got right what we were supposed to be doing here in Israel- and no it wasn't just about setting up Torah, shuls, batei midrash or even planting and growing stuff. It wasn't to create an Israeli Defense Force either. We weren't brought here to live in self-created minimalist borders, and try not to upset our neighbors, or step on their feet, or graze on their land. Certainly not to destroy their places of forcing worship. Sure, Hashem gave us this mandate, but to be honest, despite what He told our ancestors, He's pretty happy with the Torah we're learning. When He's ready He'll come take care of it Himself. It's not really our job. We're just meant to sing 'Ani Ma'amin' until then. Vehi She'amda is nice too. Maybe the kid could write some songs. That could be a nice way of using his energy for good. It's such a shame what his father has to go through. Maybe we could be mekarev him…

I imagine, you guys have figured out that I'm talking about Dovid Ha'Melech. I imagine as well, that you know this is exactly the way they talked about him. The same way, that we talk about them today… 3000 years and absolutely nothings changed. The story with his father Yishai- whose tomb in chevron I visited yesterday, along with his great-bubby who he thought was shiktza; Rus, is a perhaps less famous one. It's worthwhile to know it, especially since that's one of the reasons we will be reading it tomorrow. The sefer, which really doesn't have much to do with Shavuos explicitly, is read on the yartzeit of Dovid Ha'Melech. Not just his Yartzeit, but his birthday too.

We read the book, because there was a question about Dovid's yichus. His grandmother was Moabite convert. The Torah says you can't marry or convert someone from Moav. They're bad people. They're selfish. They're promiscuous. They have bad middos. We don't want that bad blood mixing with our pure holy nation. Now there was a debate whether that was just the men from Moav or even the women as well. But, why take chances? Tachlis, a goy is a goy, and maybe they're good shidduchim for some ba'al teshuva or something or another convert. But certainly not for a nice haymisheh family like ours.

Particularly this Rus, girl, is a problem. Her father was Eglon. He was like Sinwar, like Arafat. He was the guy that lived in Jordan that made deals with Amalek and for 18 years persecuted and attacked Israel. Her grandfather was Balak that hired Bila'am and ultimately 24,000 Jews were killed in a plague after he sent his daughters out to seduce them. 24,000, non-incidentally, is the same number of the students of Rabbi Akiva that died during the period of Omer. The students that died for not giving kavod- honor to one another. They died for 32 days, according to some, which is the gematria of kavod. They died during the 49 days of Omer which the gematria of Moav. It ends on Shavuos, with this granddaughter of Moav's story. It ends on Shavuos with the story of the birthday of the boy, who's their descendant who didn't seem to get too much respect himself; Dovid Melech Yisrael chai v'kayam.

Yishai, Dovid's father, although he never knew or even acknowledged that until the end of his life, had even separated from Dovid's mother in order to try to "purify" his questionable lineage. To get rid of this persistent skeleton in his closet, of this great-bubby of his that a few hundred years later people were still talking about. We have a way of doing that. He separated and married a maid servant, with plans of freeing her and thus she would become a regular convert and the line would be purified. Yet Dovid's mother wasn't a big fan of the concept. She wasn't such a lamdan, like her gadol ha'dor husband. So much like great-bubby Rus she took matters into her own hands. She snuck in the middle of the night, and poof Dovid came out of that conception, that Yishai didn't even know was from him. He assumed, Dovid's mother was with someone else during that separation period. Dovid was a mamzer. A goy perhaps. Nisht fun unzereh…So he chucked him out.

It wasn't until Shmuel comes to anoint one of his children to be the King of Israel, that he surprisingly finds out that none of his yeshivish brisker kids were worthy, and neither were the ones that were faithfully serving in the army of Shaul, that seemed so much more politically correct and leadership worthy. It was the kid with the sheep and guitar on the hilltop that was the anointed of Hashem. It was the kid they threw out of all of the yeshivas. It was the one fighting with animals. It was the kid we wrote off…and said wasn't real ours. That has bad blood. That was the chosen of Hashem. It's from him that not only does Mashiach descend from, but for whom, Rashi tells us in this week's parsha the Bais Ha'Mikdash is even named after. He's the red-headed leader, that doesn't have just a new "Trump" wing or hotel of the White House named after him, but the entire house of Hashem, then and what we daven for is called The Bais Dovid. David's house.

The Alshich, the Shela, the Ramachal and many other Jewish sages throughout the generations all note the bizarreness of the origin story of Dovid and Mashiach. The truth is it's even worse than what I've even written. For Moav's early roots come from the daughter of Lot's incestuous relationship with their father. Boaz is a descendant of Yehuda and Tamar and their illicit harlot's tryst unknowingly with his own daughter-in-law. It's not nice stuff. It's skeletons in our closet. It's people that we talk about perhaps at best, treating with kavod, and respect and being mekarev, but l'maaseh never really dream that they can be Mashiach, they can be greater than all of us. That they should marry into our family, let alone lead it.

Yet, that's not only the real secret of Mashiach, that seems incomprehensible to us, they suggest. Rather it's the only way that he can ever be born and ultimately reveal himself. What they write is that there is a real power of the Satan, to prevent and prosecute the coming of Mashiach and the revelation of Hashem. That's the job Hashem created him for. To create a counter-force in the world that will grant us free-choice and always balance out holiness and revelation with a significant force and challenge that will try to hide and destroy that. It's why every Yom Kippur we have to give a goat to Azazel as a gift to distract him. To pretend as if we're worshipping idolatry so he'll be quiet and let our atonement fly. It's why on the day of giving of the Torah, Hashem distracted the Satan to the point that the Midrash tell us that when the Satan came home he didn't even know it was given and therefore immediately upped the ante with the sin of the golden calf temptation, by floating the coffin of Moshe. He does that after the Akeida, with the death of Sarah. And particularly when we get closer and closer to Eretz Yisrael and fulfilling our divine mandate, he's there with Amalek, with Balak and Bilaam, with the spies. He doesn't stop.

The Satan's job didn't end even when we came into Israel. He made us satisfied with settling parts of the land and getting too lazy to take the whole thing. He made us happy with Shilo and we forgot about the house of Hashem. He does this after the building of the Temple with the division of our kingdom. With the Jews not wanting to return during the 2^nd Temple with Ezra. With the sins of the 2^nd Temple. The Greek influence. Assimilation. Political correctness. Sinas Chinam. He's done it through out our Galus. He's still doing it today. He's smart. He's savvy and there's only one way to overcome him and bring in the light. It's through the back door. It's with people that he doesn't see as a threat. It's from the darkest shmutziest stories, that he knows we will never believe in or find light in. That's the only way Mashiach could be born. Happy Birthday Dovid.

The Eim Ha'Banim Samaycha, Rav Teichtel, writes during is time during the Holocaust, about the secular and perhaps even anti-religious underpinnings of the Zionist State. Although initially having been an anti-zionist before the Holocaust who decried this movement, his thinking shifted and he quotes source after source throughout Chazal that the opposite is quite true. It is only through these non-frum, through the sins just like Dovid's and Mashiach's illicit promiscuous origins that the redemption can come. That we can get past the Satan's spiritual camera, that he has on his phone that's always on the lookout for of happening. Mashiach can only be revealed, through a hiddenness that looks prust, and filthy to us, that you don't even want to tell your children what's going on. It's coming from people that we may call eruv rav, but the truth is they're our ticket home. There's a spark in them, just like Dovid that is willing to sacrifice it all for the house of Hashem, that Rashi tell us

"because he sacrificed himself for the house of Hashem, it is called on his name"

Just as the Mishkan is called after the name of Moshe.

I spend a lot of times on the hilltops with my tourists. I love this 15 year old kids and simple families that are fighting and doing it all with their sheep, to conquer the land. To chase out our enemies. To fight against our own Israeli army and beauracacy because they long for our return home. What's fascinating though is that these same kids with payos, tzitzis and sandals who I see as modern day Dovid Ha'Melechs and are perhaps some of the most vilified in Israel and in the world, were here a hundred years ago as well. They were secular back then. They were chalutzim, pioneers without kippas and many even ate on Yom Kippur and denied Hashem. Yet they sat the ground for what these holy ones are doing today. They got us past the Satan. And now we're slowly sancitifying their work.

Interestingly enough, the same is true in our army. The original army of Israel was all about kochi v'otzem yadi, Our own power, our own greatness. Yisrael Bitach Ba'Tzahal. The Satan had no problem with them. He was even willing and allowed miracles to take place. Even ask the Satmar Rebbi and Neturei Karta… They were the harlot at the crossroad of Yehuda, they were daughters of Moabite sinners, they were Lot's daughters who thought they with their own sins can save the world and create a new one. Yet, they held and were hiding the light of Mashiach. The light of Dovid. Toady look at the army of Israel. They're mostly wearing Tzitzis, yarmulkas, they sing songs about Hashem. They all daven. They learn. They believe. They're on fire and have Mashiach patches on their uniforms. We got through the door of the Satan. We've avoided his camera. We now need to finish the job.

Parshat Naso, that we read this Shabbos here in Israel, is all about that idea. It's the counting of Levi and then it’s the ones thrown out of the camp and bringing them back, the tamey, the zav, the metzora, the sota and even the holier-than thou- nazir. Only after we return them, only after we see the blessing of the Kohen for them, can the nesi'im then each bring their sacrifices. Because they are our key to bringing mashiach. They've got the visa that can get us into the country. They possess the holy spark that we need to find the chen the Kohen blesses us with in order to bring Shalom, to the world. To build an eternal house of Shalom.

The holiday of Shavuos, is really not so much about the Torah. The Torah is our kesuva- our marriage document, with Hashem. Can you imagine someone by their wedding dancing and running around and showing them their kesuva all night. Check it out, what an amazing document. What s brilliant idea. What beautiful writing! Meanwhile the kallah is sitting in the corner wondering when her chasan will remember that she's there waiting. She wants to go into the yichud room. She wants him to bring her home. Shavuos is about being one with Hashem. It's about a house of Dovid.

Dovid is the same letters as dod- my beloved. That's what we need to remember. That's the ball we need to keep our eye on. If we do that, then we would be more focused on the ones that we need to be there with us, the ones that can perhaps be our key to getting there. The one's we're overlooking because we're so focused on the kesuva and not the house. Dovid, never forgot the house. On Shavuos, we read his story to remind us and tap into his energy so we can redirect our thoughts and perhaps undergo that one last paradigm shift that we need, so that we may once again merit to see our King and bring Him back down to His palace.

Have a revelatory and celebratory Chag Shavuos Samayach and an uplifting Shabbos

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

This week's Insights and Inspiration is sponsored by my dear friend Shel Donner in honor of their upcoming trip to Israel in honor of his granddaughters Ruthies 10^th Birthday!

Mazel Tov.. It's so great to have you back here, and there's no better way to celebrate a birthday like a trip to Israel. May Ruthie continue to grow into a beautiful bas Yisrael and be a source of much yiddishe nachaas to her entire family and her grandparents that love her very much!

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YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

"Fun krume shidukhim kumen arois glaikheh kinder."– From crooked matches also come straight children..

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

33. In honor of which ruler’s visit was the road from Jaffa to Jerusalem paved? ________

What is the earliest text in which the city of Jerusalem is mentioned?

A. The Torah

B. The New Testament

C. The Execration texts

D. The Dead Sea Scrolls

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

In Honor of Shavuous it's Rabbi Schwartz compositions playlist!

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/dovid-melech-r-ephrayim - In honor of Dovid Ha'Melech's Yartzeit my Dovid Melech song that we should be zochen to sing soon to greet Mashiach!

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/vatem – Dreaming of the Geula? Here's my wings of Eagle composition with the promise Hashem gave us on Shavuot! Dovid Lowy on the arrangements and vocals!

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/kad-yasvun - This beautiful heartfelt composition of mine Kad Yasvun… When we are joyous in our study of the Torah Hashem tells the malachim to look at his beautiful children who forget their own tzaros to only take joy in Hashem… Dovid Lowy again on vocals and arrangements…

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/melech-rachamon - From our holiday davening our longing and prayer for Hashem to rebuild the Bais Ha'Mikdash- You even get to hear me sing the first 20 seconds or so… Baruch Hashem Dovid takes over from there…

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/torah-hakedosha – Our Tefilla to the Torah to turn to Hahem and not forget that Shavuos Morning when we first wed Him and said "I do" and to answer our prayers…

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/eitz-chayim – And finally my song for Shavuous Eitz Chayim Hi- It's our tree of life. It's ways are pleasantness… And the song is great!

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

Prophecy Ending- 350 BC- The return to Eretz Yisrael was happening. As per the nevuah of Chaggai the Jews started rebuilding the temple. The process that had started 19 year before hand with Koresh/Cyrus that had been halted now commenced once again with the return of Zerubavel and the permission of Darius. Yet, not everyone came, as we noted. Most stayed. The Navi Zecharia steps into the limelight here and rebukes them. He tells them that era of prophecy in coming to an end. There's really no point in it anymore he tells them. For a few reasons.

The first is that nobody really is paying attention and coming. So why talk and reveal and try to cajole if the words aren't being heeded to return. The second reason though he gives, is even more powerful. He tells them that they are experiencing more prophecy now than before. Because the words of the prophets of the past are actually taking place before their eyes. Why can't they see it? Why don't they not how miraculous it is that we are returning. That we are building. Why are they still there? Finally, he tells them that the reason prophecy is ending is because Hashem is angry. He's hiding His face from us. We've refused to come home to see Him and to bring Him home. He will not hang out and communicate with us as well as He did in the past. He is our shadow. He's taking His cues from us.

For 19 years we had been in Jerusalem and even starting to sacrifice offerings on the altar we constructed there, despite there not being a Temple. Now that the process had begun of rebuilding it, the Jews started getting a bit frummer and asking about purity and impurity laws. Who can come and who can't. Zecharia again tells them an unbelievable and tragic and prophecy. He tells them that tumah and tahara isn't as important as the actual building and return to the service. The 2^nd Temple will not be the final one. The Jews have rejected it by not coming. It will last, we will worship there. Yet, the shechina and miracles can't come until the next Temple that will follow. Then we can fix our sins. Then we can come back for good. That's the era we're in now.

Take that thought in your minds as you daven this Shavous, wherever you are but especially in chutz la'aretz. We want the real deal. We want to come home and build the Bais Ha'Mikdash. Totty is waiting for us…

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S TERRIBLE KING JOKES OF THE WEEK

There once was a king who was 12 inches tall.He was a terrible king but a great ruler…

A king has 3 cups in front of him. The first 2 cups are full, the third cup is empty. What is the King's name? King Philip III

What happens when the King leaves the toilet? A Royal Flush.

Once upon a time, a King wanted to have some fun. He went on a podium and said loudly: "I will give half of my fortune to anyone who manages to tell me a lie that I, myself, admit that it's a lie."

An old man walked to the King and said: "I can draw rainbows wherever I want."

The King replied: "That's true, I saw you making one yesterday and it was really pretty."

A soldier then walked to the King while everyone stared at him, and said: "Your majesty, I have a gun that shoots atomic bombs."

The King quickly said: "That's great, and by the way, good job on Hiroshima."

After hearing all that, the kingdom was discouraged to ask any further questions because it would simply end the same; the King can always find a way to dodge that lie.

Almost desperate, a young Jewish boy named Bereleh, approached the King holding a barrel and loudly said: "I lent you a barrel of gold last week".

The King said: "That's a lie."

The boy replied: "Give me half of your fortune then!"

The King quickly said: "Wait, I remember, you did lend you me barrel of gold last week."

Smirking, Bereleh shouted: "Give it back to me then."

What's it called when a King and Queen have no children? A receding heir-line.

Which of King Arthur's knights was chosen to make the round table? Sir Cumference

Why did none of the women King Midas dated want to marry him? They got gold feet.

A king had 10 wild dogs. He used them to torture and kill any minister that misguided him.

A minister once gave an opinion which was wrong and which the king didn’t like at all, so he ordered that the minister to be thrown to the dogs.

The minister said,

"I served you loyally 10 years and you do this..?

The king was unrelenting. The Minister pleaded

"Please give me 10 days before you throw me to the dogs"

The king agreed. In those 10 days the minister went to the keeper of the dogs and told him he wanted to serve the dogs for the next 10 days. The guard was baffled, but he agreed. So the minister started feeding the dogs, caring for them, washing them, providing all sorts of comfort for them. So when the 10 days were up, the king ordered that the minister be thrown to the dogs as sentenced. When he was thrown in, everyone was amazed at what they saw. The dogs were wagging their tails playing with the condemned minister and licking his feet. The king was baffled at what he saw.

"what happened to the dogs? !!!” He growled.

The minister then said;”

I served the dogs for only 10 days and they didn’t forget my service…

Yet I served you for 10 years and you forgot all at the first mistake!”…

The king realised his mistake and replaced the dogs with crocodiles !!

My friend is such a big fan of the Royal Family, each of his four sons are named after a king.

**Henry**

**George**

**Charles**

**Burger.**

There's a depressed king back in the 14th century. And nothing could cheer him up. Eventually the royal advisor hired a new fool to entertain the king. The clown was very funny, and most of the court laughed, but the king merely sighed, and then turned towards his advisor.

"I don't think this worked Henry, but I appreciate the jester."

King Henry VIII had six wives. He beheaded two of them. Those were his axe wives.

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The answer to this week's question is C– OK I always marvel how this sometimes connect to the time of year that this falls out. It's a divine kiss to those that make it this far into my column 😊. Now the first part I got right officially, the second part only spiritually. Franz Josef I knew. His visit to Israel was famous, and its why we have the Tifferet Yisrael shul currently being rebuilt's dome in honor of his hat and visit. Part II I got wrong according to them. I of course went with the Torah. The answer they were looking for was the excrecation scrolls which were found in Egypt from about 1000 years supposedly before the Jews were even in Egypt. They mention Jerusalem. So technically the pre-date the Torah. But as we know it all starts with the Torah, which was my guess…

So I got this one only half right. and the new score is Rabbi Schwartz having 22.5 points and the MOT having 10.5 points on this latest Ministry of Tourism exam.

Friday, May 15, 2026

Sharing the Born-den- Parshat Bamidbar 2026 5786

Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land

from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

May 15^th 2026 -Volume 16 Issue 29 28^th of Iyar 5786

Parshat Bamidbar

Thank you Amit Landau for putting this together for me…

CLICK HERE BELOW FOR PRINT EDITION

Weekly Newsletter - Parshat Bamidbar )

Sharing the Born-den

Let's put aside all of the politics for a second. I know in Israel, that's a very hard ask. Politics here is like air and water. It's everything. I love those people, like my wife, who "turn it all off" and claim to have no clue about anything that's going on. But it doesn't work. At the end of the day, it's all over the place. The signs on the street, the talk in shul, the bais midrash, the Mikva and the makolet. Who's running for office? Who are you voting for? None of them are worth anything. This guy's not good. That one's a phony. This party sold us out. They're just interested in their money, their limo, their chauffer, their cigars. It's all about power. Looks like we're heading back to that balagan again soon. So get ready. Here comes the new catchy jingles for each party. I'm not looking forward to this. Where are my earplugs?

But before we start this whole cycle again, let's put it all aside for a moment, because I want to talk about something first. It's a burning hot issue. It's, I believe the core of everything. It's something I learned at my Sheva Brachos, by a great speech given by a friend of inlaws. He told me that the most important thing to know to have a happy successful marriage comes down to two words. If you learn them, you're good to go. If you don't, then you're going to have a very hard time. What are the two words? "You're right". She's always right. Even if she's wrong, remember… She's still right. It's a good wife, he told me, that let's her husband think he's right every once in a while. But tachlis, if you want to be happy, just remember, she's always right. It will make things a lot easier, if you can swallow that.

On that note, I want to use that concept when it comes to politics here. To all the different opinions and ideas. It's a way of preparing ourselves for what's to come. It's good for us to see things from the other side. So I want to talk specifically about one issue. The issue of the army. The issue of the draft. The idea that we all have to serve. Not just sit in the Bais Midrash and claim to be learning to protect our soldiers. But really take a gun, put on the uniform and kill these guys. That-here comes the hard part to swallow, that unless we do that, we're not really "sharing the burden".

That's really the point, I want us to focus on. To swallow. To hear. To absorb and internalize. No matter how much tehillim we say, how much Torah we learn, how many tefillos we recite, at the end of the day, it's not our son on the front line. It's not my child that's facing an army of terrorists, where soldiers are getting targeted and injured each day. It's not my husband, my father, my brother who may chas ve'shalom never come back home again. Whose empty bed or seat by the Shabbos table is a stark reminder of the danger that he's in. Of the fear and sleeplessness that I will never see them there and they will never fill them again. We're not sharing that burden, that the ones that are serving are experiencing and sacrificing for. In the same way, that all of us that didn't have a child being held hostage in Gaza, could possibly ever share that burden those family members were suffering through, because ultimately it wasn't really our own flesh and blood skin in the game, that they had.

Now there's no need to respond. To defend. To answer. To justify. And certainly not to attack. It doesn't work in marriage. You know that. It won't work here either. That's not to say there aren't legitimate responses or even alternate perspectives. There are in marriage and there certainly are here in politics and on this hot button issue. But, as I said, I want to put all of that aside. Let's just focus on what they're right about. What we're wrong about. What they're going through, that we're not. That at the end of the day, we're not really sharing that overwhelming, incomprehensible burden. We're not alleviating it any real or meaningful way. It's heavy. It's hard. It's scary and it's painful. They're right. We need to truly feel that and internalize that lacking of ours. Only after we do that, do I believe that conversation and the politics should begin. But it all has to start with that foundation. They're right.

Why do I say this, on this particular week? Because, that's really what the parshat Ha'Shavuah this week-the parsha that we are meant to read each year before Shavuos, the one that opens up the book of our journey to Israel, that describes our process of coming home and the struggles we need to overcome is all about. Welcome to Sefer Bamidbar; the book of the wilderness.

To be honest, what I'm going to share with you is an idea that I've never really seen before or even thought about. It jumped out at me this year. It called me. It's the essence of the parsha that I believe most of us kind of gloss over. To be honest, it's quite boring. Yet, to a large degree it's the essence of everything. It's the key to understanding what everything is all about.

The center of this introduction that carries over three aliyos in this parsha that opens up the book, is the story of the redemption of the first-borns and the exchange that is done in their counting, with money being handed over to the Kohanim for the redemption. There are 22,000 plus that are redeemed and exchanged for the Levi'im who will fill their places, and the additional 273 who had to be redeemed for money. 5 shek a head, which equals 20 geira of silver. Are you falling asleep yet? Boring, right? Except that what I just told you right now in those two sentences are in fact the greatest and perhaps most tragic social engineering calamity that we've ever faced. It's what galus is all about. It's how Hashem wants us to understand what our purpose is. And perhaps if we truly grasp this it's how we might even be able to avoid elections and actually ourselves be redeemed. Are you ready? Hold on to your hats…

Why were the Bechorim, the first-born, being redeemed? What's this strange mitzva that introduces our book all about. So, as we all know, and Rashi tells us, it's because they were the ones that were primarily responsible for the sin of the Golden Calf. Which non-incidentally happened right after the upcoming holiday of Shavuos. We're reading this now and each year, to learn from our mistakes and have a meaningful Shavuos this year, that lasts eternally. It's about fixing the sin of the Golden Calf, and not making that same mistake again.

Now, the truth is what's really the aftermath of that story. If one wanted to look on the bright side, as many of our commentaries do, one can say it really wasn't such a bad thing. We got Yom Kippur out of the deal. We got the second giving of the Torah, on that Yom Kippur. The second Torah we received although it was different than the first, as it wasn't hand-written by Hashem and wasn't as fancy, but it shared with us the ability to redeem ourselves. To partner with Hashem. To have all of Torah She'baal peh- the oral tradition that we are meant to study, learn, and reveal. That's awesome. That's cool. That's really what has held us for thousands of years. So in the end, it really wasn't such a bad thing.

Sure, there's the idea that Hashem always brings a bit of that sin of the golden calf along with every punishment he gives us throughout the generation. But really, let's be honest. We don't even know what that means? What, it's like a little extra salt that He's pouring on our wounds? That even in itself doesn't sound so so bad. It's like He's slicing us up for surgery we need anyways, so He snips another few things along the way, just as payback for that old sin of the calf? What is that really all about? Either forgive us, or punish us. Shouldn't He stop holding a 3000-year-old passive aggressive grudge?

See, if that's the way we're looking at it, which in truth is the way I always did, then we're missing the boat. We haven't really grasped what this parsha is telling us, that happened. And to be honest, it's very likely the reason, we still haven't really reached the point of being redeemed ourselves. It's why we're still wandering in the Midbar.

What we really lost with sin of the Eigel, was in fact the first-born doing the avoda and service in the Temple. We don't really appreciate, how huuuge of a difference this really is. We're kind of happy with Kohanim doing the service for us. With Levi'im serving them. With perhaps ourselves not even serving in the army today. We come a few times a year and bring them our gifts. We make barbeques for them. We look at the money we pay them to redeem ourselves from this service, almost like paying off the guy at the draft authority, so that we don't have to serve in the army. We're patur. We're redeemed. He's doing the dirty… I mean holy work… and I can live my life regular. I can live in Chutz La'aretz and send duffle bags during war, without having to actually live in that intense crazy war torn country with a bunch of rude Israelis without any meat boards.

That my friends, is the tragedy of the sin of the Golden Calf that we're still suffering from. What was the sin? The sin really started on Shavuos when Hashem revealed and gave us the Torah. After the first two commandments we told Moshe, it's too much. It's too intense. We need a break. We need an intermediary. You be our man. We'll take it from you. The first-borns then sat down to eat and drink. According to the Talmud and the commentaries, it was either them or Nadav and Avihu and the Zekeinim, that Hashem at the time didn't send His hand against that Shavuos morning. They experienced a revelation that no one else did. They saw Hashem face to face. They became prophets. They were charged with revealing that to the rest of Israel. They took that role and ate and drank it in to themselves. It became them.

That sin, ultimately led to the sin of the calf. We wanted to experience Hashem, but not up close. Not face to face. Not in my home. Not in my garden. Just when I want to come and visit Him. When I'm in the mood to hang out together with Him. This could work, if I had Moshe around. Once we thought we don't have Moshe and that he's not coming back from the top of the Mountain, then we needed a replacement. The First-borns needed one. They started the golden calf campaign. Their response wasn't that we will fill that role. We will lift you all up and connect you to Hashem. We will be the First-borns He redeemed when we left Egypt and connect you to our Father. Instead, they came up with the Golden Calf. A fake intermediary. One that tells and reinforces the concept, that we cannot have a personal connection with Hashem.

The First- Borns lost it at that moment. Nadav and Avihu, our sages tell us as well we're killed for that same sin. Even the sages that didn't fill that role, we're later killed in parshat Ba'ha'aloscha by Tav'eira. A fire came down and swallowed them up in the mysterious story of the Mis'oninim- the complainers. The Meshech Chochma tells us that the story of their complaining then was specifically about this redemption of the first-borns that took place. About the social engineering that I mentioned that transformed the face of Klal Yisrael until today. That to a large degree the most significant and ultimate "punishment", tikkun and reminder that we are left with from the sin of the golden calf. It's what Hashem reminds us of in every punishment that is meted out against us throughout all generations. That our problems all started from here. That we don't have a first-born. That our Father is not living with us in the house.

What's the difference if I have a first-born doing the service and it being redeemed into the hands of the Kohanim and Levi'im? The difference is having your son in the Mikdash and having a representative there from outside of your family doing it for you. It's the difference between your son serving in the army and someone else's random soldier fighting the fight and putting his life on the line for you. When each family had someone there in the Mikdash, can you imagine what that house looked like. Each of us felt, we had the most personal connection with Hashem. He didn't just count us as the beginning of the book tells us, but rather he took someone from my house that will be in His presence all day every day. That means, I'm there. I'm in front of Hashem. My family is there. That's as real as it gets. That's really the way it's supposed to be. That's what the role of the first-born is meant to be for each of us.

When we lost that, because they weren't ready for that role, then we lost our personal connection. From now on since then, we just have someone else there for us. We're not really sharing the not just the burden, but the real personal knowledge and connection with Hashem that we're meant to. We're in chutz la'aretz, in America, in Lakewood while their living in Israel. We're camped surrounding the Mishkan with our pretty little flags, as our parsha tells us right before this narrative, but the Levi'im are sitting right there in the middle up front and center around the Temple.

What makes this even more amazing, in terms of understanding the narrative of the Torah of the parsha, the Meshech Chochma again notes, that it's why the parsha begins telling us of the generations of Moshe and Aharon and then just tells us about the children of Aharon, and not Moshes. As well it tells us that Nadav and Avihu die, which seemingly we should know already as we mentioned this quite a few times before in the last book. However with this understanding of what the function of this story is, it really is amazing.

For if we understand the reason, the first-born and all of a klal Yisrael were given for why we lost this role and privilege, is because of the Golden Calf, then there seems to be a problem. Why does Aharon get it!? He was the man that built that calf. Why his kids? Thus the Torah tells us that Aharon paid the price. His two sons were killed. He lives each day with that loss. With that mistake that they made. With that mistake they tried to fix by going in on their own to see Hashem. They didn't understand that the only way to see Hashem now was through the Torah that Moshe taught them. It's only through him that we can get the nevuah. It's from taking his kedusha and light and drawing from there. Aharon and his mourning family are charged with the new job of the first-borns because they live with that loss and memory every day.

As well, that same price is paid by the zekeinim by Tave'ira. They complained. They wanted their role back. They didn't feel that the Jews can't have their personal connection. It wasn't fair. Why Aharon? Why his children? Why the Kohanim? And thus, a fire came out, just like it did by Korach who also had that same claim, and burnt them up. Fascinatingly enough, right after that story, just like by Har Sinai, the Jews eat and drink and complain about the quality of the food. It becomes Kivrot Ha'Taiva. It's almost a repeat of that Sinai experience. After that story Moshe himself, complains that he can't handle it all, and there Hashem tells him that He will take the spirit from Moshe and transfer it to the 70 sages. The word interestingly enough there is

va'yatzel min ha'ruach asher alov- And He set aside from the spirit that was upon him.

It is that same word of "vi'el atzilei bnai Yisrael", that is used be the ones by Sinai that saw Hashem. There it is translated as the strong ones, or the nobles. Yet literally it means the "eitzel"s- the ones that are on the side. The ones that are meant to draw their kedusha and spiritual connection to Hashem. The Levi and Kohen are only there not for themselves. Not for their taiyva, not for the food, not even to see Hashem and for their own closeness. Their job is to bring the light that starts with Moshe and transfer it to Bnai Yisrael. To be their brothers. To remind them, that Hashem is close to them. That He wants to be with them. They are bridges. They are the family members of ours, that bless us every day, so we feel Hashem is with us. Because they are there for us.

So how do we fix this? What is the punishment or better yet, the tikkun of the pidyon bechor, his redemption that we need to do? It's incredible. Every family has to bring his first born to the Kohen and give him 5 shekel. Rashi tells us that the amount of 5 Shekel is 20 silver coins which the amount that we sold Yosef who was meant to be our firstborn of Rochel for. When we sold Yosef, we decided that he wasn't going to be our representative. He can't rule over us. We don't need a representative. We can all have our place without him. He's the shor, the ox. We can make our calf. So we sold him for 5 shekel/ 20 silver coins and gave up our bechor. Our birthright and with that we went down to galus to be redeemed and get that back again.

Since we left for all times whenever the first son is born in every family we have to remember this. We have to say we're giving up our money for our son. We're not just removing ourselves from this job, from this representative position that we lost and paying off someone to do that for us. Every Jewish family will from then on have someone in our family, that always sits at the table, who lives with the knowledge that he was supposed to be our man in the Mishkan. In the Temple. We each have our kohen here with us, who's not working. He's not fired. In fact, the halacha of a bechor is that if one switches it for another animal, they both remain holy. The switch doesn't really work! Each Jewish family, thus virtually has a "soldier" in their house, who is wounded… who can't physically join the army… but he's longing and reminding us each day. That he wants to be there. That one day, he will be back there again. Because we need to know, that a golden calf doesn't work, an outsider who's just doing the job for me isn't enough.

Ritzoneinu li'ros malkeinu- We want Hashem in our midst. We want to see our king. Our Father. We want him in our Home. We want to live there with Him.

Today is Yom Yerushalayim. It's when after 2000 years of exile, Hashem brought us to the place we've claimed to be longing for, that we've claimed to be dreaming of coming to. That we've davened three times a day to be worthy of being the generation that will see it in our hands. Except, that we didn't say those words then and there. Motta Gur, left the Har Ha'Bayis and came down to the Kotel and recited those words "Har Ha'Bayit Bi'yadeinu" there on the bottom. He decided, as we did until today, that it's too much for us. We're happy here on the bottom. We're not yet worthy. We have a wall instead.

We have our words of prayer which are meant to serve in place of sacrifices, but they're not really flayshigs. We have our Torah, our Bais Medrash, our beautiful shuls in America, in London, in Karmiel, in Bnai Brak and even in the new city of Yerushalayim. We have our surrogate bechor, kohanim blessing us instead. We have other people's children serving for us in the army. We're not sharing the burden. We don't want the burden. We don't want the ohl- the yoke, and what we're really saying is that we don't really want the al- the above. The ladder from Hashem to come down to our house. To be with us. Always.

Fifty nine years ago today, Hashem put those words in the mouth of Motta Gur. He wanted us to know that the Temple Mount is truly in our hands. We just need to stretch them out and grab them. It's hard to take something in your hands when their full of other things. When you've got meatboards, when you've got fancy houses in galus, when you even have Torah and Mitzvos and Kollels and chesed even here in Israel. When, like those first-borns at Har Sinai you're eating and drinking, when like Nadav and Avihu you've had a bit too much wine, when like the zekeinim by kivros ha'taiva you're worried about your next meal. If your hands are full, you can't grasp the Temple Mount. If we forget Yerushalayim, then what we're saying is we've forgotten what the purpose of our right hand is for. It's to grab the Bais Ha'Mikdash. It's to bring down Mashiach. It's put aside the politics. It's to finally come home.

Have a Chodesh Tov, a blessed Shabbos and a miraculous Yom Yerushalayim!

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

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YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

"A hun iz gut tsu esn zalbenand - ich un di hun "– A chicken dinner is best when shared by two - me and the chicken.

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

32. What event, other than the Last Supper, took place according to Christian tradition at the same site___________?

Which of the following Christian denominations has a part in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre according to the Status Quo?

A. Benedictines

B. Protestants

C. Syrians

D. Nestorians

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/vatem – Dreaming of the Geula? Here's my wings of Eagle composition with the promise Hashem gave us on Shavuot! Dovid Lowy on the arrangements and vocals!

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/lecha-amar-my-versioon - Do you really want to see the face of Hashem… always…? Are you ready? Well this special compostion of mine will certainly elicit that longing. Es Panecha, composed right before this three year war started… Powerful!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ro2R8xVJHE4 - Did you Hallel this morning? If not here's the one and only Shlomo Katz's musical Hallel this morning…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU0H1t7oTOM – TYH's latest release.. sure to make you crazy. Hashem Echad Hashem is one!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNGH6E7-pFQ&list=RDGNGH6E7-pFQ&start_radio=1 – And of course in honor of Yom Yerushalayim- the ultimate classic Miami Boys Yerushalayim…

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

Signs of Redemption- 351 BC- So last week, we discussed Chagai's prophecy to the Jewish people that the time was right with Darius's declaration to return finally to Israel and rebuild the Temple. The Jews as we noted, didn't take that well sitting back in their comfortable shtibels in Bavel. They ahd their houses, their meat-boards and more importantly their yeshivos, their Torah and even incredible peace with this new Post- Haman and Achashveirosh Jewish-ish King who was the son of Esther.

They thus claimed it wasn't time for redemption yet, because there weren't miracles really. The nations of the world will complain. You see even the starting of the Mikdash was halted. Shomronim don't let. Why have another false-start and hope come crashing down? We're better of spiritually and materially here. When Hashem really wants us he'll send wings of eagles and men with white beards on donkeys to call us. Sound familiar?

Chaggai thus responds to them, then and to us now with the rebuke and answer of Hashem. He tells them, that first of the sign the geula is that when they plant a lot it will start to grow and produce a lot. The land has been desolate. And whadaya know… even though we've returned it's still not growing. This doesn't make sense. The answer is because we're not building the Mikdash. Even the things we're bringing in our homes is getting ruined. Why? No Mikdash. Our clothing are not keeping us warm at night. The money we're making is not bringing us blessing. Things are going to start going downhill. The reason for this is because you're too busy and focused on building your own houses and stockpiles and you've forgotten about Hashem. He's waiting for you to return to Him before He will bring miracles. To tell Him that you've come back to Him. That you want Him home. When you do that… prophecy will return. Miracles will happen. The Geula will be here. All of those signs and bad things that are not happening will transform into miracles of return. The ground will produce, you will become rich, you will be home. If not it will just get worse and worse.

Most Jews weren't moved or inspired. They couldn't leave. Even the ones that did leave, led by Zerubavel and Yehsohua Kohen Gadol, upon coming to Israel did not yet restart the project of rebuilding the Temple. They didn't get their permits still from Daruis. They were still too nervous. It took a second push from Chaggai to tell them to get started. Don't wait. Hashem will protect you. There won't be any danger. Har Ha'bayis Bi'yedchem- make it happen. Build the Temple.

And thus unlike 59 years ago when we didn't start and do what we were supposed on the 4^th day of Elul they began the work of putting together the team to build the Temple.

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S TERRIBLE SHARING JOKES OF THE WEEK

The old man placed an order for one hamburger, French fries, and a drink. He unwrapped the plain hamburger and carefully cut in half, placing one half in front of his wife. He then carefully counted out the French fries, dividing them into two piles and neatly placed one pile in front of his wife. He took a sip of the drink, his wife took a sip and then set the cup down between them.

As he began to eat his few bites of hamburger, the people around them were looking over and whispering. Obviously they were thinking, ‘That poor old couple-all they can afford is one meal for the two of them.’

As the man began to eat his fries a young man came to the table and politely offered to buy another meal for the old couple. The old man said, they were just fine-they were used to sharing everything. People closer to the table noticed the little old lady hadn't eaten a bite. She sat there watching her husband eat and occasionally taking turns sipping the drink.

Again, the young man came over and begged them to let him buy another meal for them. This time the old woman said,

"No, thank you, we are used to sharing everything."

Finally, as the old man finished and was wiping his face neatly with the napkin, the young man again came over to the little old lady who had yet to eat a single bite of food and asked,

"What is it you are waiting for?"

She answered, "My turn for the teeth."

What do you call two monkeys sharing an Amazon account? Prime mates.

Why are crabs so bad at sharing? Because they're all shellfish.

If I win tonight's Powerball, I'm sharing with everyone on my whatsapp status. I'm not sharing the money. I'll just let you know I won.

An Israeli, a Frenchman and a Palestinian are all in Saudi Arabia, sharing a smuggled crate of booze, when Saudi police rush in and arrest them. The mere possession of alcohol is a severe offence in Saudi Arabia, so for consuming the booze they are all sentenced to death. However, after many months and with the help of good lawyers, they are able successfully to appeal their sentences down to life imprisonment.

By a stroke of luck, it was a Saudi national holiday the day their trial finished, and the benevolent sheikh decided they could be released after receiving just 20 lashes. As they were preparing for their punishment, the sheikh announced,

"It's my first wife's birthday today, and she has asked me to allow each of you one wish before your whipping."

The Frenchman was first. He thought for a while, then said, "Please tie a pillow to my back."

This was done, but the pillow lasted only 10 lashes before the whip went through. When the punishment was done, the Frenchman had to be carried away bleeding and crying with pain. The Palestinian was next up. After watching the Frenchman's horror, he said smugly,

"Please fix two pillows to my back."

But even two pillows could take only 15 lashes before the whip went through and the Palestinian was soon led away whimpering loudly (as they do).

The Israeli was the last one up, but before he could say anything, the sheikh turned to him and said, "You are from a most beautiful and holiest part of the world and your culture is one of the finest that has done so much for humanity. For this, you may have two wishes!"

"Thank you, your most royal and merciful highness," the Israeli replied. "In recognition of your kindness, my first wish is that you give me not 20 lashes but 100 lashes."

"Not only are you an honourable, handsome and powerful man, you are also very brave," the sheikh said with an admiring look on his face. "If 100 lashes is what you desire, then so be it. And your second wish"?

"Tie the Palestinian to my back."

Be careful when sharing jokes. I read a joke a few weeks ago that went, "What do you do when an epileptic is having a fit in the bath? Throw your laundry in."

I decided to repeat the joke at work the other day to some co-workers and when I finished, one guy got really offended and that I shouldn't tell jokes like that because his younger brother died in the bath as a child while having an epileptic fit.

I asked, "Did he drown?"

The guy was furious and said, "No, he choked on a sock!"

I deleted an audiobook my wife and I was sharing. Now I'll never hear the end of it

Moishe, Yanky and Chaim were walking around feeling quite hungry. They didn't have any money to buy anything. As they were discussing their problem they passed by a church announcing a big feast for the occasion of four nuns were celebrating that they were about to take their vows. Dressed in their white gowns, they came into the chapel with the Mother Superior and were about to undergo the ceremony to marry them to Jesus, making them Brides of Yoshka.

Just as the ceremony was about to begin, and they took their seats in the front row, the Mother looked at these Hasidic Jews with yarmulkes, long sideburns and long beards came in and came over to them and said

“I am honored that you would want to share this experience with us, but do you mind if I ask you why you came?”

Moishie replied, “We're from the groom's family.”

Moshe and Avram went to a fish restaurant. They ordered one lunch and 2 plates to share it. The waiter brought 1 large fish and one small fish.

"Avram, you choose first", said Moshe

"No, please you choose."

"OK, I will take". Moshe took a big piece and put it on his plate

Avram, looked upset and said, "I figured You would take a big one"

"And which would you take?"

"The small one"

"Nu, so what is the problem?"

The old scholarly rabbi, a man of great wisdom and erudition, was dying. His son's gathered around his bed, trying to make his last journey comfortable. They gave him some warm milk to drink but he refused. One of his son's took the glass back to the kitchen. He had come from Colorado, where marijuana is legal. He opened a vial of cannabis oil, and mixed a generous amount into the warm milk. Back at the rabbis bed he held the cup to his father's lips. The rabbi drank a little, then a little more, and before they knew it he finished the whole glass.

"Father" said the eldest son, "please share some wisdom with us before you go. Give us some perspective and advice.”

The rabbi raised himself up in bed. A sage look came over his face, And then he said, "DO NOT SELL THAT COW."

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The answer to this week's question is C– OK… So this is one of those where I technically got this right but they would probably mark me wrong. It's also a cool timely question. So I answered Dovid Hamelech was buried there. The truth is that's correct according to the way the question is worded. They believe he's there. That's even the reason why they say the whole story happened there. They like making Xtian Jewish connections, as it gives them a sense of credibility. But that's not what they were looking for. They wanted things that they made up in the New Testament. They wanted me to know about washing the feet of his students and other bubbeh meisehs. The other story that I didn't even remember or know about, was actually that they believe that on Shavuos after the Pesach when he was Baruch Hashem crucified Yemach Shemo. They believe that his students and Peter got ruach hakodesh and went out and proslytised to 3000 students that "converted". See… they want to hijack our Shavuos story as well. The real truth though is that Dovid Hamlech isn't buried there either. The Navi tells us he's in Ir Dovid. That's not by Zion Gate where the Last Supper is.

Now the second part, I really had no clue. I don't even know what Nestorians or whatever they call them are. I guessed Benedictine cause I knew it wasn't the Protestants who don't believe in that place. I was wrong the answer was Syrians. I really don't care. Do you? Well I got this one wrong entirely. So full point for them on this one and the new score is Rabbi Schwartz having 22 points and the MOT having 10 points on this latest Ministry of Tourism exam.