The Godfather- Parshat Vayechi 2026! 5786

 Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land

from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

January 1^st 2026 -Volume 16 Issue 11 13^th of Tevet 5786

 

Parshat Vayechi

 The Godfather

 

"Family is everything" isn't the actual line that Marlon said, in The Godfather, although I had been practicing it all night with cotton balls stuffed in my cheeks. What he actually said was that "friendship is everything". The line I had confused it with was "A man that doesn't spend time with his family isn't a real man". (Said to Johnny Fontane in the beginning of that classic movie). Hmmm I wonder why I mixed that up… Maybe it's because I'm too busy touring with other people's kids and don't have much time to spend with my own… But hey, in Klal Yisrael we're all family, so I guess I do spend time with "family". But to quote a different line though which might throw that excuse out…"It's not personal… it's business…". Ah well… I guess I need to brush up a bit more on that family stuff and "be a real man".

 

Why am I in Godfather mode? Well, this past week I was honored and privileged to be the Sandak of my new grandson Nesanel Yehoshua's bris. There are some people that prepare for that honor by going to the Mikva, reciting Psalms, fasting, or other holy things. Me? I'm doing Marlon Brando imitations and thinking about the speech that I'll be giving the next day at the Bris. Hey, I'm the Godfather right? Oh yeah… I also had to start preparing "da money" after all they "made me an offer I couldn't refuse". And now it was time to pay for it.

 

Now Rivkah is always the perfect daughter of mine. She's the middle child. Perfectly in the middle. After the first two kids we finally figured it out and got it right. Unlike Shani who was just a little me in a skirt that would be a handful and felt that she owned the entire world. Little knowing that I did. Or Yonah who was climbing walls and ceilings and gave his mother a thousand heart attacks. Rivkah, was calm, peaceful and serene. I don't even think she cried when she was born. She just came out and quietly turned to her mother and said "Thank you for birthing me. I hope I wasn't too much trouble. It's a little bright in here. Would you mind turning down the lights a bit? "Yup. That's Rivkah. It's why she got the perfect husband Yehuda, who knew who to give the Sandak job to for this very special bris.

 

 It's also why they made sure to arrange the perfect parsha for me to be Sandak for. Parshat Va'Yechi, the parsha that begins with Yaakov blessing his grandchildren and concludes with Yosef holding his grandchildren the sons of his oldest son Menashe on his lap, the Torah tells us as they are circumcised is in fact the first biblical source, according to the Yonasan Ben Uziel's translation of the job of Sandak. The Zaydie who holds the newest generation and brings him into the covenant of Avraham Avinu. Yup, no better parsha than this one to get the honor. And nobody better to give the sandak/ godfather job to for their second son than someone named Ephraim who got his blessing in the parsha and was even elevated over his older brother Menashe and whom all Jewish children are commanded to be blessed like these two brothers.

 

The truth is it's a fascinating and deep story this special blessing of Yosef and Yaakov when it comes to the blessing of these children/grandchildren that seems to precede the final blessing of all of the other tribes that follow that Yaakov gives to his children before his death and the conclusion of the Sefer of Bereishis. It is the segue between the book of our Beginning and the Book we begin next week of our Redemption; the sefer Ha'Geula of Shemos. As the famous narrative goes, Yosef places Menashe before Ephraim and Yaakov does the hand switch thing and places his right hand on Ephraim's head and his left on Menashe's. When Yosef protests and tries to correct his father, Yaakov tells him that he knows that Menashe is older, yet he says.

"I know that he (Menashe) will be a nation, and he will be great. Yet his younger brother -yigdal mimenu- will be greater than him and his descendants will fill the nations."

 

Rashi and the Midrash tell us that Yaakov saw that descendant Yehoshua coming from Ephraim, who not only will lead the nation into Eretz Yisrael, but will miraculously stop the sun in the sky in his battle in Givon against the kings of Canaan in order to wipe them out. The whole world saw and witnessed the miracle and that is the merit that Ephraim has that is greater than Menashe's. Not so incidentally, the name my second grandson was given, from Rivka for whom I was being Sandak was of course Yehoshua. I told you she's the perfect child.

 

Yet on a deeper level perhaps one can even see the strength that Ephraim has over Menashe is that the descendants of Menashe that Yaakov sees who also have a love and passion for Eretz Yisrael are none other than the daughters of Tzlafchad. They are the grandchildren and descendants of Machir the child that Yosef was the sandak of at the end of the parsha. Yet whereas the daughters of Tzlafchad yearn and even stand up and demand that Moshe talk things over with Hashem to see that they get a portion in the land of Israel which they otherwise might not have gotten, because the land was only meant to be inherited through the men, and their father had died without sons. They even married only men from their own tribes thus limiting their shidduch options (in a generation where there really was a big shidduch crisis- as most of the eligible men had died in the midbar) in order that the portion of their father they received stays within their tribe, rather than to a husband from another tribes portion. Yet that longing and "diplomacy" method as great as it is, isn't as great as Yehoshua's who actually doesn't take the diplomatic daven and pray for it route, but actually just goes in there and kills everyone that needs to be eliminated in order to inherit the land.

 

But there is something even more fascinating about the interesting wording of the blessing of Yaakov and the explanation that he gives to Yosef for this hand-switch-around methodology. Meaning, that if Yaakov wanted to bless Ephraim and show he's greater there was no need to switch his hands like that. He could've just rearranged the kids. He could've placed Ephraim on the right and Menashe on the left. What's with the hand switch?

 

The answer though it would seem and that some of the commentaries suggest is that it wasn't about making Ephraim greater than Menashe, it was rather about showing Ephraim that the greatness he will have over Menashe is as Yaakov says "mimenu" He will get it from him. Ephraim will be great when he understands and appreciates that all the greatness he has isn't because he's smarter, sronger, a bigger talmid chacham-which in fact it would seem he was, as it was him that was always learning with Yaakov rather than Menashe who was more involved with the management of the court. Rather the greatness he has, and the power Yehoshua his descendant will have to bring the children of Israel into the land and herald in the redemption, will come when he can look over at his brother and see that all he has is because of his brother, who may not be as learned as him, but has that same burning connection to Eretz Yisrael and passion, that his descendants will have as well.

It is this theme of the eventual redemption and the return of his descendants to Eretz Yisrael that consumes Yaakov at the end of his life in Egypt where his children are flourishing and getting very comfortable and influential. It's all he can think about. It's all he's worried about. We find that in the beginning of the parsha when he calls Yosef and makes him take an oath not to bury him in Egypt, or in Uman, or in Kerister, or in Morroco or Poland or Cracow. He wasn't a fan of the concept of his later descendants making trips to these places to go visit and daven by his grave. Not on Rosh Hashana or any other time of year. He wanted them to come to Chevron. To the place where his Father and Mothers, the avos and imahaos are buried. To remember that there's only one place where a Jew's body is returned to the earth from where it's formed.

 

As well when he first sees Ephraim and Menashe he doesn't recognize them, because he sees the kings that will come from that will split the nation up, Achav,Yeravam and Yehu, and that will divide the nation and that will eventually become the cause that leads to our exile from the land. It's as well as the main message he wants to give all of the tribes when he gathers them together. He wants to tell them about the acharis ha'yamim- the end of days when they will return. That Egypt is not their home. He gives them blessings that all speak of the incredible portions and blessings that each one will have in the land. The wine, the oil, the crops and fruits, the grazing land and of course merchants and Torah supporters as well as the kings, leaders, judges and priests. It's about coming home.

 

Yet to do that we need to be blessed like Ephraim and Menashe. We need Ephraim to look at his brother Menashe who is still standing in his place on the right of Yaakov, although from Yosef's perspective he may be on the left and realize that all of his greatness in Torah, in wisdom and leadership is only to lift up and bring his brother together with him. That we are both blessed and loved together by our one Father in heaven and our godfather Yaakov. It's then when Ephraim can fulfill his mission. He can bring the children home.

 

Chazal tell us that being a sandak is like being a kohen who brings the ketores- incense in the Temple. In fact it's why it's mentioned that a person shouldn't be a sandak for more than one child per family, as a Kohen doesn't bring the ketores more than once. What is the significance and connection of ketores of all the offerings to the mitzva of bris mila? I can tell you it's certainly not the smell… Perhaps it’s the idea I shared above. The first sandak at the first bris in the Torah the midrash tells us was in fact Hakadosh Baruch Hu, Hashem, by the bris of Avraham. That is in fact what we say by davening each day v'charos imo ha'bris- and Hashem cut with him the bris. Hashem held Avraham in his lap, as I did Nesanel Yehoshua, as he had his bris.

 

Do you know what this covenant of Bris is. It's the connecting force between all Jews. It's something that we share with every male Jew that has entered this covenant. It's like the Jewish gene that we all share, yet it's one that we injected or inflicted upon our own flesh. It's our own yellow star, Magen David. It's our mark that we're family. We're brothers.

 

It doesn't make a difference how different our customs, our dress, our observance and our passions our desires and our jobs might be. We're still family. We still have a shared destiny that needs to be realized together. We're like the ketores that consists of all of the different spices, smells and flavors that are brought each morning and evening in the Temple. Some are sweet and some are fouler. Some learn Torah and others find Hashem in other places, or perhaps even seem lost. They are Menashe- they have forgotten the house of their father. They have been uprooted, as his name connotes and translates, from their source, from Eretz Yisrael, from their father's house. But we share one bris. We share one blessing. He maybe right and I may be left, but we all have only one home and one Father whose glory we are meant to reveal. That was what our Godfather told and blessed us. That we should never forget that. It's the blessing we are meant to bless every Jewish child with. It's the segue to our redemption.

 

I don't know how many of you readers, actually read the rest of the columns in this weekly long E-Mail besides the jokes. Although if I had to guess probably the "yiddish quote of the week" is probably not one that many get a chance to read, although it does usually connect somewhat to the parsha and E-Mail and you should. Yet this week, as Godfather I'll quote and bless you all with the words of wisdom that can always be found in those snippets our bubbies and zaydies used to say. And of course a Sandak's bracha is one that has extra power. It's the blessing that I give to my grandson Nesanel Yehoshua and to all of klal Yisrael.

 

" Ver shemt zich fun zeineh mishpocheh, oif dem iz kain brocheh."- Whoever is ashamed of his family will have no blessings.

 

It's all about family, as the Godfather tell us. The family comes first. We live in a generation where so many of us are on such divergent paths. So many of us feel we're holier than our brother. We have forgotten the gadol mimenu- our greatness only comes when we see and can learn from them. From our brothers and sisters that are part of our mishpache and have sparks and journeys that are different than ours. But that are still holy. That have one Father and one zaydie and that share our dream. When we finally realize that the book of redemption will then begin.

 

Have a blessed Shabbos Chazak

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz 

 

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YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

 

" Ver shemt zich fun zeineh mishpocheh, oif dem iz kain brocheh."- Whoever is ashamed of his family will have no blessings.

 

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

 

14. In Jewish tradition, a day of fasting commemorating the breach of the walls of Jerusalem

is the fast of -------------

What are the sages of the Mishna called?

A. Amoraim

B. Tannaim

C. Savoraim

D. Geonim

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

 

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/yesimcha  – In honor of my grandsons' Bris here's my beautiful composition (some say it's my nicest) Yesimcha, the bracha we give our children each Friday night from this week's parsha.

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/vzakeynu-lirot-banim  – Once you're at it already, enjoy the song I composed for my first grandson's bris as well. V'zakeinu Liros banim U'vney banim

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFXoU_9Fm4Q&list=OLAK5uy_lbMJq2Y6WN2yvx_bkEvXNhHd3lejVQBNs&index=2  – I just love these weekly Shwekey drops. You heard the first three last week (if you didn't go back and find them…) This week it's Oneg Shabbos with Yaakov!



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6C-IQF5RBs&list=RDz6C-IQF5RBs&start_radio=1 – Yaakov gathers his sons together and recites Shema. This beautiful song and video are just magnificent and can't stop watching it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37COPRg5ui4&list=RD37COPRg5ui4&start_radio=1  - To be honest I don't really get this new Joey and Ohad song Yevamos song… but hey, I'm learning Yevamos with Oraysa now so I figure why not…

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

(Little break in chronology for the fast this week..)

Darius the Mede- Daryavush I - 370 BC- You've heard about people having identity crises, well when it comes to the King of Media- which is kind of appropriate since we know today that all "media" is fake… See the problem is that in secular historians they don't really have much for this reign of Media which is like Northern Iran Kurdistan area at the time of the fall of Bavel. Cyrus/ Koresh was already ruling by then. So the question is who is this dude Daryavush and the question then follows as to who really cares?

Fascinatingly enough although to me and you it's not much of an issue. This really was a major controversial point about 60- 70 years ago for the Bible critics. They used the fact that there was no record of this king and this empire as being a sign that the navi Daniel wasn't written by him but rather by an uneducated person much later. The problem though with that was they said the same thing about the fact that Belshatzar wasn't a king until they discovered evidence to support the Daniel account. Oops… As well Sefer Daniel is so so specific about so many details and names and the entire ruling and innovations of the monarchy only someone knowledgeable could've written it. One of the most important innovations was that he broke up the empire into 120 nations all led by achasdarpanim- you know that funny word in the megilla, which is translated as sartaps or something which is kind of like governors or regents. They would report to the top three of which Daniel was the number one adviser.

So who was he really? It would seem that there was a general called Ugbaru that conquered Bavel and killed Belshatzar with Cyrus. They made an agreement between the two kingdoms that he would rule first and Cyrus second. Meantime the regents would be from the other kingdom's team. It was a check and balance system and a government that would switch like we have here in Israel. The problem was that Darius it seems died after a year and that was the end of their reign and empire and then Persia takes the front seat pretty much until we return to Israel.

Last little piece of fun facts. It seems according to Chazal that this Darius was born the same day Nevuchadnezzar entered and desecrated the Temple and began the exile of Yehoyachin, known as the Choresh and Masger when all the scholars and prophets left Jerusalem before the destruction took place. That's when Mordechai and Daniel first came down to Bavel. Mordechai moved to Persia and we'll pick up with him soon. Daniel however stays there with Darius which as we will see next week doesn't bode well for him. Roar…

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S TERRIBLE MAFIA GODFATHER JOKES OF THE WEEK

 

Leo, the Mafia Godfather, is Robbed by his Arab chauffer and driver while he is vacationing in Dubai. Once he figures out who stole the money he needs to hire a translator in order to properly communicate and find out where he hid the money. He finds an Israeli former Mossad agent, Ami, staying there in the hotel and invites him in to translate and get the truth out of this guy.

Leo: So you're the one who had the guts to steal my money?

Ami: He said he didn't do it.

Leo: Tell him to stop lying and tell me how much he stole.

Ami: He says it was around $250,000.

Leo: Lies. Way more.

Ami: Okay he now claims it was $2.5m but he buried them in a place you'll never find.

Leo: I've had about enough! Where is my money!

(Silence)

Leo: Very well then. Tell him that if he doesn't tell me the exact location I will put a bullet in his head and go after his entire family.

Ami delivers the message. Achmed the chauffer is now scared and decides it is best he tells him where the money is; so he does.

Leo: So what did he say?

Ami: He says that you're a gutless pig.

 

An Israeli man is kidnapped by the mafia who want him to tell them where his company’s money is hidden. They put him in a chair at gunpoint and demand the location, but he won’t tell them a single word. After a while, the mafia members decide that he isn’t going to be of any use to them, so they kill him. At the gates of heaven, god asks him why he didn’t just give them the information they needed, and that he probably would still be alive if he had.

Dudu responds, “How could I? Those rascals had tied up my hands!”

 

What kind of coffee does The Godfather drink in the morning? An alpuccino

 

Little Guido come to visit his godfather at the end of school year with his report card and shows it to him proudly with his parents.

The report card states that he got a

History A

Math A+

Science A+

Literature A

Geography B+

The godfather pinches his cheek gently and caresses his face and the grabs a gun and shots him in the head. The mother shocked and in tears asks: "why did you shoot him?!"

The Godfather answers: "he knew too much"

 

Where does the Italian mafia live? In the spaghetto

 

Yankel joins the mob and becomes the personal assistant to the Godfather. One day he receives a text message from the boss. "I've been having problems with my wife. Please pull the plug and then call someone in to take care of the matter."

The man knows better than to question the Godfather, so he dutifully carries out the command. He shoots the boss's wife, and then calls in the clean up crew.

But a short while later, he receives another message. "Stupid autocorrect. I meant wifi."

 

Mafia Boss: I want the brake lines of this guy’s car to be rusting.

Chemist: I’m listening.

Mafia Boss: But make sure..it looks like an oxidant.

 

My best friend Jay had twin girls. But unfortunately he died on the way to the hospital and his wife died during labor. I was asked to be their godfather and I wanted to honor him so I named the girls after him. Kay and Elle.

 

They say that mafia members are nasty people, but but while growing up, I lived next door to one and he was actually a nice guy. In fact, every morning, he paid me $20 just to start his car.

 

The Feds have just raided a tennis club used as a front for a large Mafia organisation. No doubt they'll be charged with racquet-eering.

 

I used to sell office supplies to the mafia, file cabinets and label makers and such. I was involved in very organized crime

 

What is the difference between the IRS and the Mafia? The Mafia at least gives you protection when you pay.

 

The Mafia boiled a man to death in a industrial pasta cooker. Police are still trying to al dentefy the victim.

I had a meet with the Godfather of the Chinese mafia earlier...He made me an offer I couldn’t understand.

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The answer to this week's question is B– Every exam always has at least one and sometimes two of these easy throw-away questions for the frum guide. This one all of you should know. 17^th of Tamuz as we fast on that day and the three weeks of mourning start. And of course the Tanaaim is the Mishna rabbis of course from the 1^st- 3^rd century. The question is do you do you know who the Savrarim are though? So I got that one right and the new score is Rabbi Schwartz having a 10.5 point and the MOT having 3.5 point on this latest Ministry of Tourism exam.

Old School- Parshat Shelach 2024 5784

 

Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land

from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

June 28^th 2024 -Volume 13 Issue 36 22^nd of Sivan 5784

Parshat Shelach

Old School

He was from a different generation. He was as old school as they got. Born right after the war in Italy, my Uncle Sammy z”l who passed away this week, had a bit of that Italian in him but mixed with the old haymish Hungarian and Czech roots of my grandparents. He wasn’t a Torah scholar. He wasn’t learned. He went to work at a young age and didn’t have much time or even zitz fleish for learning. But he was as holy of a Jew as I knew. The type, that for all our advanced yeshiva and Kollel Torah educated generation has advanced, still has trouble producing someone that possesses that natural pure faith, commitment and unwavering moral compass that the last generation had. That my Uncle Sammy, Yehoshua ben Eliyahu z’l who will always be the hero and role model that I aspire and emulate becoming, had.

 It wasn’t only that he would rise early every day to daven with a minyan and wouldn’t miss one in the evening. It was that he would make sure to be the first one there and the last one to leave, setting up the chairs, the lights, the tables, the books and the AC. It was him sitting after davening, or when he was at home in his spare time and recite the entire book of Tehillim daily. I don’t know if he concentrated or even understood all the words he said. It didn’t matter to him. These were holy words. This is what a yid says and does and Hashem likes when we do that. That was enough of a motivator. It wasn’t personal prayers or long davening with squinted eyes and a lot of shukkeling. It was Na’aseh V’nishma- first we do, first we understand what our job is to accomplish. The why, the what, the depth, the understanding the complexity are all nice. He respected Torah and its scholars. But for him, it was more about the doing then anything else. He saw himself as an essential link in a chain that went back to Har Sinai. He lived with a responsibility to that heritage and gift that was passed down to him.

 His yiddishkeit was his identity that he wore proudly. His love for Eretz Yisrael and his concern always for its well being was palatable every time he spoke of it and visited. He was as New Yawk as a NYer could ever be- He had a Newspaper stand in Manhattan for years and was a taxi driver- you can’t get more NY than that, at least old school NY (today you need a Free Palestine flag to qualify). As well he was as American Jewish as well as you can get- working for Manishevitz and Chap a Nosh- there’s nothing more American than Manishevitz. Yet with all of that, he knew more than perhaps the too many today that wear black hats and shtreimels or on the other extreme leather yarmulkas and that live in Five Town mansions with picket white fences that take 3 trips a year to Israel for the holidays and go to Israel Day parades, that NY is not his home. That America is not his country. That we are in galus and that the only place where a yid really belongs is in Eretz Yisrael.

 But it was more than his observance or even his values. It was how “Jewishy” and essential “tradition” was to him. He was the American equivalent of Tevye on the roof. Friday night had to have gefilte fish, chicken soup, potato kugel and chulent. It wasn’t Shabbos without it.  A bris had to have bagels and lox. A family vacation had to be either in the Catskills or Israel… maybe Miami. A yid always goes to shul, puts on tefillin, respects his rabbis, gives tzedaka, does chesed without any sense of payback or a sense of tzi kumt mir. They take care of their parents. They support their children and give them everything. They always make brachos, they bentch, they’re wary of goyim and they’re always always there for one another. No matter what, a yid doesn’t say no when another Jew asks for help. We’re all family. Those are not just values. Those are not good character traits. Those are all parts of a yid’s identity, as much as your fingers and toes are, as much as your parents are, your DNA is. That’s an old time yid. That’s my Uncle Sammy.

 Old time yidden, don’t have to “find themselves”. They don’t even understand the concept of therapy, of emotional healing, of “at-risk”, or of political corrected-ness or even a “meaningful” Judaism. Being Jewish means that we have a role, a job an identity and an un-shirkable responsibility. A mandate from Hashem, a legacy passed down from generations, a light that we need to bring out to the world that will bring Mashiach. There are no questions. There are no answers necessary. We have been Chosen. We have a path before us. It’s a good one, that could be at times challenging. But gam zu le’tova. It’s all good. And so walk we must wherever it leads.

 I don’t think its coincidental, that he was taken from us on this week’s parsha. Last week’s parsha and this week’s parsha both mention his namesake; Yehoshua, the unwavering dedicated servant of Moshe. In last week’s parsha Yehoshua makes his appearance when the word gets out that Eldad and Meidad are prophesying in the camp that Moshe will die and Yehoshua will bring us into the land. Yehoshua is upset by that and asks Moshe to either imprison or destroy them or according to Rashi just worst of all throw them into jobs that demand public service. Moshe rebukes Yehoshua and tells him not be concerned for his honor. Halevai that every Jew becomes a prophet. This first glimpse of Yehoshua is of someone who doesn’t want leadership. Can’t imagine or even hear that Moshe will not be with them forever and that doesn’t necessarily see the potential of a new generation “making it” without Moshe.

 In this week’s parsha again we find our Yehoshua, as being selected by Moshe to be one of the 12 spies into the land. Yet as opposed to the other spies he sends, when it comes to his loyal student, he davens for him. He adds on the letter “yud” to his name, which is that letter from Hashem’s name to protect him from falling into the conspiracy of the spies. Out of all the spies, it is him that Moshe is most nervous about. The other ones seemingly, as Rashi tells us, were all righteous, Moshe selected the best of the best- although he knew that there would be danger and temptations that would confront them spiritually. Yet, Moshe didn’t daven for them. They weren’t “at risk” as much as Yehoshua, in his mind. Yehoshua, was his boy. This was the first time, perhaps in his life, that he would be separated from Moshe. Even when Moshe went up to the heaven at Har Sinai, Yehoshua stood at the foot of the mountain awaiting Moshe’s return. Yet now he would be venturing out of the walls of yeshiva. Going “out-of-town. He would be out on the front lines in a new world that was different then the yeshiva he was used to. He wasn’t cut from what the others were and thus he was most vulnerable.

 Fascinatingly enough it would seem that Moshe was correct in his assessment of Yehoshua- although perhaps incorrect in overestimating the other spies’ ability to not fail and falter. We see this in the difference between Yehoshua and Calev. Although in general and in past years I believe that most of us lop the two together as the “good spies”, there really are differences between the two if one pays attention to the texts and chazal midrashic interpretations derived from those texts. Let’s take a look at a few.

 The first is that our sages tell us, as I note in our prayer column of the week, that Calev goes to Chevron to daven that he shouldn’t fall into the conspiracy of the meraglim. Yehoshua, doesn’t. It seems he hangs with the other spies. As well, when they return it seems that Yehoshua was together with all the spies when they were giving the report about the land. In fact, the Midrash tell us that Yehoshua only attempted to speak up when they started talking about the land of Milk and Honey and the dangers that awaited them, and the spies quickly shut him down. They accused him of trying to usurp Moshe- ironically enough, as they knew that he was meant to bring them into the land and thus it was for his own political gain that he was trying to convince them to go to war (hmmm… sound familiar?). Alternatively, they told him that since he didn’t have any children to lose, since at that point he was childless, he had no right to say whether they should enter or not. He didn’t have skin in the game like they did. Maybe if he had children that were in the army and had to fight against those giants he would have a different opinion.  And thus Yehoshua is quiet. He accepts the fact perhaps, that he’s not the person that they will listen to.

 Calev, on the other hand, takes the mike and stands up to everyone else. He tells them “Yes, we can!”. Hashem is with us. “Just don’t!” Don’t rebel. Don’t lose faith. Don’t think you’re too small. We can do it. Hashem is on our side. Yet he as well is not successful. It seems that the desire to stone our leaders is too great, and thus we fall. That’s always when we fall.

 Fascinating enough the difference between these two next generations leaders really date back to their ancestors. Not only to their ancestors though, but also to their descendants, to the future anointed saviors called Mashiach, that come from the tribe of Yosef-from who Yehoshua descends through Ephraim, and from the tribe of Yehuda through King David. Yosef, much like Yehoshua is dedicated heart and soul to Moshe, is dedicated to his father Yaakov, to tradition, to the old school. He lives separate from all the other tribes and their goings on. In fact, the Maharal even suggests that the reason why Moshe davened for Yehoshua specifically, is because being a descendant of Yosef, he might fall into that old trap and sin of bringing bad tidings back, as Yosef did. Yehoshua, as Yosef doesn’t see the glory or the kedusha in all of the other tribes. He doesn’t get their world. For him, its all about Torah. It’s tradition. It’s responsibility. It’s old school. His job is to just reflect, much like the moon, the light of Moshe. To be a window into the past world and generation. Not to create a whole new world for the new generation.

 It is perhaps for that reason why Moshe adds the letter “yud” to his name, which not only represents the holy spark of the pinteleh yid in each Jew, but as well the commentaries correspond to the number 10, meaning to find the spark in the other ten spies and uplift them.

 Calev, on the other hand, is from the tribe of Yehuda. He’s a leader, a lion, a fighter. Unlike Yehoshua who is disconnected from the people and is therefore limited in how he can influence them, Calev is one of them, much like Yehudah his zaidy was.  He has ruach acheres- he has a different spirit that he can breathe into them. In Calev’s heroic action of standing up to them, although he doesn’t save them, he does uplift Yehoshua. For when Moshe and Aharon fall on the floor and cry, Yehoshua joins Calev and they rent their garments together. They stand together and warn the nation not to rebel. Just as when Yosef and Yehudah embrace and join together back in Egypt so long ago, and Yosef tells them not to fear that Hashem brought them down for their benefit, so too here as well  these two united descendants of Yehudah and Yosef tell the nation that redemption can come and its in our hands. That’s the power of when the old school and new school come and work together. It’s what we need to happen and appreciate before the geula can come.

 Klal Yisrael today once again stands at the doorway to redemption. The old generation is dying in the wilderness. The new generation is a different one. It has its own kedusha. Its own strength. Its own light of Hashem that it needs to reveal. Mashiach ben Yosef, the old generation, has merited the first stage of redemption with our return to Eretz Yisrael. They were filled with the passion of Yosef for Eretz Yisrael. Like Yosef who spent most of his life and death in galus, yet whose descendant, Yehoshua, brought those bones of his back to Eretz Yisrael to be buried here, this past generation also returned to the land on the ashes and bones of our ancestors because of the passion and love of the land that the old generation had instilled in them. They were ready to fight and conquer the land. They knew that we had no home anywhere else. That we needed to be united as brothers. That we needed to take responsibility for one another. That we each had different roles to serve, but that each of us had a part to play, with none that are less or greater than the other.

  Yes, Mashiach ben Yosef, that descendant of Yehoshua has come already. They handed that torch to us, a generation that perhaps is more educated and knowledgeable having spent years in the midbar learning the Torah of Moshe, that their fathers who came out of the ashes never had the opportunity to learn, but as well may have lost the passion and understanding that the endgame is not the midbar. It’s Eretz Yisrael. It’s coming home. It’s loving a land. It’s seeing how Hashem can only be revealed in one place.

The only thing left for us is to greet Mashiach ben Dovid, is to have that leader that uplifts us and can quiet all the malcontents amongst us. The naysayers. The perhaps even great men, who don’t think we are worthy. That don’t think we can function in a world without Moshe, that don’t see a future or holiness in a generation that isn’t standing at the mountain, awaiting his return. That doesn’t necessarily get what Moshe told Yehoshua, that halevai the entire nation should reveal the prophecy that we have. That are too old school perhaps, or that are too new schools and still influenced by the nations of the world and frightened by the terrifying giants because they don’t understand how great we are. How much Hashem loves us. How He has removed their shade from them. Their masks and true colors are showing.  (Even if they are still wearing face masks). They don’t have any merits anymore. They don’t have any sparks to uplift there in exile. We can come home. We can be redeemed when Yehoshua who brought us into the land, joins with Calev who will finally conquer Chevron for us and slay all the giants before us.

 Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser spoke by my Uncle Sammy’s levaya. He recounted a story that was told by the eulogy of the Malbim (although I haven’t been able to track down the source- points to anyone that can…). A rabbi spoke there and said that there were people that were once walking in a forest. It was nighttime and they took torches and candles with them to light up the way. But as time went on each of the torches went out and got extinguished until finally the last burnt out and darkness took over. At that point one of the wanderers began to cry. They asked him why he was crying. Didn’t he know that candles don’t last forever. That ultimately, they go out. He answered tearfully that yes, he knew that. But he had been hoping that at least when it went out they would already be out of the forest….

 I had thought that Uncle Sammy would be here to see that glorious day that stands before us. That we would be out of the forest before his light was extinguished. That he would get to see  and greet Mashiach that he davened, prayed and believed in so much. That he would finally realize his dream of living here. That perhaps Moshe would die, but that at least Yehoshua would be machnis- would come in. Would see the redemption. But we were wrong. Hashem had a different plan. He wanted Yehoshua, to join his namesake in Shamayim, to join my Saba and Savta and all of the generations that he was so connected to. To join all those kedoshim of this generation, of this war who have been killed al kiddush hashem because they were Jews, because they wanted to reveal the shechina in our land in this final battle against Amalek. Hashem, wanted him together with them and to look down upon us and bring that day faster.

 May Uncle Sammy, be a meilitz yosher for all of us, may we and all of those that loved and were loved by him be consoled with all the mourners of Tzion. And may his holy neshoma be bound b’tzror ha’chayim with the bonds of eternal life. May his neshoma have an Aliyah.

  Have a blessed Shabbos and a Chodesh Tamuz tov,

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

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YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

" Aider es kumt di nechomeh, ken oisgaien di neshomeh.”.- By the time the consolation comes, the soul has already left

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

11.The person who was named as “The Lord of Armageddon“ was_______.

Which of the following figures is represented by the image of a winged lion in

Christianity?

A) Matthew

B) Luke

C) Mark

D) John

 RABBI SCHWARTZ’S COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

hhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHTmvS6mPy8   – Yechadshehu for Rosh Chodesh Davening- one of my favorite versions by Yehuda!.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfUecfoMm8E  - For all those Daf Yomi people- enjoy the Bava Metzia review song!!

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBOgKW1i80E –  Mordechai Shapiro latest video release Nagila

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GedpXTWwotc   - Eitan Katz’s latest sampler amazing album Chabad songs- well worth the download

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8r8E_PzgvU  – Yehuda Green’s latest sampler album- with my Rosh Yeshiva’s Amar Abaya song on it for the title!

 RABBI SCHWARTZ’S PARSHA PRAYER INSPIRATION OF THE WEEK

Grave Prayers- The one fundamental principle about our prayers is that they are directed to Hashem. The Rambam even considers as one of the thirteen principles of faith and one who doesn’t believe in this is considered a heretic. “Lo livad raui li’hitpalel- it is only to Him that it is befitting to daven. That being the case it is important to understand and to get to the bottom of one of the most common Jewish customs, which is that we pray at the graves of the righteous tzadikim and our ancestors. Where does it come from, what our intents supposed to be, and how does it work?

 So the first source for this custom is from our Parsha, where our Rashi notes that in describing the spies itinerary to Israel it strangely uses the singular form of “va’yavo ad Chevron”- insinuating that only of the spies popped off to Chevron. Our sages pick up on that nuance and not that only Calev went to Chevron to pray by the graves of our Patriarchs that he should not be susceptible to the conspiracy of the spies to badmouth the land.  And so there we have it. A Biblical source for the Jewish custom.

 The truth is throughout generations we find that Jews have prayed at Mearas Hamachpela.  The Zohar Ha’Kadosh even writes that Avraham Avinu sensing that this was the opening to Gan Eden would pray there daily and that’s why he wanted to buy it as a burial place. We find that the prophet Yirmiyahu goes there to daven before the destruction and awaken the Avos to daven before Hashem to have mercy on us. The Rambam even established the day that he went there on the 9^th of Cheshvan as an eternal holiday for his family, as well did the Ramban who even suggested that he wanted to be buried there as well. Yet the question is how do we daven to dead people and why is it permitted.

 In regards to the how, so the Maharil writes that one is forbidden turn and make requests of the dead as there is a prohibition in the Torah “to seek out the dead- doresh el ha’meisim”. Rather, he suggests that one should turn to Hashem in the merit of the tzadikim that are buried there. The Minchas Elazar though points out that we find that in many places in Chazal, our sages did beseech and direct their prayers to the righteous themselves. Thus he understands that the prohibition is to ask the dead directly to bring about salvations, however it is permitted to aske them to be our advocates before Hashem on our behalf. The Sdei Chemed takes this a step further and writes that the prohibition is to direct oneself to the dead person, yet since his spirit is part of Hashem it is permitted to communicate with the nefesh- the spirit rather than the dead person.

 There is one more issue that seems to be problematic, which is that we have a concept that it is forbidden to preform mitzvos in front of a dead person. It is called “Lo’eg li’rash- mocking the dead”. Since they can’t do mitzvos anymore to preform them “in their face” is liking rubbing salt in their wounds and is prohibited. It is for this reason that one doesn’t enter a cemetery with their tzitzis out or in tefillin. As well the Shulchan Aruch rules that it is prohibited to read kriyas shema in front of them and the misha berura even includes reciting kadish or any holy matter. So how do we do this and get away with it.

 Now in truth we find that when King Chizkiya  (from our Navi column above) died they actually built a beis midrash on his grave, as well we find that by Rebbi Yehudah Ha’Nasi as well. Tosfos in Bava Kama (16b) explains that this not directly over but outside of 4 amos from his grave. The Ri Migash suggests that it is permitted in those circumstances where it gives honor to the departed and not for the sake of the mitzva of learning. The Chida thought takes a different approach and notes that there is a concept that the righteous are considered living even after their death, and we find that Rebbi would even comem back and make Kiddush for his family long after he died. Thus he says that the general rule of lo’eg l’rash doesn’t apply to them.

 So although there does seem to be ways out of the halachic issues, our general rule in halacha is puk chazei d’amei davar- go out and see what Klal Yisrael is doing, for if we are not prophets, we are the children of prophets and what is accepted practice amongst the nation, must have some basis to it. In Israel in many places the ancient graves are painted blue-techelet. The old timers in Tzfat have told me that the reason is because just as Techelet reminds us to look at the sea and then think about the sky, the heavens and the throne of Hashem, similarly when we come to the graves of tzadikim. We are not davening to them, but rather they and their inspiration and connection to us direct us to focus our eyes to heaven and turn our prayers to Hashem. May the merit of those prayers be accepted readily.

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

701 BC-Yeshaya’s Prophecy – We’re almost at the end of what I think is the longest biblical saga that this column has covered (I’ve been milking this for about 8 weeks now or so…). But this is a big amazing story. And before we get to that final last miraculous salvation of Hashem, we first have to have it prophesized by a good prophet. The one at the time is none other than Yeshaya, or as Shlomo Carlebach likes to call him “The holy prophet Isaiah”.

 

Yeshaya has been the prophet since King Uziyahu, he prophesied through his entire reign, as well as his son Yotam, and through the evil king Achaz and his last Kingship that he served was of course Chizkiyah. We don’t have much information about his early life, however the Talmud tells us he was from Yerushalayim, and was according to some opinions even related to the royal family, his father being the brother of Amaztia, the son of Yehoash. That would make about 50 years of prophecy!

 {To recap the kings of Yehuda quickly- Yoash, good king. Amatzia pretty good king. Uziyahu also good king and the start of Yeshaya’s career. He got tzora’as and had big earthquake was king for 11 years. His son was Yotam- really really good king ruled for  25 years (although some together with father. Achaz really bad king. Made civil wars and hooked up with Aram ruled for 7 years and saw beginning of exile of ten tribes, and finally Chizkiya good king ruled for 28 years.}

 Yeshaya is in fact one of the prophets whom archaeologists have found evidence to his existence- not that we need any. When they found in Ophel in 2008 in Jerusalem a bula- a burnt seal with his name on it. Cool!

 The majority of haftorahs that we read are from the book of Yeshaya. Certainly the ones that have to do with our exile and redemption. Much of the prophecies we are witnessing today. When Chizkiya sends messengers to Yeshaya about the threats and danger of Sancherev’s army, Yeshaya tells Chizkiya to take a chill pill. There’s nothing to fear. Sancherev will get called back to fight against Kush and then you will have respite. But don’t worry, he’ll be back and then he’ll get miraculously wiped out.

 Sure enough, just as the prophet predicted, it came to be. The Navi tells us that Sancherev went back to put down a rebellion and the Jew went out and planted and grew their crops and not long after he returned on Erev Pesach in one day journey miraculously arriving to lay siege once again outside the city gates. It was Pesach night. It was the night when Hashem protects us. And next week we will god willing conclude this story!

 RABBI SCHWARTZ'S OLD SCHOOL JOKES OF THE WEEK

 My Dad is from the old school, ......where you keep your money under the mattress–only he kept his in the underwear drawer. One day I bought my dad an unusual personal safe–a can of spray paint with a false bottom–so he could keep his money in the workshop. Later I asked Mom if he was using it.

“Oh, yes,” she replied, “he put his money in it the same day.”

“No burglar would think to look on the work shelf!” I gloated.

“They won’t have to,” my mom replied. “He keeps the paint can in his underwear drawer.”

 

I asked my daughter if she’d seen my newspaper. She told me that newspapers are old school. She said that people use tablets nowadays and handed me her iPad. That fly didn’t stand a chance.

 

An elderly couple was celebrating their sixtieth anniversary. The couple had married as childhood sweethearts and had moved back to their old neighborhood after they retired. Holding hands, they walked back to their old school. It was not locked, so they entered, and found the old desk they'd shared, where Jerry had carved I love you, Sally.

On their way back home, a bag of money fell out of an armored car, practically landing at their feet. Sally quickly picked it up and, not sure what to do with it, they took it home. There, she counted the money - fifty thousand dollars!

Jerry said, We've got to give it back.

Sally said, Finders keepers. She put the money back in the bag and hid it in their attic.

The next day, two police officers were canvassing the neighborhood looking for the money, and knocked on their door. Pardon me, did either of you find a bag that fell out of an armored car yesterday?

Sally said, No

Jerry said, She’s lying. She hid it up in the attic.

Sally said, Don't believe him, he’s getting senile

The agents turned to Jerry and began to question him. One said: Tell us the story from the beginning.

Jerry said, Well, when Sally and I were walking home from school yesterday ......

The first police officer turned to his partner and said, Were outta here!

 My therapist asked me if I ever wake up grumpy. I told her that I usually just let Dad sleep in.

 While on a road trip, an elderly couple stopped at a roadside restaurant for lunch. After finishing their meal, they left the restaurant, and resumed their trip. When leaving, Sadie unknowingly left her glasses on the table, and she didn't miss them until they had been driving for about forty minutes. By then, to add to the aggravation, they had to travel quite a distance before they could find a place to turnaround, in order to return to the restaurant to retrieve her glasses. All the way back, Berel, her husband became the classic grumpy old man. He fussed and complained, and scolded his wife relentlessly during the entire return drive. The more he chided her, the more agitated he became. He just wouldn't let up for a single minute.To her relief, they finally arrived at the restaurant.

As Sadie got out of the car, and hurried inside to retrieve her glasses, Berel yelled to her, "While you're in there, you might as well get my hat and the credit card."

 My new neighbor is a grumpy German. I guess you could call him a sour Kraut.

 What do you call a loaf of grumpy bread? Sourdough!

 A little boy asks his mother what the difference is between a Democrat and a Republican?

The mother thinks hard and comes up with this explanation for the child.

A Democrat is like that very nice aunt you have that always promises to take you to Disneyland. But something always comes up and you never actually go.

A Republican is like a grumpy uncle. Every time you ask him about Disneyland he says absolutely not, we don't have enough money. But then later you find out that he went without you anyway.

 

An elderly woman appears in court for stealing

A can of peaches from the grocery store. The judge asks "how many peaches were in that can?"

To which she replied "about 6 your honor."

"Very well then. 6 days in lock-up for you. I hope you've learned your lesson." When you suddenly hear her grumpy husband in the crowd "she also stole a can of peas!!"

 

My Grandad asked me how to print. I said "Control P"

He said: "I haven't been able to do that for years!"

(sorry couldn’t resist… too many terrible jokes until now..)

 

Hymie goes to the doctor for his annual head-to-toe checkup. The doctor comes in with a folder full of test results and says, “I’ve got two major concerns.”

The old man says, “Ok doc, let’s hear it.”

 Doctor says, “Well, as you know we ran a full body MRI, and we discovered that most of your major organs are riddled with cancer.”

“Oh no!” the old man exclaims. “And there’s more?”

The doctor says, “Unfortunately, yes. With your age and lifestyle, you’re also showing pretty advanced signs of Alzheimer’s.”

 Hymie says, “Wow. That’s a lot to take in. But at least it’s not cancer.”

 

Yankel is selling watermelons. His pricelist reads: 1 for $3, 3 for $10

A young man stops by and asks to buy one watermelon.

"That'd be 3 dollars", says the old man.

The young man then buys another one, and another one, paying $3 for each.

As the young man is walking away, he turns around, grins, and says, "Hey old man, do you realize I just bought three watermelons for only $9? Maybe business is not your thing."

Yankel smiles and mumbles to himself, "People are funny. Every time they buy three watermelons instead of one, yet they keep trying to teach me how to do business..."

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 The answer to this week”s question is C– I can’t seem to get out of this 50/50 rut I’m in. Not that I thought a Christian question would help me much. Well I got the first part wrong because I thought this was a Christian Tanach question and I guessed “Gog”. I guess being in an “end of days” war zone right now who can blame me. The correct answer though was General Allenby who conquered or perhaps better said “colonized” the land of Israel from the Turks after the battle in Meggido where he got this monkiker that I never even heard of before. I happened to get the second part right just by luck. I thought of all the names of Yoshka’s evil idolatrous acolytes Mark had the most lion sounding name and I was right. So at least I didn’t get it all wrong- although this is a question I certainly would’ve skipped. And so my score is not Rabbi Schwartz 7 and Ministry of Tourism 4 on this exam so far.