Distinctly Jewish Pleasures- Vayeitzei 2018/ 5779

Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land
from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

November 16^th 2018 -Volume 9 Issue 7 8^th Kislev 5779

Parshat Vayeitzei

Distinctly Jewish Pleasures

There are certain pleasures in the world that only a frum person can experience. That is the topic I wanted to write about this week. It started when I came into shul, it was a Monday. It’s a long tachanun on a Monday. I finished repeating shmona esrey and was about to start vi’hu rachum, when a chasan walked in. Kaddish! No tachanun. If it would’ve been a Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Friday there would have been some joy. Tachanun on those days is only about 3 or 4 minutes. But on a Monday or Thursday when you just knocked off a good 7-9 minutes from our morning services the elation was palatable. There wasn’t a face that wasn’t smiling. Someone commented to me afterwards. This is one of those pleasures in life that a non-religious person or a gentile will never experience. They may have cheese burgers, Santa Claus and the Super Bowl, but the joy of unexpectedly getting out of a few extra paragraphs of davening… that’s something only a frum yid can appreciate. Ashreinu ma tov chelkeinu- Fortunate are we and how good is our lot.

So that got me thinking what other uniquely frum pleasures are there out there that no one else gets to appreciate. Of course there is chulent-chili, stew, goulash and something called mélange, but it isn’t even close to a real chulent. You’ve got herring, kishka, chopped liver and kokosh cake. But that’s me I jump to food right away. But that’s really not fair because every cultures got their own ethnic cuisine. I was looking for distinctly religious pleasures. Not to say that chulent, particularly my wife’s, isn’t a religious experience but you know what I mean.

So what do you do when you don’t know something. I googled Uniquely Jewish pleasures that goyim don’t experience, and nothing came up relevant. All it gave me was links about Shabbos goys. That meant that this was a still undiscovered thesis waiting to be written. Google had left me room to expand on this narrowly researched area. So I went to work researching. But where? How?  Thank God for Facebook.

So I put up a post and all my friends chimed in within 3 hours I had close to 200 responses. There were some that were better than others. I’ll give you the ones I like best and maybe throw in a few more by the jokes below.

These four words being sung after the Torah reading “Chadeish Yameinu Kikedem-Yisgade’eel”- no speech this week.

Gebrochts on the last day of Pesach- for Chasidim

Being in an unfamiliar town and finding a kosher restaurant, or flayshigs in supermarket, or kosher crackers in a vending machine

Having someone bring you some milk chocolate as a present and realizing you’re the only one not flayshigs for the next 5 hours.

Lying down in bed and remembering as you’re falling asleep that you really did daven mariv already.

When your host cries out its time to bentch and he didn’t say a vort (or read Rabbi Schwartzes E-mail) at the table.

Really short selichos on Erev Yom Kippur

A cloudy Motzai Yom Kippur so you don’t have to say Kiddush Levana and can run home and eat right away.

Finding a big piece of flanken on bottom of chulent pot at a Kiddush that no one else realized

was there

Two words- Hoicha Kedusha (for my readers that are frummly illiterate- that’s when rather than repeating the entire Mincha amida you just say a quick kedusha and your done)

Being at a simcha and being able to eat whatever you want because your spouse is on other side of mechitza

And on and on and on… Send me yours. It’s a great topic. But perhaps the greatest pleasure in my mind that is Torah. I’m not getting frum on you here. I’m not trying to pitch you or sell you anything. And truth is that it’s not a pleasure that most of us get enough of the time. It’s probably one that I can tell you that I personally don’t get most times I crack a book, open up a Talmud or prepare a class or sermon. But it’s a joy that you get like no other. When you work hard at a good vort and poof it clicks. When the Talmud opens up after working on it a bit and all the pieces you were struggling over all fit together into a glorious tapestry. When something that you never saw before in the Torah or the parsha all of a sudden reveals itself to you. When you hear a great class or shiur that touches parts of your soul you knew existed but never thought could be inspired. Could be blown away. It’s more than just a Eureka! lightbulb moment.  It’s like you’ve just connected to something older, higher, more incredible than you ever thought you could. You found your place in the Torah. You appreciate that you have just gotten a taste of olam haba- the world to come, in this world. You want to, and sometimes do, jump up and dance.  A goy will never have that. That’s ours and ours alone.

That feeling, the moment, perhaps gets its first appearance in this week’s Torah portion. Our forefather Yaakov is fleeing for his life. He was at the top of his game until then. After his years in yeshiva and Kollel in the tents of Shem, he got his father’s blessings, unexpectedly. The dew of the heaven, the fats of the land. He won the jackpot. He goes to learn for another 14 years in Kollel and then he is off to find his wife. He’s got money, he’s got Torah, he’s got blessings, and then it all goes to pot. His brother wants him dead and he must leave in Israel. His father never left, but he is exiled. His nephew Elifaz sent by his brother Esau comes to kill him and leaves him penniless. He’s lying out in middle of Beit El with nothing but a dismal future leaving the holiest place on earth. And then he sleeps. He dreams. Angels go up and down a ladder

Bereshit (28:13) V’hinei Hashem nitzav oluv- Hashem is standing over him

Hashem blesses him that the land he is lying upon will be his and his descendants. Hashem will watch over him, and return him home and will never leave him until that happens.

Yaakov awakes in awe. He had just experienced the most incredible pleasure that only a yid can feel.

Ibid (23:16) Achein yesh Hashem bamakon hazeh v’anochi lo yodati- Surely Hashem is in this place and I did not know

Yaakov knew that Hashem is always watching him before this. But what about when it seems that things are so bleak. What about when I am thrown out? When everything is gone. When I am going to step out of the Beit Midrash for the next 20 years and barely able to crack a book. When I am being chased, persecuted, killed. When the only company I have is the crooks that I will be working with, when my life revolves around the sheep all day and night. When I have bills to pay and am so so far away from my father, my land, from the place where the Divine presence is meant to shine from? Will I be able to find You there?

Hashem assures him that He is standing over him. He is and will be standing over his descendants until they come home. There is a gate to heaven with angels that will follow you down wherever you go, and there will be angels that will bring you and your prayers back up through that gate always. The ladder will start from you. From wherever you rest your head to sleep at night.

Yaakov is blown away by the revelation. He takes those 12 rocks that joined together to become one and takes an oath that he will return. He will make those rocks into a house of Hashem. His children will be those building blocks that will bring Hashem to this world. We will be able to find Hashem and rejoice in Him no matter where you are as we know that there is a ladder that is planted on top of our heads that we can always climb up. That will always raise us higher.   

There are lots of pleasures that we have that goyim don’t but perhaps the greatest gift is when we are able to see the hand of Hashem when things look the bleakest. When missiles are being shot at our borders and a band of soldiers are saved because they got off the bus 5 minutes before their bus was blown up. When our buildings are being blown up and the only one to get killed is a Palestinian illegal. When we finally retake our Temple and throw off years of persecution and we don’t have enough oil to last for more than a day and it lasts for 8. Those are the real moments of yiddisheh exhilaration. As we approach Chanukah, we’ll have latkas, we’ll play dreidel and get gimmels and win that pot of chocolate gelt- goyim will never get that either. But let’s enjoy that greatest pleasure. Let’s gaze into those small little flames and remember the miracles that take place and the gates of heaven that are always open and that rock of Yaakov and Hashem’s promise that we will return. We will build Him that home again. This time it will be forever.

Have pleasure filled  Shabbos,

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

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RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

“Az du gaist oifen laiter, tsail di treplech -When you climb a ladder, count the rungs.

RABBI SCHWARTZES COOL VIDEOS OF THE WEEK

https://youtu.be/omE3J8GXkZs  – inspiring new song by SY Rechnitz and an even more inspiring video sung by Baruch Levine and Simcha Leiner in the wake of the Pittsburgh attack

https://youtu.be/Eqwz6lMxmj8- Goyim eating Chasidish food

https://youtu.be/s5WI8nDU2VQ- Yoni Z video Ma Naaseh made me think of Yaakov’s dream

https://youtu.be/JQGLN1alhAs?list=PLJCT7aJVkqcE_XRwUavvtIPHmTbxVLjGS   The morning song of the early chalutzim pioneers in Israel pretty amazing!

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

Q The year in which Tel Aviv was established:

A. 1906

B. 1907

C. 1908

D. 1909

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S “LOMDUS” CONNECTION OF THE WEEK

Parshat Toldos– A lamdan looks at a pasuk, a verse or a story in the Torah, and unlike the pashtan who seeks the simple understanding, or the darshan who looks for the midrashic explanation or sub-story, he looks to understand the halachic nuances and their application. It’s that appreciation that sheds light in general not only on the narrative in the text, but can open up gates in understanding more global fundementals and principles.

A great example of this approach is in this week’s Torah portion when Yaakov awakens from his dream where he saw the angels going up and down the heavenly ladder. When he awakes he makes the statement

Bereshit (28:17) ‘Surely Hashem in this place and I didn’t know!’ And he was frightened and said ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of Hashemand this is the gate of heaven’

According to the Midrashim and Talmud the place where Yaakov slept was connected to the Temple Mount, either through the land crunching underneath him, or via the slope of the ladder that was directed towards it. Yaakov’s fear and awe was that it is forbidden to sleep in such a holy place, there is a law of morah mikdash- one is obligated to have awe of the Temple. The Rav of Brisk even notes that Yaakov would have even been willing to forego all of the incredible blessings and revelation that he received in that dream rather than violate that Torah commandment. Which is pretty amazing in of itself!

The question that he asks though is that there seems to be a slight problem. See the Temple wasn’t built yet. Seemingly a critical part of the obligation to have awe of the temple is that the temple had to have been built. Moriah was just an empty mountaintop. Why would Yaakov have regretted that he slept there and been willing to give up that incredible guarantee of the land of Israel, that Hashem will protect him always and that he will return him back home, if there seemingly was nothing significant about the place.

He answers with a deep understanding of the entire concept of the awe of the mikdash based on a precise reading of the Talmud. The Gemara tells us

Yevamot (6.) The Talmud teaches us (Vayikra 19:30) You shall observe my Shabbos and you shall have awe of my Temple- It says Shabbat observance and awe of the mikdash to teach you that just as the observance of Shabbos, it is not Shabbos that you are in awe of rather it is He who commanded it, also the awe of the Mikdash it is not the temple that you are meant to have awe from, only He who commanded it.

The Gemara continues and discusses all of the laws of mora mikdash; not to wear shoes, spit etc… The Rav however denotes that the fear of the Temple and its subsequent laws in truth are not connected to the physical structure of the temple. It is the Divine presence- the hashra’at HaShechina that emanates from there that is the driving point of the law. That being the case, he notes, Yaakov who precieved and actually had the shechina rest upon him in that place, would be obligated in all of the laws of morah mikdash- having awe of the Temple.

As we mentioned last week, a brisker can’t resist a good corroborating Rambam

Rambam Beit Habechira (7:1) It is a positive commandment to have awe of the Temple as it says u’mikdashai tira’u- you should have awe of the temple. And not from the temple itself should one have fear rather from He who commanded to have awe of Him.

And thus we understand perhaps why despite that while the place itself where he rested may not have been Har Hamoria (as it was in Beit El) and there was no Mikdash, yet since this was a place where the shechina rested, it would have the same halachic guidelines as if it was the temple itself.

And there you have it; A story explained, a new understanding in the laws of the Temple, an insight in a Talmud and a corroborating Rambam. A real lomdushe shiur!

  

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

Gad and Reuvein and the Eastern Jordan- 1272 BC- Perhaps one of the most associated words with the early settlements of Israel is chalutzim- Pioneers. Now generally in America when we think of pioneers we think of Davy Crocket and his ‘coon skin cap or shtreimel J. In Israel the original chalutzim were known for their kova-tembel- their cloth “dunce caps” literally translated, which were those floppy cloth caps that kept the sun out of their eyes when they worked the field. They were called that, because they were generally considered simpletons. I mean you gotta be simple-minded to move to this barren “cursed” land where nothing grew for millennia and hoped to make it flourish. But guess what it did! The tembels got it right.

Now the original chalutzim and term as it is used in the Torah probably wore heavy metal armour and helmets. They were soldiers. The first time the Torah uses that term is when the two tribes of Gad and Reuvein approach Moshe and ask to receive their portion of Israel on the eastern side of the Jordan River. In the lands of the Emori and the Bashan that they conquered. They had lots of cattle and they needed grazing land for them. Moshe thought they were wimping out of the big battles that lay ahead of conquering the land of Canaan and wiping out the 7 nations that were there. They told Moshe that they would go “chalutzim” before the nation into battle. Moshe told them that “before the people” is not enough they must be chalutzim before Hashem. And they take the oath and all is good.

Rashi and many of the commentaries translate the word chalutzim as armed. The Baal Haturim notes the similarity to the word Chalitza which is the process of removing one’s shoe when one doesn’t want to fulfil his obligations for levirate marriage with his brother’s widow. He suggests that since every soldier wrote a get before they went to battle in case they didn’t make it back, it was like chalitza, their wives could remarry and not marry be bound to marrying their brother-in-law.  I mention this when we pass by Nachal Darga by the Dead Sea- I avoid the 6 hour intense hike there J- where they found gittin- divorce documents from the soldiers of Bar Kochvas army.

But the term chalitza, certainly means remove, and as we know all Hebrew terms are connected in Lashon Hakodesh- the holy tongue. So many suggest that chalutzim when it refers to soldiers or even pioneers is a reference to single-mindedness, a removal of all personal distractions and inclinations. A chalutz is driven. That is his essence. They prepared their divorce documents so they would not feel torn of their thoughts of their wives back home. This is the idea of the pioneers then and of now.

There are all types of places to talk about Israel’s early pioneers. Particularly around the Kinneret where you have the farm for women farmers in chavat Kinneret. You have the Chalutz movement, founded by Yosef Trumpledor that we talk about up in Tel Chai and or by the cemetery of the shomrim there. In the Hula valley the Dobrovin farm is a fascinating place to talk about the non- jewish chalutzim that were there. In the Negev by Sdei Boker, where Ben Gurion became so attached to these “heroes” that he ultimately joined them in his retirement and decided to be buried there.

You of course have as well the modern day “settlers and pioneers. They are all drawn by this single minded and holy desire to settle Hashem’s land. Whether it’s in the Golan, where the tribe of Menashe settled or in the Gush Katif museums that I take people to in Jerusalem or in Avney Eitan in the Golan, or in the many settlements in the “West Bank” or in Chevron. Jews as our ancestors are willing to give up everything and in many case endanger their lives and their families in order to settle Hashem’s land.  Chalutziyot is still here, now we just got to get back the area that was where the original chalutzim lived- The eastern Jordan river bank, currently in Jordan.

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S JEWISH ONLY JOKES  OF THE WEEK

A Gentile goes into a clothing store and says,“This is a very fine jacket. How much is it?”

The salesman says, “It’s $500.”

The Gentile says,“OK, I’ll take it.”

Two Gentiles meet on the street. The first one says,“You own your own business, don’t you?
How’s it going?”

The other gentile says,“Just great! Thanks for asking!”

Two Gentile mothers meet on the street and start talking about children. Gentile mother 1 (said with pride):“My son is a construction worker!”

Gentile mother 2 (said with more pride):“My son is a truck driver!”

A man calls his mother and says, “Mother, I ! know you’re expecting me for dinner this evening, but something important has come up and I can’t make it.”

His mother says, “OK.”

A Gentile couple goes to a nice restaurant. The man says:

“I’ll have the steak and a baked potato, and my wife will have the julienne salad with house dressing. We’ll both have coffee.”

The waiter asks,“How would you like your steak and salad prepared?”

The man says, “I’d like the steak medium… the salad is fine as is.”

The waiter says, “Thank you.”

A Gentile man calls his elderly mother. He asks,

“Mom, how are you feeling? Do you need anything?”

She says, “I’m feeling fine, and I don’t need anything. Thanks for calling.”

A little old Jewish lady sold pretzels on a street corner for 25 cents each. Every day a young gentile would leave his office building at lunch time, and as he passed the pretzel stand, he would leave her a quarter, but never take a pretzel. And this went on for more then 3 years. The two of them never spoke. One day, as the young man passed the old lady’s stand and left his quarter as usual, the pretzel lady spoke to him.

“Sir, I appreciate your business. You are a good customer, but I have to tell you that the pretzel price has gone up to 35 cents.”

************

Answer is D–  This is another one I really wasn’t sure of. Precise dates are just not my thing. I’m more of an early 1900’s type of guy. Does anyone really care if it is was 1906, 1907, 1908 or 1909? Gimme a break, what is this trivial pursuit? Truth is if you would’ve asked me I would have said 1911. Why? I dunno, that’s what I thought I remembered. But thankfully that wasn’t one of the choices, or I would have certainly gotten it wrong. 1909 was the closest date to that so I went with it. And whadaya know I was right! So I still maintain by a hair my perfect score on this exam

And the score continues Schwartz is 6 for 6 on this exam so far.

It's All about the Kids- Parshat Bo 5778 / 2018

Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land
from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

January 19^th 2018 -Volume 8 Issue 15 3^rd Shvat 5778

Parshat Bo

All About the Kids

I always get inspired to write about things that people tell me that they don’t enjoy reading. I don’t know maybe it’s the rebel in me. Anyways I bumped into a good friend of mine this week and he told me he enjoys getting my weekly E-Mail and inspiration. He reads the first 20 pages or so each week until I start writing about my kids and my family and then he just deletes. He has no patience for my personal family reflections. So here we go YS. This E-Mail is for you delete now.

I love my kids. They’re really great. Each one of them is unique, special and all of the good things about them all come from me of course. Sure they can be argumentative, and they have problems with authority-well at least my authority, and they really don’t know how to clean up after themselves well. Those things, of course don’t have nothing to do with my genes.  After all I never have problems with my authority and I never argue with myself. Even the cleaning up thing is really not from me. My room since I’ve gotten married always seems to be clean. And I have like this magic thing in my house. My table kind of clears itself and my laundry somehow always finds its way to the laundry basket and cleaned and folded back in my cabinets. But besides those minor things about my kids they really are great. Th are growing up pretty fast, though.  I mean every month or so when I see them, as we pass through the house and nod to one another in between my touring gigs and their schoolwork they seem to have aged. I really should spend more time with them. Before I know it they may even get older than me. See I never age. I’m still 18ish, I think it’s that same magic thing in my house that makes that happen.

But to be honest, Es Chata’ai Ani Mazkir Hayom- I will recall my sins today- I really don’t appreciate or think about my kids much. Who has time to? I’m actually writing about them and thinking about them this week because I’m in Los Angeles. I miss them. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. I never look at my kids pictures when I’m home with them, but last night I looked into my wallet and just had one of those father moments as I looked at my darling Shani’s toothless smile back up at me from her picture, or Yonah’s cute little pre upsherin curls.  Yeah I know I should update pictures as those are like 20 years old. And I have a few more kids since then. But who actually develops pictures anymore? Kids are great when they’re far away. Especially when they are far away and can be accessed via pictures, back to a time when they don’t argue with you.

Now my kids feel the same I think about their father I think. Dads are great when they’re not around or there to argue with.  I remember back in my tour guiding course when I was in Eilat for a few days I called up my little 5 year old Elka to say hello. I asked her if she missed me. And she asked me when I was coming home already. I was touched. I was moved. I felt loved. Then she asked me if I bought her presents. I of course explained to her that when I went away in Israel I didn’t buy presents for them. Only when I go to America do I buy presents. She then got very serious with me and asked me when I was going to America… Oh well… maybe she didn’t miss me so much…

I write about children for another reason this week as well. This week’s Torah portion, or Part II of the Exodus from Egypt story which began last week, seems to be very busy with children. I noted last week in my shul that the stopping point between the first 7 plagues, which was last week’s Torah portion, and the final 3 this week, of locusts, darkness and death of the first borns, seems to be an odd place to break up the story. If you would have asked me I would have stopped after the first 5, making it an even 5 and 5. Alternatively we know that it can be split up into three groups De’TzaCh, A’DaSh B’aChaV- 3 plagues 3 plagues and the last 4. But why stop after the plague of hail? I answered what I answered last week. You had to be there. But in a nutshell, I spoke about the theme of the first 7 plagues which was to bring Egypt and Pharaoh to a recognition of Hashem as the God. The theme of this week’s Torah portion is entirely different. If you ask me it’s about the kids.

The Parsha begins with Hashem telling Moshe to come to Pharaoh. Now seemingly what would be the point of this? In last week’s Torah portion Hashem introduced the saga of the plagues as being in order that Pharaoh, the Egyptians, the Jews and really the whole world will recognize Hashem. They do. Mission Accomplished. Pharoah announced Hashem is righteous. He admitted that he was wicked. Why continue to game. He said uncle. Or Father.

The answer Hashem introduces Moshe to in this week’s Parsha is

Shemot (10:2) In order that you will tell your children and your children’s children...

Meaning if the first part of the story was about Pharaoh the rest of the story is going to be about our children, our descendants and passing on that story and tradition. In fact if we follow the story from here on we note that is what is going on. Pharaoh is ready to cave by the warning of the plague of locusts. Yet he refuses to let the children go. Moshe refuses.

Ibid (10:9) With our youth and our elders we will go, with our children and our daughters…

The final battle Moshe is going to have is for our children. We need them. They are the future. They are what this is all about. We need the elders to pass on the tradition and the youngsters to absorb and continue the line. That is what will make us eternal.

After the plague of darkness Pharaoh agrees to let out even the infants. But the story is not over. There is one last plague; the plague of the first-borns. Their children will die, ours will become sanctified. From there we move on to the laws of the Pesach sacrifice. Interestingly enough those are precisely the laws that by the Pesach Seder we are told to teach the wise son. Later on the parsha continues with the questions of the simple son, the wicked son and the one who doesn’t even know how to ask. The point of the Exodus is for these children to keep asking. To have an unbroken chain that remembers we have been sanctified.

The final mitzva of the Parsha is to sanctify the first born of every Jewish womb. Yet it is interesting and revealing how this mitzva is commanded and how Moshe passes it on. See Hashem tells Moshe

Shemot (13:2) Sanctify for Me the firstborn of every womb of the children of Israel from man to animal.

Seemingly a simple command right? Wrong. Moshe goes through a whole drasha for 12 pesukim that begin with

Ibid (3:3) Remember this day that you left Egypt from being slaves for with a strong hand Hashem took you out from this and you should not eat Chametz.

He continues with the command that this should be in the spring. That we will come to the land of Israel. He seemingly gets sidetracked describing Israel as a land of milk and honey. Back to the laws of eating Matzos, the questions of the children. Finally he arrives at the mitzva of the first borns and even then he changes it a bit.

Ibid (13:13) and every first born of a donkey he should redeem with a sheep… and every first born of your children should be redeemed.

So Moshe rather than talk about their sanctification describes it as pidyon- redemption.

He continues and explains the lesson as

Ibid (13:15) And it was when Pharaohs heart was hardened to send us out and He killed all the First Borns in the land of  Egypt…Therefore I sacrifice to Hashem the first of the womb of the males and the first born of my sons I will redeem.

As I noted this is a pretty extensive expansion of the simple law that Hashem commanded that our firstborns should be holy. The Rashbam and other early commentaries understand that the mitzva of the First born is really two fold. There is the pre-golden calf and post the golden calf. See when we left Egypt that night of the First Borns, we became chosen to teach Hashem to the world. The method of our teaching would be through our children, primarily our first-borns would be the Priests, the Kohanim our intermediaries between Hashem and His people and from them to the rest of the world. Now this was despite that they were idolaters as the Egyptians were. Yet Hashem saw in us that greatness. He saw our commitment to our children, to passing down our heritage through them. To answer their questions, to prompt them to ask. Yet on that night they were saved because of our future. That is the mitzvah that Hashem tells Moshe- sanctify your First Born; plain and simple.

Moshe on the other hand is commanding us about the process after the sin of the Golden Calf. He speaks about a time when we will come into the land. By then the pendulum of priesthood had changed hands. The First-borns lost it. They failed to teach the people faith, rather they inspired fear, doubt and quickly were involved in making the golden calf. So they lost it. Now although they lost it. The nation never did. Moshe tells the nation that sanctity remains. That role and obligation remains. Each parent must redeem his child. Must see in his child the potential for greatness, must see them as an essential link in our chain, in our mandate to reveal Hashem to the world. The first born may not be the leaders, or the priests anymore but that holiness needs to be passed down from generation to the next. At the start of every new generation, with the birthing of a first born, we must realize and remember we are different than Egypt. Our children can always leave Egypt. We can’t leave without them. That is how we Bo El Pharaoh- How we come to Pharaoh.

I’m about 10,000 miles away from my children as I write this. I miss them. Yet I am away because I am at a wedding of the child of a close friend of mine. There is nothing more Jewish than a Jewish wedding. We are told that all of the previous generations are there at the Chupah. They rejoice at this newest link being formed. Another generation gets ready to begin. Our family started 3000 years ago, that chain still lives on. It is truly remarkable. And we owe it all to our kids. May our Father continue to bless all of His children that we should merit to see our Father return to His Home as well soon.

Have a blessed simchadike Shabbos,

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

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RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

“Oib di velt vet verren oisgelaizt, iz es nor in zechus fun kinder”- If the world will ever be redeemed, it will be only through the merit of children.

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

Q The Jewish calendar year is based on:

A. The sun and the moon

B. The sun

C. The moon

D. None of the above is true

RABBI SCHWARTZ COOL VIDEOS OF THE WEEK

https://youtu.be/u9o4bqAQVhs  -  Beautiful song by the two incredible brothers Eitan and Shlomo Katz Al Hatzadikim in memory of Rav Shteiman

https://youtu.be/0wqMp3J8FB4 - Awesome story by Rabbi Yoel Gold- I love his stuff but this one is really cool wathc till end!

https://youtu.be/8oQk5ghFE50   - I loved this song when it first came out. I love Shwekey but he still isn’t an Abie Rottenberg.

https://youtu.be/9EjjfkHql3I   - And of course the Little Kinderlach will bring Mashiach from Country Yossi classic!

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S HAFTORA CONNECTION OF THE WEEK

Quite a few of our Nevi’im as we pointed out lived at the same time. Although in yeshiva I think it was all one big blob of nevi’im and it really doesn’t make much of a difference. It’s why I include the timeline and the bios to this column of each of the nevi’im hopefully with its review each week of different prophets and their contemporaries we can get a feel and appreciation of each of these great men and their times.

Two such prophets Yirmiyahu and Yechezkel both lived during the period leading up to and following the destruction of the Temple. The difference being that Yechezkel, whose prophecy was the haftorah of last week, was in Babylonia already, while Yirmiyahu, this week’s Haftora, was in Eretz Yisrael. It is fascinating to look at each of their prophecies about the same incident in before the Exile of the Jews; namely the defeat of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian King.

It seems this was a very significant incident in the world at the time. Egypt was who Israel counted on for support against the Babylonians and their defeat in Yechezkel’s view was one of Hashem destroying the arrogance of Egypt and establishing His name in the world, ironically enough through Nebuchadnezzar. Yirmiyahu on the other hand sees this battle as it reflects as a forewarning of what will happen to the Jews for relying on Pharaoh.

Yirmiyahu (46:25) So said Hashem of Hosts the God of Israel behold I will punish Amon of No and Pharaoh and Egypt and their gods and on their kings both on Pharaoh and those that put their trust in him.

The connection to the Parsha is of course the plagues, the stumbling blocks Hashem put before them and their arrogance and denial of a day of judgement.

However Yirmiyahu, unlike Yechezkel mentions that Egypt will be returned to their country as they were in the past. Similarly he tells Yaakov that even though we will be exiled we will return to Eretz Yisrael. Two different views of this world story. One from the eyes of exile and Yechezkel who is warning Jews that even Exile they must remember that Hashem is the one behind it all. Yirmiyahu on the other hand from Israel forewarning us that the sword of Nebuchadnezzar is coming our way, and yet we should know that we will return just as Egypt will. Isn’t it so much more interesting when you know the history?

Yirmiyahu (590 BC) – One of the last prophets of the first temple. Yirmiyahu prophesied for the lastk kings of Yehuda Yoshiayahu the righteous King, and his following kings Yehoachaz, Yehoyachin, and for the 11 years of King Tzedkiyahu who was captured and exiled by Babylonians. Yirmiyahu certainly living in one of the most tragic periods of our downfall’s prophecies are full of rebuke trying to get the people to repent and avoid the impending destruction.

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

Yaakov’s Ladder 1577 BC – It is perhaps the most famous of all Biblical dreams. The imagery of Jacob’s ladder with the angels going up and down to heaven is classic and inspirational. Whether this is the angels that accompany him as he leaves Israel to go to Chutz La’artez as he is fleeing from his brother. Whether it is the angels seeing Yaakovs image up in heaven engraved on Hashem’s throne. Whether it is a moral lesson for the way that we have to grow in this worl; our feet being planted firmly in this world as our heads like the ladder reach for the heavens. We are told this story takes place in the city of Beit El. Yaakov has left Be’er Sheva in the South he is headed up to his uncle Lavan in North Syria or Iraq. According to Rashi and others he has already traveled all the way there to study for 14 years in Yeshiva and remembers that he passed over the Temple Mount- where his forefathers prayed and headed back there. This would make it quite a journey. But regardless it is here that he goes to sleep and has his fateful dream.

He awakes and calls this place the “Gateway to Heaven”.

Now as we know Jerusalem is the gateway to heaven so Rashi explains that the land folded up underneath Yaakov. And his feet was in Beer Sheva and his head was in Beit El which would put the middle of the ladder or where his heart would be more accurately in Jerusalem. I have seen some commentaries that describe the ladder as going up to Jerusalem from Beer Sheva and then down from Jerusalem to Beit El, which is a bit of a different take. Now modern Beit El is near where the biblical city was. In fact in the Arab village of Beitin south of Beit El there was certainly a city with biblical ruins they have found there. Some archeologists have associated this with the city of the King Yeravam, who broke off with 10 tribes after King Solomon and started the Northern Kingdom of Israel, had his capital. Interestingly enough he chose Beit El because he said that Yaakov declared that this was gateway to heaven- as opposed to Jerusalem that was selected by the house of David that Yeravam was breaking off from.

Now I have never really guided in Biblical Beit El or even modern Beit El as there is not much I have found there to show people.  Beitin is one of those West Bank villages that Jews are not allowed into and risk their lives if they go there, as is so nicely posted at entry to city. I would love to daven Mariv there once though if I ever had the opportunity with my tourists thought for after-all as we know it is there that the first Mariv service was ever made, the prayer of Yaakov before that dream. It would be a real chavaya to daven and sleep there. I wonder what we would dream about…

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S CHILDREN JOKES OF THE WEEK

One day a little girl was sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at the kitchen sink. She suddenly noticed that her mother had several strands of white hair sticking out in contrast on her brunette head. She looked at her mother and inquisitively asked, "Why are some of your hairs white, Mom?"

Her mother replied, "Well, every time that you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white."

The little girl thought about this revelation for a while and then said, "Momma, how come ALL of grandma's hairs are white?"

 An irate woman burst into the baker's shop and said, " I sent my son in for two pounds of cookies this morning, but when I weighed them there was only one pound. I suggest that you check your scales."

The baker looked at her calmly for a moment or two and then replied, "Ma'am, I suggest you weigh your son."

 When Dad came home he was astonished to see Alec sitting on a horse, writing something. " What on earth are you doing there ?" he asked.

"Well, the teacher told us to write an essay on our favorite animal. That's why I'm here and that's why Susie's sitting in the goldfish bowl !"

Two kids are talking to each other. One says, "I'm really worried. My dad works twelve hours a day to give me a nice home and good food. My mom spends the whole day cleaning and cooking for me. I'm worried sick!"

The other kid says, "What have you got to worry about? Sounds to me like you've got it made!"

The first kid says, "What if they try to escape?"

For weeks a six-year-old lad kept telling his first-grade teacher about the baby brother or sister that was expected at his house.

One day the mother allowed the boy to feel the movements of the unborn child. The six-year old was obviously impressed, but made no comment. Furthermore, he stopped telling his teacher about the impending event.

The teacher finally sat the boy on her lap and said, "Tommy, whatever has become of that baby brother or sister you were expecting at home?"

Tommy burst into tears and confessed, "I think Mommy ate it!"

Little Girl to her friend: "I'm never having kids. I hear they take nine months to download."

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S SHABBOS CARTOON OF THE WEEK

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Answer is A – I don’t believe there is anything mystical about my selection of questions for this section our weekly E-Mail I just go through them in the order that they come up from the current years Minstry of Torurism’s Tour Guide exam. I’m testing myself, and sharing with you an appreciation of the amount and minutia of detail that was and is required to pass the exam to become a licensed tour guide in this country. Yet, when a question comes up that has to do with parshat Hashavua, I pause and think maybe there is some mystical Divine hand in the order of these weekly questions. Anyways this question is easy for anyone that read the Torah portion this week. The first mitzva the Jews got as a nation was to count the months, which of course would be a lunar calendar. However we are also told that the Pesach mustbe in the spring each year. Which of course if we would follow a solely lunar calendar year of 354 days would be short 11 days each year and eventually move Pesach and all our holidays to different season of the year. Which is what happens to the Muslims who follow a lunar only calendar.  So we correct our Lunar calendar by adding in leap years every few years to bring us back to the balance of a solar year. So there you have it’s really a balance between the solar and lunar calendars.