Eagle One has Landed- Parshat Yisro Tu Bishvat- 2025 5785

 

Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land

from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

February 14^th 2025 -Volume 14 Issue 16 16^th of Shevat 5785

 

Parshat Yisro

Eagle One has Landed.

The man is really serious. Gaza will become the new French Riviera. Terrorists will be expelled. The turn-turn-it-into-a-parking-lot joke that lots of people said, and that I never thought should be a joke, well it looks like the Donald has been reading my E-Mails or at the least watching my statuses. See, you’re in good company. Except whereas I said “parking lot”, he heard amusement park. Stay tuned for Gaza Disney, with fun underground tunnel roller coaster rides, fireworks every night and “it was a small world” with Bibi Mouse and Donald Duck leading the parade.

The crazy thing is that Israel really doesn’t know what to do with themselves with all this love and support coming our way. See, we’re kind of used to the whole being a victim thing. Yes, even 75 year of statehood and “Never Again”ing it and brave Israeli army yada yada had not knocked the galus mentality “whole-world-wants-to-kill-us” and we-better-not-upset-the-goyim mentality. Unless you live in Lakewood or Williamsburg of course where of course you feel that you’ve already been redeemed and own congress and the court system and are the “biggest tax-payers” around and are entitled to do whatever you want in the medina shel chesed Hashem has blessed you with living in…Shh… be quiet Hamas protestor down the block… Ouch…

But here in Israel that’s not and has never been the case. Despite the fact that we’ve won quite a few wars- miraculously. Despite the fact that we’ve flourished. We’ve developed the country. We clearly have everything that we have accomplished in such a short time here because we’ve worked hard, we haven’t stopped and we’re an incredible nation that’s out to help and build the world, and Hashem kind of loves us…usually. We still feel that we’re not worthy. We still feel that we have to answer to the goyim. We still feel that we’re really not entitled to anything. Certainly not to the entire land of Israel. Certainly not to the right to wipe out our enemies. We can’t even hit them with tariffs.

We feel we have to every day defend our behavior. We’re so pathetic despite all of our songs about Jewish pride and the so much we have to be proud of. We’re great and the best at making museums about Holocausts, Memorials for fallen heroes, for dead children, for murdered soldiers. Really cool and shticky monuments and memorials too. Some with good movies, others with virtual reality glasses and others with light and sound shows with real smoke coming up from blown up bunkers where Jews were killed.  But winning wars and celebrating the destruction of our enemies and building amusement parks on top of their graves and destroyed cities… that’s never been our strong point.

Quite the opposite in fact. We apologize. We’re so sorry we won. Of course, we’ll rebuild your churches, your mosques, we’ll even declare them protected holy sites. Here’s half of Mearas Hamachpela. Here’s the Temple Mount. The tomb of Yosef in Shechem, and take the whole West Bank while you’re at it. We’ll even arrest and bulldoze any Jewish kids that try to plant a vineyard there.

Sure you can keep your golden pimple. We won’t even daven there. We’ll stay down here on the bottom by the burnt remains of our retaining wall and mourn the Temple that we once had that you guys destroyed. We’ll give you equal rights in the land that you threw us out of and would do so again tomorrow. You even unabashedly say that that’s what you still plan on doing to us. October 7^th the sequel. River to the Sea Part II.  

We’ll make you Supreme Court justices. We’ll give you voting rights. We’ll even throw 14-year-old kids living on hill-tops and that are settling the land who seem to be the only ones with any brains or sense of true Jewish pride, meaning and appreciation of any historical significance in this county, into jail for even suggesting that we actually fulfill the Divine mandate we were given to settle in the land Hashem has given us and destroy anyone that stands in our way. Yeah… We’re really bad at winning. At being who Hashem raised us and brought us up to become.

This is not a new problem. This is perhaps the oldest problem of our nation. In fact it is even the prelude to us becoming the nation of Hashem. It’s the last thing the Torah tells us before He chose us and gave us the Torah. The blueprint and map of what we are here to accomplish. The book and the mandate and pathway to us becoming the “mamleches kohanim” -the nation that will establish a homeland that will shine the light of Hashem out to the world where all will recognize His glory. Our glory. The parsha of this week’s Torah reading and perhaps the one with the most essential Torah narrative of our role in the world is called and named after… would you believe it? A goy. Yisro. Do you know why? Because Hashem knows that we probably couldn’t and don’t have the guts enough or self-respect or confidence to do it on our own. We need Yisro to tell us how great we are before we actually believe we are worthy.

You know what’s funny? Do you know what the name Yisro means? More. Rashi tells us that the hidden meaning behind that name or spiritual essence is that he was called thus because it was in his merit that an extra parsha was added in the Torah. The parsha of the establishment of righteous judges. Judges without fear. Judges that will have the guts to stand up to evil. That will be inspired only by the word of Hashem. That won’t bow to societal pressure. That are concerned more about being spiritually correct rather than politically.

The name of the parsha that this goy added is meaningfully called V’ata Techezeh-And you shall see. Open up your eyes. Take a look. See… Take off the blinders. Understand why you’re here. Look at the miracles. Look where Hashem has brought you. See how he destroyed Amalek. How He beepered them. How He split the Sea. How He gave you the Manna. Do you get it? We need a goy to tell us that. Thus the parsha of the Torah and of us becoming a nation is called Yisro, after the goy that saw and came and directed us on the path.

But is that really true? Is that really what happened. Here, comes the amazing part my friends and pay close attention. We have a rule, a bizarre, incongruous rule that is really a spiritual oxymoron. It’s called eilu v’eilu divrei Elokim Chayim- that whenever we have a debate or a dispute between our sages in the Mishna or Talmud, Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel, Rabbi Akiva and Rebbi Gamliel, or even Rashi and Tosafos. There are truths to both sides of the debate. They both represent the word of Hashem Both opposing views are correct. It’s like the joke about the couple that comes to the Rabbi and she gives her complaints and the Rabbi tells her that she’s correct. The husband then gives his complaints and the Rabbi again turns to the man this time and says that he’s correct. The Rabbi’s wife is listening and objects. How can they both be right? The Rabbi turns to her and says that she is also right! Well, when it comes to the story of Yisro’s arrival, like all Jewish things there is a debate as well.And they’re both correct. They’re both truth.

Rashi, the Ibn Ezra and many of the commentaries that generally go with the simplest explanation actually read the story of Yisro as being a non-chronological one. He doesn’t come to Moshe until after the giving of the Torah. They follow the Talmudic opinions that understand that the reason he came is because he heard about the giving of the Torah. He wanted to be part of our nation. He was drawn to us and our mission. We inspired him.

The Ramban, Saadia Gaon and others however read the story chronologically and suggest that Yisro came before the Torah was given. He heard about our war against Amalek, our victory, the splitting of the sea. He was inspired by Hashem and the love and all He does for our nation and that drew him to our people. Fascinatingly enough, Rashi, although he goes with the opinion that Yisro came afterwards however understands that the Torah is relating to us that he came before, to relate to us that his coming wasn’t necessarily motivated as much by the giving of the Torah but rather it was because of the miracles. He came because of Hashem. He wasn’t going to wait until we caught on to how special and treasured we are. He figured that might be a waste of time perhaps. Rather he came to be our “eyes”. To show us how special we are and how much Hashem has set us up to accomplish.

Eilu V’eilu Divrei Elokim Chayim- both of these stories are true. There’s a lesson. A possible future. A reality that we were in then and that we are in today as well with two alternate and perhaps even opposite roads. Do we need the goy to see that we are chosen? That we have a job to do. A land to conquer. A world to light up with the truth. An Amalek to wipe out. Do we need Yisro to come and be our eyes. By the way… What’s the name of the secretary of State that just came to Israel and said we should build a Bais Ha’Mikdash? Rubi-o. Sounds like Yisr-o. What does the word Rubiya mean? Anyone remember that word from our Rosh Hashana black eyed peas? It means more. Yisro. One more added parsha. She’yirbu zechuyaseinu… That our merits should increase.  C’mon.. this whole E-Mail was worth the read just for that… 😊.

This Shabbos and every Shabbos before we bentch and thank Hashem for the Eretz Ha’Tovah the great incredible land that He has promised us and our forefathers that we have been privileged to return to. That we ask Hashem to have mercy on us, on Tzion, on Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. We sing and recite a Psalm.

Shir Ha’Maalos- A song of Ascents- of Aliya

 B’shuv Hashem es shivas tzion- When Hashem returns the captives of Tzion… our nation exiled for so long… our hostages.

Ha’yinu k’cholmim- we’re dreaming. We’re sleeping. We don’t get it… We don’t see what’s happening right before our eyes. We’re missing what’s happening. We think it’s just about getting out of Egypt. Out of the Holocaust. It’s a national homeland where nobody will bother us. Like America, but in Hebrew with falafel and shwarma too. We don’t realize that we have a job to do. A house to build for Hashem. A light to shine out to the world from there.

Oz yimaleh schok pinu u’lshoneinu rina- then our mouths will fill with laughter and our tongues with song. We laugh. We’re happy. We sing. The job is not done yet. It’s a nice dream. We think it’s over. We got them back. We’ve returned. We have our State. Thank You Hashem… We think the dream has come true. But we’re missing the boat. That’s not what this about. We need Yisro to tell us something. We need Rubio. We need the goyim to be our eyes. Because 2000 years of exile, of persecution, of fear and subjugation under them has blurred our eyesight.

Oz yomru ba’goyim higdil Hashem la’asos im eileh- The goyim will then get up and say. Hashem has done something great and big for this nation. They heard about the war against Amalek. They heard about the Manna. They heard about our hostages coming home. They understand more than us, that this about something much greater. Part of making America Great Again is first making us great again. They look towards us and ask us if we’re still dreaming or are we going to wake up. Will we just continue paying lip and tongue service to what is happening? Is it just something that fills our mouth and tongues with great new catchy songs? Or will we be truly happy. Will we take it to the next level and bring the simchas olam to the world as we’re supposed to. As we were chosen to. Do we have the strength to say

Higdil Hashem L’aasos Imanu- Hashem has made us great. He gave us the most important role in the world. We have a job to do. A message to scream out to the world. A land to liberate and rid of evil. A world to uplift. A home to return to and dwell in. Do we have the strength to tell the world what justice looks like? What the vengeance of Hashem and the Jewish people entails. What the borders of our country need to be. Can we truly bring the world to understand that we understand that our job is not merely to be free and to be live under our fig tree, grape vine around the corner from the Makolet and kosher pizza store, but it’s to truly bring the world to simchas olam-

Hayinu smaychim- to be truly happy…

The Geula is coming my friends. This past week on Tu’Bishvat I was riding on these cool EZ Rider bikes with my tourists through the ruins of the city of Caesarea, a city that our sages tell us that will be in ruins as Jerusalem will be rebuilt. Along our ride, we passed by the Roman theater where the great Rabbi Akiva, who laughed while the foxes came out of the ruins because he saw in the destruction already the seeds of redemption. Ha’zorim B’dimah- the fields of Jerusalem that were sown with seeds of tears, he saw already 2000 years ago, that b’rina yiktzoru- that they will be harvested in song.

Rabbi Akiva was killed by them there in that theater with the words Hashem Echad on his lips. He had started the first Messianic movement, too early, when he rebelled against them with his army of Bar Kochva. He wasn’t dreaming. He did what needed to be done. He wasn’t just davening and or even learning for Mashiach and the redemption. He went out to fight and bring it. 2000 years late Yaakov Shweky sings Vehi She’amda in that same theater and Shema Yisrael with our return. Rome is gone. The tears that were planted have begun to bear fruit and our lips began to be full of song.

We continued on our ride on Tu Bi’Shvat and passed families with children planting trees. It was Tu B’Shvat. In Israel we don’t just eat dry buktzer/carob and dried figs and sing about shkeydiyah porachat-. We’re not dreaming. We’re planting. They weren’t all wearing Yarmulkas. Yet even the most secular here know that this is a holiday of redemption. Of planting. Of settling the land. Tears came to my eyes just watching these beautiful yiddishe kinderlach with their shovels and saplings. Ha’zorim B’Dima. Throughout Israel at the many sites where our children fell, the burnt car park, the Nova Festival site, Sderot trees were planted this year. We plant with tears. We plant with tears right after the Goyim tell us that we are great. We need to be nosey alumosuv- we need to carry our burdens, but as well we need to be alim- we need to be strong. We need to gather our strength.

With Tu B’Shvat the sap has risen. Purim is around the corner. Amalek is just waiting to be wiped out. Maybe even by 12:00 this Shabbos afternoon, if we listen to the Goyim. Pesach is around the corner. The month of redemption and return is here and coming fast. Do you know what the Presidential plane that Rubio arrived on is called? Eagle One. Kanfey Nesharim has landed and Goyim are telling us we are meant to be “great again” and meant to be even greater. Are we ready to stop dreaming?

Have a explosively fantastic Shabbos,

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz 

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YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

 

“Fun fartrikenteh baimer kumen kain paires nit arois.”.- No fruit falls from withered trees.

 

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

 

8. Israel has implemented its "good fence" policy with which bordering country? ______

Which settlement among the "11 points" established in 1946 was within the territory of today's

Gaza Strip?

A. Urim

B. Kfar Darom

C. Nirim

D. Kfar Aza

 

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

 

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/vatem   - The words, the promise, our mandate… from this week’s parsha. My glorious composition V’Atem Tihiyu Li… You should sing this the whole Shabbos…

 

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/torah-hakedosha  -  Shabbos Yisro Kabbalas HaTorah is here and this composition of mine from the famous poem ( from selichos Tzom Gedalia) has incredible words that most- until my song- only knew the first part of it… Listen and take in the prayer to the Torah..

 

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/good-shabbos   – We read about this mitzva of Shabbos… what is it all about ..listen to this beautiful composition of mine that you will sing forever…

 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ylBComcef4   Simcha Leiner’s latest… Kein Yehi Ratzon! Nice…

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfNTo3GhK_M    – A beautiful Ilan Ilan for Tu B’Shvat..

 

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

 

Nevuchadnezzar -the King who gave honor to God?- 605 BC – It is mamash insane how important it is for us to learn Tanach and to understand and internalize the lessons and stories of our past that repeat themselves. Binu shnos dor v’dor- understand the lessons of each generation. This column somehow always seems to be caught up with what’s going on. Check it out this week…

 

We begin the story of the rasha, the evil king of Babylonia who in the fourth year of the King Yehoyakim exiles him and begins the process of our exile and destruction. Who is Nevuchadnezzar? So our sages tell us his fascinating origin story. It seems that he was the secretary of the previous King of Babylonia, Merodach Baladan whom we previously learned about. Baladan, was the king who had sent messengers to Chizkiya after he was miraculously healed from his illness that followed the miraculous defeat of Sancheriev’s Assyrian army right outside of the gates of Jerusalem. Chizkiya could’ve been Mashiach had he sung and praised Hashem after this victory. His failure to recognize the amazing opportunity that this victory brought and his continued alliances and reliance on other goyim to be on our team and give us their love led to his sickness.

 

When Baladan heard about his miraculous recovery and the defeat of his own mutual enemy that he shared with us of Assyria he sent messengers to Chizkiya. He sent his Rubio with great wishes. He wanted to make Babylonia great again as well. He sent him a letter that stated

 

“Peace be unto King Chizkiya, peace unto the city of Yerushalayim, peace unto the great God.”

 

When Nevuchadnezar who wasn’t present heard about the letter, he got upset. How dare they place Chizkiya and give him honor before Hashem?! They should’ve first written “peace to Hashem” before Chizkiya. He began to run after the messengers to stop them. And very quickly the angel Gavriel came down and stopped him. Yet, it was in the merit of those four steps that he rose to glory to become the king of Babylonia and ultimately became the one to destroy the Temple. It was only because the angel stopped him though that our exile was only temporary. If he would’ve actually taken more than those four steps, we’d still be speaking Babylonian today…

 

What is the message here? The message is that when the Goyim and their Kings stick up for Hashem and our honor and we don’t then we’re in trouble. In fact, the downfall of Chizkiya a and the Jews was because when Baladan’s whole entourage comes to Israel he shows them all of the glory of the Temple and our treasure houses. Maybe he even got them golden beepers. The Navi and story of Chizkiya and Nevuchadnezzar is that our job is not to talk about our greatness and glory. It has to be about Hashem. We can’t be impressed or influenced by the nations. We need to impress and influence them, but not to farkoyf them on us… Rather its’ to get them realize and appreciate how much Hashem’s glory needs to be revealed to the world.

 

Yes, my friends. It’s ba’yamim ha’heim- in those days. Ba’zman ha’zeh- in our times.

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TERRIBLE TREE JOKES OF THE WEEK

What type of trees like to give High Fives? A Palm Tree

 What school subject is the fruitiest? History – because it is full of dates!

 What happens to grapes when you step on them? They wine!

 I was telling my children about the health benefits of eating dried fruits recently. It’s really all about rasin awareness

 A lumberjack went in to a magic forest to cut a tree. Upon arrival, he started to swing at the tree, when it shouted, “Wait! I’m a talking tree!"

The lumberjack grinned, “And you will dialogue!"

  What did one Jewish wheat say to the other one? What should we eat?

 How many olives did the girl eat? Olive them!

 I can cut down a tree just by looking at it. It's true, I saw it with my own eyes

 My friend told me “Did you know trees drop edible stuff that’s not fruit?” I said “that’s nuts”.

 Where do you buy barley? At the bar!

 What’s green, fuzzy, has four legs and will kill you if it falls out of a tree? A pool table.

 What do you give a sick lemon? Lemon Aid.

 Why you shouldn't trust trees? They seem shady

 When I see lovers' nαmes cαrved in α tree, I don't think it's sweet. I just think it's surprising how mαny people bring a knife on a dαte.

 What do you call it when your friend try to convince you eat more fruit? Pear pressure.

 What kind of tree does toothpaste grow on? Toiletries

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

The answer to this week”s question is b – Finally! I got one entirely right. It helps a bit that these are war zones. The part A though I knew even before the war, The Good Fence which was our open door policy to Lebanon before the first Lebanon War in 2000. Thousands of Israelis would got to Lebanon to shop and even have farms there and Leabanese would come into Israel as well enjoying our better medical services and shopping. Yes, it was once good with Lebanon before it became today. Now we’re back hopefully returned to our biblical borders that we won’t give back…

Part B was also easy. Kfar Darom was in Gush Katif until Ariel Sharon threw us out in exchange for the wonderful peace we’ve been experiencing since then. So I got them both right this week and the  new score is Rabbi Schwartz 5.5 Ministry of Tourism 2.5 on this exam so far.

Returning Songs and Sons - Parshat Vayigash 2023 5784

 

A

Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land

from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

December 22^nd 2023 -Volume 13 Issue 11 10^th of Tevet 5784

 

Parshat Vayigash

 

Returning Songs and Sons

 

There have been so many scenes and moments from this war. So many pictures, memes, songs that capture the raw emotions, the intensity of all the incomprehensible and unprecedented feelings that we are all going through. There always is. We live in an era of soundbites, Tik Tok, and of course Whatsapp status( in the Frum world), we don’t have time for lengthy articles, News columns or programs. We want the quick fix and bite and move on. It’s all we can handle. It’s like our generation has had my stomach surgery on our brains and attention span. Three bites and we’re full. But those three bites have to count. They have to have it all…

 

It's not only that way today. There have always been images that have captured the moment. Those soldiers holding the flag on Iwo Jima, the guy standing in front of a tank in Tiananmen Square in the Chinese Communist revolt, The Menora with the backdrop of the swastika Banner in Berlin in the Holocaust, the young boy with those frightened eyes surrendering in Warsaw Ghetto and of course the three soldiers with tears in their eyes at the liberation of the Kotel kissing the Western Wall in the 6 Day War. A picture is worth a million words and those pictures capture all the raw emotion of the era and times.

 

Good pictures of course have also accompanied songs of the era. Who remembers “We are the World” for the starving children of Africa, “Where have all the flowers gone” was a Vietnam hit. I remember in the Gulf War there was this “God Bless the USA” song that had the lyrics “And I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free. And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.”  that I think would probably be ironically politically incorrect to sing for most of the Americans today.

 

Israel as well had and has it’s songs. Yerushalayim Shel Zahav was the 6-day wars song, Lu Yehi- Naomi Shemer’s Beatles “Let it Be” knockoff was the Yom Kippur anthem, and the “Ein Li Eretz Acheret” song- composed during the War of attrition still gives strength and determination to soldiers and their families today.  The pictures, the music and songs together give us that snapshot or meme that can wrap the overwhelming and immensity of what we are undergoing in one easily digestible morsel.

 

This war is no different. In the frum world that song is Acheinu. It’s a war of brotherhood. Of us being there for one another. Of us realizing that we are one family. That no matter how divided we were, how estranged we are from one another, how far we may live and how different our lives are we have one shared enemy that doesn’t differentiate between us. That my brothers pain hurts me deep in my soul- even though I have never met him before. It may be the brother that we might have thrown in the pit and wrote off as being a danger to our nation-hood, but now we have revealed that we are incomplete without him. That we can’t become who we were meant to be without him by our side. We recognize how much we love him, how much pain our Father is in when we were divided, how he had sparks of holiness that we never knew about. Sparks that ignite our own inner flame. Sparks that we realize that we needed to attach to in order to reveal the light of the Shechina, of Hashem in this world.

 

Yet there is an even more powerful song and image that captures even more all that we have been going through the past 78 days. It’s replayed itself over again and again. We’ve all seen them again and again. Yet, no matter how many times it never fails to bring tears to our eyes. Even the funny meme knockoffs make us cry. The song is “Gam Ba’Shaot Ha’chashuchot  shel Ha’layla- In the darkest hours of the night,there will always be a little star to light your way home” ( here it is with translation in case you always wanted to know what the words are - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqO-jpPoMHE&t=0s ) . And then of course you have the image of the son, the soldier, the father, the brother, the sister returning home from the battlefront to the loving arms of the family that has been praying, hoping, crying longing for them. That embrace, those tears, that moment captures it all. I can’t see enough of them. I can’t stop watching these clips. It's the moment that we are all focused on. It’s really what this war is all about and it encompasses the direction and goal Hashem wants us to achieve. The return of all of us to our Father.

 

Just in case you are a bit skeptical about that assertion, then you need to look no further than this week’s parsha which is the culmination of the entire story of our nation- or rather the prelude of our family becoming a nation in the story of the return of our family and Yosef to his father Yaakov. It hasn’t been 78 days that they’ve been apart. It’s been 22 years. Yosef was kidnapped and sold as a young boy and today he is almost 40. The moment and drama has been building with the great reveal to his brothers- I am Yosef is my father still alive. Does he still remember me? Does he miss me as much as I have missed him? Has he like me looked out my window at night and seen those stars and dreamed of him looking out at and seeing those same stars. The stars that Hashem took our Father Avraham out to see. That He promised him we are the just like them. That we will shine forever in the dark. Does my father still remember me and long for me on those dark nights?

 

The moment finally comes. Yosef sends down wagons. Yaakov has a vision from Hashem in those darkest hours of the night; the sha’ot ha’chashuchot she’belayla. Hashem tells him that He as well is going to be going down with him. He will be there and has always been there on those dark nights. And He will come up together with Him, with us and bring us back. And the reunion finally happens. One can almost hear the music starting up in the background as Yosef himself harnesses his chariot and drives over to Goshen to greet him and gets out of the wagon and runs into his father’s waiting arms.

 

Vayeira eilav- and he appeared to him

Va’yipol al tzavrouv- and he falls on his neck

Vayevch – and he cries

Vayevch al tzavoruv od- and he cries again on his neck

 

It is a powerful moment. Yet there is something strange that Rashi notes. One would think that Yaakov would as well be crying, there would be hugs and kisses. Yet it seems that Yosef is the one doing the crying, hugging and kissing. It is not as if Yaakov is not an emotional person. We find in fact that he hugs and kisses his father Yitzchak, his wife Rachel, later on his grandchildren in next weeks parsha Ephraim and Menashe. He’s not a Kalteh Litvak or a stoic Yekkeh. Yet here strangely enough the Torah doesn’t share Yaakov’s at least physical response and embrace of Yosef.

In fact the response that it does share seems a little bit strange and depressing. The next verse tells us that Yaakov says to Yosef

 

Amusa ha’paam- I can die this time

Acharey ro’i panecha ki odcha chai- after I have seen your face, because you are still alive.

 

Really??!! That was the problem? Yaakov didn’t feel he could die properly without having seen Yosef? As one of the commentaries ask, one would think that Yaakov should be asking for arichus yamim- long days together of life to make up for all that lost time with his favorite son. Why is he thinking about death? Rashi’s interpretation is even more perplexing. He quotes what seemingly seems to be a Gaonic source that cryptically says that Yaakov didn’t cry because he was reciting Kriyat Shema. The Sifsei Chachamim takes this quite literally and thus notes that the halacha is that one is forbidden to interrupt while reciting the Shema and thus Yaakov didn’t respond. Yosef, he suggests must have davened early already that morning.

 

Yet the Maharal takes a different approach. He notes the famous Talmud that tells us that when Rabbi Akiva was being taken out to be killed and his flesh was being flayed by iron combs from his Hamas Roman Nazi torturers, he as well was reciting the Shema. When his students asked him if it was even obligatory at this moment under such duress to recite the prayer, Rabbi Akiva answered them in words that is engrained in our nations soul and was on the lips of every martyr since then.

 

“My entire life when I recited the Shema and I said the words to love Hashem with all of my soul I envisioned myself giving up my life for Hashem. Now that it has finally come to my hands to fulfill this mitzva will I not fulfill it?”

 

Throughout generations our kedoshim- our holy martyrs went to their deaths with the acceptance of the Kingship of heaven on their lips. They didn’t see Romans, they didn’t see Inquisitors, Cossacks, or terrorists. They saw a loving Father in heaven taking them home, bringing them up to the heavenly gates next to His throne where they rest eternally and bask in His glory. They said Shema Yisrael and accepted their fate as His will. They understood that dying that way with Shema on their lips was the greatest sanctification of Hashem’s name that was possible.

 

What is so special about Shema? What do the words mean? Why is this the prayer that we recite to our children before we put them to bed, that we recite twice daily, that is today being recited by soldiers all over Israel and that is even hanging on big billboards not only in Jerusalem but even in Tel Aviv? Shema Yisrael- is not merely to hear. Rather it is to internalize. It is to make the idea one and part of ourselves. The idea is that Hashem is one. This is not merely a monotheistic statement of our faith in one rather than multiple gods. Nobody really believes in idols or a pantheon of Greek or pagan gods as they once did. Rather it is our statement of faith that the entire universe, all that there is, all that happens in the world, all of Creation is Hashem. He is everything. He sees and is always present. In times of light and darkness. In the Sha’ot ha’chashuchot- in the blackest Shabbos and nights He is there with us. For He is one and there is nothing else besides Him.

 

The job of Klal Yisrael- the children of Yaakov who is called Yisrael, is to reveal that light to the world. To have the whole world recite Shema. To be inspired by our Shema. Yet, that only works if we can say it ourselves and show our love for Hashem with all of our hearts and souls as well. When we can show that we are ready, like our ancestor Avraham Avinu was, to sacrifice not only our own lives but even our children, as he did by the Akeida, if that is the will and command of Hashem. Because ultimately that shows that at the end of the day, we truly have internalized, that there really is nothing besides Hashem’s will in the world and we are merely here to be vessels to reveal that light.

 

Yaakov, the third and last of our patriarchs who was raised on this knowledge and the stories of his father Yitzchak’s sacrifice, and the faith of Avraham understood what his job in this world was. His entire life was to pass that light and torch on to his children. Yosef was the embodiment of it all and it was why he dedicated everything to teaching him and raising him with the importance of our mission. The mission to reveal the light, that could only be revealed when we are one. When the children of Israel are united. And when Yosef was lost, Yaakov felt that he had failed. That he had been unworthy to carry on that important mission to the world, and to a large degree he was right.

Our hatred, our lack of unity, our blindness to the essential nature of each of us would make it impossible for the Shechina to ever shine. And thus he sent Yosef out on the mission to restore it. In the words of Rabbi Dovid Fohrman it was another Akeida story. It was Yaakov sending Yosef into the most dangerous world to bring about the light and sanctification of Hashem.

 

But Yosef succeeds. He not only brings the brothers together, but he brings out something even more important. Areivus- a sense of responsibility for one another. This is really the essence of what it takes to make Hashem Echad. Today many people speak of unity. Unity is that we stand as one. We’re there for one another. We help and we feel each other’s pain. Areivus though- as Yehuda took over and told Yosef that he felt for his brother Binyamin is deeper than that though. It is that I am responsible for you. Because you are me and I am you.

 

The law of Areivim is that one Jew can fill his obligation for another Jew. I can make kidddush and you fulfill your obligation by hearing it. I can do a mitzva and it is as if you have done the mitzva. If you have a debt then the guarantor takes on the debt as if it is his own. Because it is his own with acceptance of that responsibility. That is oneness. That is the revelation that Yosef brings out from the brothers. It’s when he finally breaks down and cries. Because the light has been revealed. Because now we have truly become one and now the One-ness The Hashem Echad can be revealed to the world.

 

When Yosef sees Yaakov, the verse tells us that he appeared before him. Rashi tells us that Yosef took all of his personal emotions aside and stood before his father- so that his father could see him. He entirely nullified himself before his father to show him that this was never about me. It was about revealing Hashem. It’s all that Yosef did in Egypt. He taught the entire world that Hashem is Echad. Yaakov in turn sees that and like Rabbi Akiva much later (who the kabbalists tells us shared the same soul as Yaakov- besides the same letters of his name) takes all of that love he felt for Yosef and he channels it to Hashem. Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad- I can reveal that light now. Until now had I died, I would’ve been remiss. It would’ve been out of sadness. It would’ve been without bringing Hashem’s light to the world. But now I can pass, for the torch has been passed. Hashem’s one-ness will be shared with the world.

 

I don’t think it’s coincidental that the image and videos that are so moving of this war are of children returning to their parents. It’s what this is all about. Each of us are children of Hashem Our Father in heaven has been waiting for not 22 years like Yaakov or even 78 days for us to return home to Him but rather for 2000 years since our Temple, His home has been destroyed and really for 5784 years since he threw us out of His Garden. But we are on our way home. We are not only uniting but taking responsibility for one another. Our soldiers on the frontline our children, are literally doing that. They are willing giving their lives for us, because they understand, we all understand that they are us and we are them. The more that we as well feel and understand that it’s not someone elses child that’s there fighting, that’s kidnapped, that’s homeless, that’s wounded, that’s a widow and orphan, but that it’s me. That it’s my brother whom I’m an areiv for then the light of Shema will shine down. Then Hashem Echad will be revealed. Then we will have a new song and a new era that will define our era. The song of hope, prayer, love and redemption. May we sing it soon.

  

Have a lightfilled Shabbos and may all our prayers be answered,

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz 

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YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

“Tsu itlechen neiem lid ken men tsupassen an alten nigenTo every new song one can find an old tune.

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

19.Menachem Begin commanded over the ___________ organization.

Where in Jerusalem is Menachem Begin buried?

A. In the "Great Leader of the Nation" cemetery

B. On the Mount of Olives

C. On Har Hamenuchot

D. In Sanhedria

 

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

 

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/avinu-malkeinu  - in memory of all of those fallen on Kiddush Hashem my Avinu malkeinu  composition. Thank you YItz Berry

 

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/shomer-yisroel  – And as a zechus for all of the soldiers my Shomer Yisrael Composition with Dovid Lowy arrangements and Vocals

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEbji84Ii3k    – Mordechai Shapiro’s latest Ani Yehudi

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Nic1TLdqCU    -  Gorgeous Solomon Brothers Shvurei Lev with a  Carlebach twist…

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzqFRRoreZE   - Shuli Rand powerful Ani Maamin

 

 

 

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S PARSHA PRAYER INSPIRATION OF THE WEEK

 

Yehuda’s Prayer – The longest speech in the Torah is Yehuda’s speech which assumedly is to Yosef to release his brother Binyamin, however if one examines the speech our sefarim tell us that in fact Yehudah is not talking to Yosef he’s talking to Hashem, and Yosef is just listening in.

 

Vayigash Eilav Yehuda Vayomer Bi Adoni- and Yehuda came close and he said please my Master.

That Adoni is in fact Hashem. It is a transformative idea if one reads the speech with that in mind. What is he telling and asking Hashem?

Al Yichar Apcha b’avdecha- don’t be angry with your servant.

Ki Kamocha Ki’pharaoh- because Hashem you are like Pharoah- I understand that all that Pharoah is doing is really from you. All my troubles, all that has gone wrong. All that you have hit me with it’s all from You Hashem

 

Adoni Sha’al es avdav leiomor Hayeish Lachem av oh ach- You Hashem asked me in the from of Yosef if I have a brother. If I have a father?  I see what you want me to reflect upon. I am examining my deeds and realize I abandoned my brother. I caused pain to my father. To You Hashem. You asked me and I realized I have sinned. You sent Yosef to order us to bring Binyamin down to Mitzrayim. It’s all you Hashem. We have sinned. I  now take responsibility. I’m now ready to put my life on the line for him, for klal Yisrael. I am his guarantor. My life is tied to his life. He is tied to our Father’s life.

 

When Yosef heard this he couldn’t hold back. He broke down. Yehuda’s prayer was answered. The light shown out. All of the house of Pharaoh heard. The Shechina had resided and the brothers are united.

 

That is what prayer is really about. Vayigash- coming close, not only to Hashem, but to ourselves. To get to our inner kishkas and see what we need to do to get close. When we do that, Hashem answers. The geula can come. We will finally be redeemed.

 

 

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

 

Ezra HaSofer 313 BC-  We’ll take a chronological break from this column, to pause this week to talk about the great leader Ezra Hasofer who's yartzeit is the 9^th of Tevet this Monday. Our sages tell us that if the Torah wasn't given through the hands of Moshe, Ezra would have been the next choice. In fact many of the basic practices of Judaism and the Torah "culture" comes from his establishments. Our Hebrew writing known as Ketav Ashuris, that we have today dates back from Ezra, the way that we read the Torah and its establishment to be read during the weekdays comes from him as well. He established many customs to prepare for Shabbos as well as to encourage Jewish women to be more attractive to their husbands increasing the holiness of the Jewish home.

 

It was he who led the return to Eretz Yisrael from Babylonia and the rebuilding of the 2^nd Beit

Hamikdash in Yerushalayim. This is something I like to talk about and mention obviously when

we look up at the Temple Mount from the Kotel and discuss how Ezra's temple that was funded

by Cyrus of Persia was more of a small wooden shack then the great Temple of King Solomon or

later of the Maccabees or Herod who built the final complex.

 

Perhaps most significant of his accomplishments, is the incredible ceremony that he held upon coming to Israel and finding that many of the Jews were intermarried with the nations that lived here. Can you imagine that within 70 years after suffering a holocaust of the destruction of the first Temple that the majority of Jews would be marrying out of our faith... I guess some things never change. What did change however was Ezra. He got up and mourned, cried and put on sackcloth and told the Jews that they had jeopardized the future of our people. We are a Jewish nation that is meant to be proud and marry one another and create a nation that will shine out to Hashem. Incredibly that speech stirred to the Jews to action where they sent away their non-Jewish wives and returned to the faith of their forefathers. There's a great picture of this speech in David's Tower by the Jaffa gate in the museum, where it goes through all of the different eras of Israel and I like to talk about that there.

 

Perhaps the one failure of Ezra was that he failed to inspire the Jews in Bavel to join him in

this historic return. It seems the Jews living in Israel despite non being religious were able to be

inspired much quicker to leave their wives and families, then the Jews in Bavel were to leave

their Kosher Pizza shops on 13^th avenue or in Lakewood or the five towns equivalent they had

there. Maybe 10% of the Jews went up with them. Mostly the shleppers, the ones that couldn't

marry into the nation and lots of Kohanim and Levites who wanted jobs in the temple. It's hard

for most people to wrap their brain around the concept that the majority of Jews never even saw

the 2^nd Temple as they remained in Bavel. Perhaps they sent their daughters there for a year in

seminary, maybe they came for their kids Bar Mitzvas, but mostly they just made their "alimony

payments to the Jews who had returned to Jerusalem. Take my money and leave me alone...

 

This is usually one of my parting thoughts that I share with my tourists after experiencing a trip

in Eretz Yisrael and as they head off to Ben Gurion airport back to the unpromised land from

whence they came.

 

Now although Josephus mentions that Ezra was buried in Yerushalayim with great ceremony, as

far as I know there is no place in Israel where his tomb is. It seems the cemetery on Mt. of Olives which does date back to the first temple would be the likely place though. Jewish tradition outside of Josephus however places his grave in Iraq near the Tigris river by a village named Al Uzair. The tomb is still there today and Jews and Muslims would go there regularly to pray.

 

Regardless where he's buried Ezra is one of the only people in the history of Klal Yisrael who's

yartzeit is remembered each year when we fast on the 10^th of Tevet when we recall the beginning.

of the destruction of the Temples. Perhaps as we remember the destruction, we are also meant to

remember that the beginning of the destruction really began already in its early beginnings when

the majority of Israel were not inspired enough to come back home and rejoin the return to Zion that he led... I'm just saying...

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RABBI SCHWARTZ'S FUNNY MEMES/ JOKES OF THE WEEK

 

Coming up this Friday night;  Jewish women will find out what time Friday night davening really ends!!

 

I’m not surprised that Hamas is hiding in a school. I’m just surprised that the school is Harvard.

 

Nothing screams everything I know about this conflict I learned on Tik Tok quite like chanting to globaluizze the intfada at a ceasefire protest.

 

Hashem please give me the confidence of a non-Jew explaining to me what is and what isn’t anti-semitism

 

Palestine has no history Only a criminal record.

 

People in the West : phone the police when their neighbor plays loud music. Also people in the West expect Israel to put up with neighbors that rape and kil them and plan their extermination.

 

Women who its difficult for that their husbands are in Miluim Reserves should just have them go to the local mosque and screen Shema Yisrael and they’ll get sent home quick!

 

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The answer to this week”s question is B – OK I’m back on my game here, finally. This one was fairly easy. Begin was the head of the breakoff group and army from the Hagana called the Etzel- or which is an acronym of Irgun Tzval Leuim- or National Organized Army, a more aggressive fighting force that felt that the Hagana was too busy trying to pacify the British and the only way we would ger our State is if we fought against them and attacked them as well. He is the only Prime Minister buried on Mt. of Olives/ Har Ha’Zeitim and one of the few not buried on Mt. Herzl where other PMs, Presidents and heads of Knesset are buried. He chose to be buried next to two heroes Barzani and Feinstein soldiers that were sentenced to death by the British and blew themselves up in the prison before their execution taking down some British with them and not allowing them to have the pleasure of hanging them. These are the true great men of the nation , Begin said and therefore chose to be buried next to them, rather than the left-wing pacifists PM that were on Har Herzl. So this is another one right making the latest score is Rabbi Schwartz at 13.5 point and the MOT having 4.5 point on this latest Ministry of Tourism exam.