Real Food- Pesach II 2021 /5781

 

Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land

from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

 "Your friend in Karmiel"

April 2^nd 2021 -Volume 11 Issue 25 20^th Nissan 5781

 Pesach II

 Real Food

I have tried most Matza combinations by now as I'm sure most of you have; at least those of you that also that "bruch". For those of you that don't I'm sure you've had enough potatos and eggs to last you for a long time. But at the Schwartz house- despite my Chasidic roots- Pesach isn't Pesach without all the matza variations. I wasn't raised ge'brochts (where you can't have any liquid or in some homes anything really touch your matzos) and it wasn't a chumra I was going to take on myself anytime soon. I need my Matza pizza, matzaroni and cheese, kneidlach, and even mezonos cakes. There's a limit to how much potato starch or macaroons one can consume. My wife, would add matza brie to that above list, by the way. I'll eat it, but it's a very lame French toast wannabee.

I don't think there's another religion or culture that has anything like our Pesach. 7 (or 8 days for you in chutz la'aretz) of just these matza crackers. It's really wild. Sure every culture has it's traditional "holiday" food but no one has 8 days of the same thing again and again and again. Now there are those of you that might argue that matza is only really the bread substitute for Pesach, but why wash? Have meat, have cheese, have salad and fruit and potato chips and marshmallows. There's no need to binge on matzos all the time. But you would be wrong. Take a look in the Torah. The holiday is called the Chag Hamatzos. And the Torah tells us quite specifically

Shemos (23:15) Es Chag ha'Matzos tishmor- you should observe the holiday of Matzos.

It doesn't say macaroons or marshmallows or fruit. It says Matzos. In fact, the Gaon of Vilna derives from the verse that says we should eat matzos for seven days that every matza we eat all of Pesach is a mitzva. To make that tasteless cracker even sweeter for you. -By the way isn't it strange how people say that? The matzos were really tasty this year. Or these matzas taste better than those matzos. Or I like these matzos better. It's flour and water baked in 18 minutes. There is not tastier or not tastier. There is only more or less burnt. But anyways…- To make this matza even sweeter for you. Do you realize that this is really the only food that we have a biblical obligation to eat? In the times of the Temple we had all types of sacrifices and had plenty of mitzva steaks to eat, but since it's destruction…"kulo'oh matza"- all we have is matza.

It's why it's in fact called Chag Ha'Matzos. A holiday named after the food we eat. Chanuka is not called the Chag ha'Latkas. Shavuot is not called the chag ha'blintzes. Who names a holiday after food? By the way the other name of the holiday Pesach is also a food- it is the name of the sacrifice we eat. Interesting, isn't it? the one holiday when we eat the least variety of food is named after the food that we do eat. It's been 7 days that we've been eating this stuff already, it's about time we find out what it's all about.

Now I know that all of you are thinking, that what am I talking about? We eat matza, as we recite by the Seder, to remember either the poor man's bread we ate in Egypt or the speediness and immediacy of our Exodus symbolized by the dough that didn't have time to rise. So that makes sense to eat on the first night of Pesach. We remember. We were redeemed. We relive it. So it makes sense to have the same food that we ate at that time. But it's 6 days later. We're still chewing. There must be something deeper about this that we are meant to dig our teeth in and digest. And whenever we need someone to dig deep and to reveal the deepest essence of something there is no better person than Reb Moshe Shapiro ZT"L for the task.

Reb Moshe notes that our leaving of Mitzrayim was not just an Exodus story from slavery to freedom. Rather, with our Exodus and the miracles Hashem preformed He revealed to us that the entire world that we had known and thought ran on its own and was subject to the laws of nature is really "fake news". Not only does our world have a Creator, but it has a Divine Micromanager that is constantly renewing and managing every aspect of Creation constantly. His finger is always on the button and He can change it around at will and He does so occasionally to let us know that He is there. Pharaoh is the same gematria as the word shana- a year (355). The word shana also means repetition, like sheinis- a second time. Pesach we are meant to remember ki bachodesh hazeh yatzasem mimitzrayim- that in this month we left Egypt. There is a significance to remembering the month, again something that we don't find by any other holiday. The word chodesh-month comes from the word new. Each month the moon renews itself. We are meant to see Pesach as holiday when we see the constant renewal of Creation. There is no such thing as a time continuum. Time is constantly being born again and again. We learned that when we left Egypt. To see the world otherwise means you're wearing chametzdikeh glasses.

The symbol and food that Hashem mandated we eat on Pesach and when we left Egypt had to be Matza. What is Matza? It is the true flavor of flour and water mixed together without anything else added. Even time. Let me explain. If I have a piece of cheese that I leave out on the counter for a few days when I go away on a trip. If I come home and ignore that green stuff growing on it and taste it. I will not be tasting the flavor of cheese. It will be tasting cheese plus mold and will most likely be very sick afterwards. Nothing was added to the cheese but time. It sat outside unrefrigerated and it spoiled and thus that added time changed the original delicious flavor of the cheese. Similarly, Chametz works the same way. The bread rises with time. It is left alone and time passes and its flavor changes. It's no longer the taste of pure unadulterated flour and water matza. It has something false and fake in it. That's what we are not allowed to eat on Pesach. On Pesach we spend 7 days eating only truth. The real deal. We realize that the view that time is just moving along ho hum is a denial that every moment of creation is created anew for us and we are meant to utilize it. We need to eat it fast before it just becomes something that allows falsehood to creep in and ultimately becomes stale.

The first sin of mankind was eating from the tree of knowledge. What Adam and Chava ate was sheker, Rav Shapiro says, falsehood. The snake told them that the tree that they were commanded not to eat from was desirous to the eyes. Not true. It would be tasty. Fake news. It would make them like Hashem that knows Good and Evil. Wrong again. The tree was "poison" for them. It would bring death to the world. It would be the cause of all things bad that would happen. It was Chametz; Bread of falsehood. The rectification of that sin and redemption of the world will come with the one mitzva that we have of eating. Chag Ha"Matzos- the holiday when we only eat from the limited menu that Hashem has given us of the most real tasting food that there is. The cracker in which every single bite is a mitzva.

This Shabbos we celebrate the 7^th day of Pesach on Shabbos. It doesn't fall out often this way. But it's 2021 and nothing is the way it usual is. On this Shabbos we sing three songs. We will first read the love song of songs of Shir Hashirim of Shlomo HaMelech, we follow that with our Torah reading of the song of Az Yashir that we read when we crossed the Yam Suf and finally we read the haftorah that contains the song that Dovid HaMelech sung upon being rescued from Shaul that concludes with the prayer for Mashiach.

Those songs that we burst out into on this last day of Pesach after 7 days of Matza eating, reflect our deepest emotion upon the recognition of how special our relationship with Hashem. On a national level we realized that Hashem is our savior and is controlling everything that happens in the world. It is all from his Holy hand and thus we sung together. Dovid's appreciation of Hashem is on a much deeper level though. Dovid understood and witnessed Hashem in his personal challenges. Everything came from Him. Hashem is His personal savior. He had Dovid on his screen the whole time. And thus Dovid sang and we sing his song with that same heartfelt appreciation.

Shlomo HaMelech's song though is the holiest of holy. For it is not just a song of appreciation and understanding of Hashem's role in all that takes place. Rather it is the overflowing of emotion of love one has for someone who sees and feels their beloved with them always. It is not Hashem the Creator, not Hashem the micromanager or savior. He is our beloved. He is our betrothed. That is the real truth that the Matza has revealed to us. Every breath we take is His love in us renewed again and again each moment. It His kiss of life.

Every Shabbos we are told is a taste of Olam Haba- the world to come. Shabbos, Shevi'I shel Pesach, we are back in the garden of Eden. We are redeemed. We don't eat matza this Shabbos because it was poor man's bread or because it was the bread that we ate when we left Mitzrayim last week. We eat it because it is the food of truth. It's the real thing. We've had enough of the fake world. This is our Kosher for Passover wedding cake. It may taste simple, but when you're in love you don't need any fancy things or added flavors or preservatives or food coloring. We have the real thing. It's here and it's now. So take those last heavenly bites, sing those last Pesach songs and imagine we are back in that Garden with Hashem. Who knows, when you open your eyes you may be back here with Him in Jerusalem rebuilt. It is 2021, anything can happen.   

Have a Chag Kasher V'Samayach,

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

 

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 RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

" Alts drait zikh arum broit un toit." - Everything revolves around bread and death

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

22) A Christian entity whose emblem depicts two folded arms:

A) The Christian Embassy

B) The Franciscan Custody

C) The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate

D) The Armenian Patriarchate

 

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S COOL VIDEO  OF THE WEEK

 https://youtu.be/JKSpp85DF7w   – in honor of Pesach See Rabbi Schwartz sing his latest Yom Tov composition with Yonah Schwartz on the guitar and Rabbi Schwartz singing this amazing new song that you need to sing this Yom Tov Melech Rachaman….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbtwqBLpetc    - Maccabeats doing the classic Shwekey Rau banim… can't come into Shevi'I without this song!

 

https://youtu.be/RBv6CCNrgVc   - A sefardic boys choir rendition of Yam La'yabasha traditionally sung by Sefardim and Ashkenazim alike on Shvii Shel Pesach written by Rebbi Yehudah Halevi

 

https://youtu.be/T4H5tjx2Zpg  - The evolution of Hollywood Films trying to recreate the splitting of the Sea in films… Yep…nothing like the real thing…

 

 https://youtu.be/ZiXlsSX9wos  - Another Rabbi K fun song with great Sea splitting Exodus footage Leil Shimurim

 RABBI SCHWARTZ'S PARSHA/ ERETZ YISRAEL CONNECTION OF THE WEEK

 Stop praying-Start moving – Shevi'i shel Pesach – We daven a lot. That's what Jews do. We pray to Hashem. We ask him for everything, life wisdom, grace, parnassa, health, marriage, children. Yet the one thing that we pray for the most in our daily prayers is for our redemption. We ask Hashem to return us to Eretz Yisrael, to return Himself to there and rebuild our Beis HaMikdash where we can once again feel His presence among us. These prayers have been the one constant of our people no matter where and when we have been exiled to. We want to come home. And Hashem has yet to answer those tens of millions of prayers. We still await their fulfillment. Perhaps the reason for this is that maybe our prayers are not enough. Ouch!

 The Eim Habanim Samaycha, by Rav Teichtal who we've quoted in the past suggests that is precisely the problem and Hashem told us this all the way in the beginning. He told us this on the 7^th day of Pesach as we stood on the banks of the Yam Suf and it is this lesson that we are meant to internalize and then externalize on this special holiday.

 So there we were the Egyptians coming at one end, the wilderness and all its dangers on our right and left and a raging sea in front of us. What were we supposed to do? So we began to pray, like we've never prayed before. Yet that was not what Hashem wanted us to do. He had enough of our prayers, writes Reb Teichtel. It was time for action. Hashem tells Moshe

 Shemos (14:15) Ma titzak eilai, daber el Bnai Yisrael Va'yisa'u- Why are they calling out to Me? Speak to Bnai Yisrael and tell them to travel.

 The time for prayer is over. It's time to move. It's time to show that you not only you believe redemption is possible and imminent but you are willing to take the steps into the raging sea and realize that faith. In fact he suggests that this was what the holiday of the 7^th of Pesach is all about. Until now Hashem had been pulling the train. We didn't have to do a thing. He wiped out Mitzrayim, He opened the gates. He put our favor in the eyes of Egypt and they sent us out with gifts. The next stage was up to us though. Were we ready to show that we believed enough by taking action to realize that faith? Or were we just going to stay in galus and keep davening for redemption. Because if we don't have enough faith to actually take the steps into the sea to get us there and belief that Hashem will take care of the rest and perform miracles for us, then we really don't have any faith at all.

 Rabbi Teichtel as you know wrote this in the fury of the holocaust before the State of Israel was established. Whereas a few years prior he was an ardent oppose of the Zionist movement, the war changed his mind and he saw the lack of the efforts of the Jews to return home, to take those steps into the sea that Hashem had opened for us to be a question on whether they were truly sincere in their prayers and hopes to ever go home. What would he say in our day?  The 7^th day of Pesach is when he gave us that extra strength to walk into the sea and realize those dreams and prayers. Who's calling their travel agent?  

 

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

 Good Kindness and Bad Kindness 868 BC So Dovid's checklist of things to do continues this week. He conquered Yerushalayim and restored the Ark there. He then fought against Israel's enemies on all our borders and brought peace to the land. In the process he avenged himself and Israel on those nations that did us harm. It was now time to return to the good and kindness to those who deserved it.

 His first thought was of course to his dearest friend and brother-in-law who had been killed Yonasan the son of Shaul. It turns out that he had a son who was lame called Mepiboshes that was being hidden by the servant of Shaul names Tziva in a place called fascinatingly enough Lo Davar. Now it doesn't really give us any clues to where this Lo Davar is found and it's a strange name for a city. Lo davar in Hebrew means without anything. It's a common Hebrew slang phrase as well when someone does something for you and you thank them for it many times they will say "Al lo davar"- don't worry about it, it was really nothing. Chazal tell us that it means the name is a reference to Mepiboshes's financial situation. He was a prince but he was broke. Dovid had Mepiboshes brought to him and ordered Tziva to feed and take care of him and restore all of his fields and property to him. Mepiboshes overwhelmed by Dovid's generosity despite all the tzuris that he was caused by Shaul and swore his allegiance to Dovid.

 The next on Dovid's to do list was to show his gratitude to the nation of Ammon. It seems when Dovid was fleeing from Shaul he brought his family to Moav where they had assured him that they would be kept safe. However, they betrayed Dovid and killed his family and siblings, which is why Dovid avenged himself against them in the previous wars we spoke about.  Turns out that Dovid had one brother that escaped and Nachash the King of Ammon had protected him and refused to turn him over to Ammon. Dovid felt that he owed him a debt of gratitude. Well, Nachash had died and his son Chanun took over. So Dovid sent his ambassadors over to Jordan- Ammon being located today where the capital of Jordan Amman still carries that nations name, to offer his condolences. It is really quite amazing how the Navi juxtaposes this story with the story of his showing his appreciation to the house of Shaul. The message one might draw is that we have to show our appreciation to the non-Jewish nations just as we do to our fellow Jews. Yet that would be wrong in this particular case.

 The Torah repeatedly tells us that the two nations of Ammon and Moav showed cruelty and a lack of appreciation to the Jewish nation when we asked to come through their countries to Israel after wandering 40 years in the wilderness. The Torah therefore tells us that we should not seek their peace ever and we don't take converts from their nations. Despite Dovid's natural desire and appreciation for this country and nation, the Torah tells us that we need to understand that Hashem knows better what's the right thing to do and we draw our moral compass from the Torah and not from our own perceived moral system. This stands in stark contrast to Egypt which was cruel to us and yet the Torah permits converts from them and we should not disparage them because despite what they did to us we dwelled in their land for centuries. Again it's counterintuitive but yet Hashem knows what's best and right as this story teaches us.

 

It seems when Dovid's men arrived, the servants of Chanun convinced him that they were there to spy and attack the land. Chanun bought the conspiracy theory and sent them back to Dovid in a humiliating way shaving off half of their beards and tearing their cloaks down to their backsides. This cruel humiliation recalls the same type of degradation that his father Nachash gave us an ultimatum to the people of Yavesh Gilead when he attacked them and threatened to chop out each of their right eyes. Indeed, Nachash did save Dovid's brother, but that was only out of his hatred for Shaul who had quashed that attempt on Yavesh Gilead. It was not an act of kindness and it seems that cruelty ran in his son as well.

 Well Dovid did not take to this humiliation well, yet his first concern was for his humiliated men and he thoughtfully ordered them to remain in Yericho out of sight until their beards grew back. He then marshalled his men and next week we will conclude this saga of David and Ammon.

 RABBI SCHWARTZ’S TERRIBLE MATZA JOKES  OF THE WEEK

 What's the difference between matzoh and cardboard?? Cardboard doesn't leave crumbs in the carpet

How do you drive your mother completely insane on Passover? It’s really a piece of cake

 Why did the matzah quit his job? A. Because he didn’t get a raise!!

What army base is off limits on Passover? Fort Leavenworth

You want to hear a good matzah pizza joke? Never mind, it’s pretty cheesy

Why did the matzah goto the doctor? Because he started feeling crumby

Why did the matza baker rob the bank? He needed the dough.

What do you call someone who derives pleasure from the bread of affliction? A matzochist. What did the Matzah say to the comedian? You crack me up!

What did the Teddy Bear say when he was offered the afikomen? No thanks, I’m stuffed

What’s the best cheese to eat on Pesach? A: Matza-rella.

 A Matzah Ball walks into a bar… Bartender says: Is this Round on you?

. What’s the safest thing to wear during a Pandemic Seder? a HAZMATza Suite

 CORONA VIRUS HAGADAH | Additions to 4 Questions

 “On all other nights we get one flu shot, but on this year we get 2!”

Can we sing ZOOM Gali Gali?”

Who doesn’t know 6?- 6 are the feet of social distancing

 “If someone has lost their sense of smell/taste, do they still fulfill the Marror bitterness? mitzvah?”

 “How is Dr. Fauci not Jewish?

 Did you hear Joe Biden said he would only participate in the Passover Seder in the White House if the four questions are submitted to him in advance and reviewed by the White House press office staff.!

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Answer is A- Yeah I would've skipped this question also. I mean really? Why does anyone need to know this… I care about Christian groups like a "luch in de kop" as my grandmother would say. Actually to be more accurate and a little bit punny " a luch in de hant" would be more accurate. As the Fransiscan Custody's emblem isn't just two outstretched hands it's two hands with holes in the middle; one is supposed to be Yoshka's and the other is Francis who was the first to have claimed to have the "stigmata" which means he woke up one day with Yoshkas holes in his hands and feet. Although I know growing up about the evil Franciscans of the Spanish inquisition, on my google search for this answer I came across a fascinating story about how the Franciscans of Asissi (where he was from in the original church in Italy) actually hid Jews during the Holocaust and a moving story about the Yom Kippur of 1943 they spent there. Anyways I guessed Christian Embassy, cause I never even heard of it and was wrong. So the score is now 16 for Rabbi Schwartz and 6 for the Ministry of Tourism on this exam.

 

Field of Songs- Parshat Yisro/ Tu BiShvat 2018/ 5778

Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land
from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

February 2^nd 2018 -Volume 8 Issue 17 17^th Shvat 5778

Parshat Yisro/ Tu B’Shvat

Field of Songs

One with nature. I learned that term when I was in Seattle. It’s what people there like to do. They don’t have family vacations. Truth is they really don’t do the family thing much in Seattle as well. Lots of lonely people, working in Microsoft, Amazon, or Boeing behind computers all day. They do have lots of virtual “Friends” though. Lots of people “like” each other. Once in a while they even get a “poke” from them. But those types of relationships don’t generally lead to high birthrates. So people go on vacation by themselves. I always that was a bit strange. I mean what type of vacation is it without everybody yelling at each other in the back seat, people getting car sick, and having to go to the bathroom right after we just went. How is this special family occasion going to accomplish its essential goal of reminding everyone why we make friends outside of the family and don’t spend a lot of time with one another, if you are doing it all alone?  How is a trip by yourself going to inspire your children to get married and move out of the house as soon as possible? Anyways that was my feeling back then. I’ve changed since then. I like to go off by my own now. It’s nice, it’s peaceful, it’s rejuvenating and you know what maybe it’s even re-Jew-venating as well.

Now I’m not saying this because I just picked up my wife from the airport from here alone week in New York, and noticed how rejuvenated she looked. Or even because I myself came back a few weeks ago from my trip and appreciated that alone time in LA. Because a trip alone to America can be rejuvenating, it certainly can be fattening, although your walled does weigh less when you come home. I don’t really think it is re-Jew-venating. It doesn’t really do anything for my soul, unless you count really longing to get back to Eretz Yisrael and the feeling I have of being  thankful that I don’t have to live outside of Hashem’s chosen and holy land anymore. Unlike all those unfortunate Jews that are stuck in the Diaspora. You know kind of the feeling that my Rabbis in elementary school would describe their experience of coming back from visiting the “Iron Curtain” of Soviet Russia, back in the 80’s and the unfortunate Jews that were tragically stuck there. No America really doesn’t spiritually uplift me on a trip there on my own. But a little hike here in Eretz Yisrael. A walk amongst the trees, amongst the hills, between the plants, through the streams and high up in the mountains. Not too many things can get more spiritual than that. I can just sit there on a rock, or under a tree in a field and listen to the breeze, look out at the beauty of Hashem’s land, I can watch the sheep or cows grazing and marvel at this incredible universe Hashem has created for me. And if I listen really close, I can even hear the music. The song of the trees, the song, of the field, the song of the shepherd.

Do you know about the song of the fields? Have you ever heard it? Let me tell you about it. Or better yet, let me quote you from the great Rebbe Nachman of Breslav who revealed to us this idea and song. See, Rebbe Nachman was very big into hisbodidus- or seclusion and meditation. He and his students would go alone into the field and meditate. They would think, they would pray, they would clear their heads from all the noise of the world and open up to the song of the field. This practice is still done by many Breslavers today. One of the things that Rebbe Nachman would suggest one can appreciate while meditating is the song of the shepherd and the field.

“Know that each shepherd has a special song according to each of the plants and according to each place that he shepherds. For every animal has its own special plant and that it is meant to eat. As well, he doesn’t graze in one particular area. And according to each plant and each place he grazes, he has a special song.  Because each plant, each growing thing has its own song. And from those songs the song of the shepherd is formed.”

He notes that it is for this reason when the Torah back in Bereishit notes that Yuval was the father of all shepherds it mentions that he was the one that came up with musical instruments as well. Music and fields. Music and trees. The song within each one of us. That is the job of the shepherd and the experience of being alone and listening to the field. He even explains much deeper that the shepherd sings this song he gives power to the trees and the plants to provide for the animals. Even more significantly this really separates him from the animals that he is watching. For- to paraphrase the Rebbe- If you hang around with animals all day, you might become one of them. The song however, which comes from that inner spirit of Hashem, is what separates us from them. Our song uplifts the world. Their moooos, or baaaaas is the physical earthly mortal song that we are meant to uplift and direct.

I’ve been thinking about this song this week, not only because we celebrated the holiday of Tu B’shvat this past week and which is generally this parsha- the week in between Yisro the giving of the Torah and last week, the parsha of the song of the Sea. But also because whenever I read the parsha of the giving of the Torah, my mind goes to the holiday of Shavuot almost 4 months away from now and I picture the leaves, the flowers, the greenery that we place around our shuls and our homes in honor of the holiday and to remember when we stood at Sinai. There is a connection between the field and the trees and the Torah and us. I think it is all about the song.

It is interesting to note that each morning when we make a blessing on the Torah the blessing we say is

Asher natan lanu torat emet vchayei olam nata bitocheinu baruch ata Hashem notein ha’torah-  Blessed are you Hashem who gave us the Torah of truth and eternal life planted within us, blessed are you Hashem Who gives the Torah.

So we mention the giving of the Torah as if it planted something within us. This is really not a coincidence, I believe. In fact one of the things that I ask my tourists many times, is why in the Torah does it say Hashem created Man. Of course many of them give me many spiritual anwers that it states in the many philosophical or ethical works that they have been indoctrinated in. But then I repeat my question. Why in the Torah itself does it say Hashem created man.; In the actual text. The answer is because Hashem needed a gardener. Look at the verses.

“Bereshit (2:7) And Hashem- Elokim formed man earth from the ground and blew within him the soul of life and man was a living being.

And Hashem-Elokim planted a garden in Eden and he placed man in the garden which he formed.

The verses continue with the tree of life and knowledge and the rivers that flow out of Eden and then it says

Ibid (2:15) And Hashem-Elokim took man and put him in the garden to work it and protect it.

It is interesting to note that in the first chapter when the Torah describes Creation it only mention Elokim creating the world. That is the term of judgement. That is the standard term for god. On the other hand when it comes to creating the garden and man it describes Hashem as Hashem Elokim- the God of mercy, of eternality, the Jewish concept of God. As well as opposed to all other Creations that were created through speech, man and the garden and the trees in ti are formed. Man and tree, man and the garden. Our job was to go into the field and to raise it up. To find its song. To understand that each tree has its place and its time. To study from the tree of life. To avoid the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Rebbe Nachman explains, that when the snake tempts Eve and tells her to eat from that forbidden tree of knowledge, he tells her that on the day she will eat she will be

Ibid (3:5) “like God who knows good and evil”

What was their knowledge before the tree, Rebbe Nachman asks? He answers that before eating from the tree they didn’t have knowledge of good and evil. It wasn’t an academic course that needed to be learned. It was a reality. It was something that they felt inherently. Like we see blue and green. We don’t know it we experience it. Upon eating we became Good-ologues and Evil-ologues we can write 50 page treatises on the moral imperatives of some things and argue the immoral and unethical tenets of another. But we don’t’ have the gi’feel, as they say in Yiddish, for it anymore. We don’t hear the music or song of it. It’s just intellectual.

We lost the Garden of Eden. We were exiled from the garden and for 2000 years we wandered until we came to Sinai, to that place where we were once again given the Tree of life. Our Torah. The Torah is called a Shira at the end of the Torah, by our shepherd Moshe who gave it to us. He understood that the Torah is the way that we can understand our personal place in this world, our personal song that only we can sing. The right trees and plants that will nurture us. It is the eternal world that Hashem has planted within us. That can uplift the earthliness and animal within us. We decorate our synagogues on Shavuot to recall that song of the field; of the mountain.

This past week was the Rosh Hashana for the trees. Man as well, the Torah tells us is compared to a tree. Trees are different than fields and plants. When one plants a tree they put in a little seed, and unlike wheat, barley and other grains that pretty much produce little seeds that we use.  A tree produces fruit. A fruit is very different than the seed that is planted. It has flourished into a much greater, refined, perfect and tasty treat. It has lifted itself off the ground. It waves high in the air. Its song is soaring to the heavens. I look out at the beautiful trees here in the Galil, as I sit here on my own and I listen to their song as their waves blow in the wind. I begin to hear my own song stirring. The song that our shepherd, Moshe, sang for me as I stood under that mountain and looked up and heard Hashem blow that spirit of life into my tree. I await the day when soon the entire world will hear that song of the field and together the world will sing in one big symphony to our Creator.

Have a symphonious serene Shabbos,

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

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RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE 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

Q  The term “Dhimmi” in Islam means:

A. Dancing/whirling dervish

B. People of the Jahiliyya period

C. Heretics

D. Non Muslim citizens of an Islamic state

RABBI SCHWARTZ COOL VIDEOS OF THE WEEK

https://youtu.be/q0ymyhxOJHA    - The awesome Abie Rottenberg classic “Little Kite” remade- thumbs up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lx9k6zJjQmA  - The song of the grass Avraham Fried

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7_Gmax_yfw – National Tree of the year of 2017 of Europe saved Jews

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2LMLWn_7ok – Simcha Leiner Naaseh Vnishma

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S HAFTORA CONNECTION OF THE WEEK

As in last week’s Haftorah this one has different Sephardic and Ashkenazic readings. However as opposed to last week where the Ashkenazim started earlier then the Sefardim, this week we both start together the Ashkenazim just continue on to the next chapter. Now the first part of the Haftora can easily be realized in its connection to our parsha but that is only if we look at it on the surface. What I mean is that just as the Jews by Sinai saw the Hashem, in our Haftora Yeshaya Hanavi describes his first prophecy where he sees Hashem sitting on his throne with angels- seraphim around him reciting Kadosh Kadosh Kadosh. Now I say that this is only a surface connection for the rest of the Haftora describes the inadequacy that Yeshaya feels for being impure, yet at the same time taking up the role to bring the message to the Jewish people of his time that the land and the temple will be destroyed. That it seems that despite all their senses they have become fattened and will be wiped out. The Haftora concludes that a tenth will remain and will return like a tree stump that still has life. So I guess that is a positive enough of a note for the Sefardim to end their reading by. Now seemingly this part of the haftorah does not have much to do with the parsha. Yet the truth is the parsha really contains more than the vision of Hashem. It is parshat Yisro that talks about Yisro a priest for idolatry that is inspired to return to Hashem and the court system he recommends setting up. The inspiration for Yisro is the reward and punishment he sees that happens to the Egyptians and the battle of Amalek which would seem to suggest that there is power in our hands to fight as well. This is the dual nature of the Jewish people. On one hand we know we are eternal like the Hashem and His throne. On the other hand we are subject to consequences for our actions that will lead to our punishment, but will never obliterate us.

The Ashkenazim continue on that theme perhaps with the next chapter where the King Ahaz who is a wicked King is reassured that he will survive the attack by his enemies. And the Kingdom of David will be eternal. It’s fascinating that it is an incredible counter to the first part of the Haftora. Whereas the first part Isaiah is told to tell the Jews that they will be destroyed and there is nothing they can do. Interestingly enough the Jews were mostly observant in Uzziah’s time. When we are doing good the navi warns of our destruction. Yet in Achaz’s time the Jews sinning was widespread. Yet it is at that time that we see that Hashem will abandon us. Those two messages are what Yisro sees perhaps. The Jews role in this role to fulfill Hashem’s throne that will take us out of Egypt. Yet at the same time we must appreciate we have to fulfill our role and battle Amalek and utilize the Temple as that light for the throne of Hashem or else we will lose it.

Yeshaya Hanavi Era of Prophecy (780-700 BC)– Yeshaya came from a royal family from the Kings of Yehuda. He had a wife and at least two children and a daughter that are mentioned in Chazal. His sons names were Shaar Yashuv and Immanuel and he may have had others as well. It is interesting that he is compared by Chazal at many times to Moshe Rabbeinu and that as Moshe he came from royalty and thus automatically garnered a certain stature amongst the people.

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

The battle of Shechem 1550BC- I don’t do a lot of Shomron tours, although I should. I wish we would finally liberate this historic part of Israel as we have done the rest of the this country from the occupying Arabs that are sitting in our land that the Torah tells us was purchased by our forefather Yaakov for 100 Keshita- that’s a lot of falafels and we kept the receipt... it’s called the Torah, the bible, the Koran all of the holy books register that purchase. We’re not doing anyone any favors by allowing the Pa-‘Lie’-stinian  authority stay in control and get rich off the backs of the people that they are holding down and persecuting and raising on hate. But I digress. But because of the often security situations and the nervousness of my tourists I really don’t get out there as often as I should. But there are certainly some awesome places where one can look down on the city of Shechem and even spot the grave of Yosef buried there. Particulary from Moutn Gerizim or Har Bracha as it is known. From there we can look down from mitzpe Yosef and talk about Avraham who first built an altar here in Alon Moreh as it is called. There is in fact an arab village on the suburbs of Shechem called Tel Balata- Balat is the arabi word for Oak which would be a reference to that tree Alon Moreh. Here as well we can tell the many biblical stories that took place here. the two brothers of Dina that rescued here and killed out the city, The story of the Jewish people coming into the land and having the blessings and curses right between these two mountains, as well as the stories in the period of Judges of Avimelech the son of Gideon and of Yeravam ben Nevat during the split kingdom who made his capital here.

This is about as Jewishally historical of a site as you can get and ranks up there with Chevron and Jerusalem as significant Jewish biblical cities. It’s really a shame that it is not as visited as it should be.

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S TERRIBLE TREE JOKES OF THE WEEK

What is every tree’s favorite shape?
A treeangle.

Which Canadian city is a favorite vacation spot for American trees?
Montreeal.

What did the tree say to the drill?
You bore me..

Why do trees hate tests?
Because they get stumped by the questions.

What tree produces fruit that tastes like chicken?
Poultree.

What do they serve to drink by trees Shalom Zachors?
Root beer.

What do you call a Russian tree?

Dimitree

What kind of trees do you get when you plant kisses?
Tulips.

Tully’s favorite joke- What did the Jedi say to the sacred tree?
May the forest be with you.

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

The Cohen family was on good terms with their Catholic neighbors, the O'Brian's. In fact, little Yainkele Cohen and Chris O'Brian from next door would play together from time to time. Or at least they used to.

Well, one late December's day, Tim O'Brian, the non-Jewish father, came storming in to the Cohen's house holding poor Yainkel by the ear. "Your son is not going near my Chris again; he just has no respect for us and our religion!"

"What's the matter; what did he do?" inquired Mr. Cohen.

"I'll tell you" said Tim in a rage. "He saw our Christmas tree and started making fun."

"He did?" said Mr. Cohen. "What did he say?"

"He saw our tree and started asking all sorts of ridiculous questions - which kinds of pine trees can be used for a Christmas tree? What's the minimum required height? How close to the window does it need to be? Do too many decorations render it unfit? What if it's under a neighbor's balcony?!"

And perhaps the most Jewish Joke of all

Two Jews, Moshe and Itzik, are walking in the Ukrainian forest. In the distance, they see two local guys walking towards them. Moishe turns to Itzik, panics, and says, “Itzik, what should we do? There’s two of them, and we’re all alone!”

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S SHABBOS CARTOON OF THE WEEK        

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Answer is D – Although, like Christianity, Islam is not my forte. However that being said this one was pretty easy. See I am a fan of Jewish history and the Dhimmi status is quite essential to understanding Jewish life under Muslim rule, which was basically dhimmi status. They had certain rights as all Muslims did. And they had to higher taxes and certain restrictions as well. For the most part Jews fared far better under Muslim rule than Christian rule throughout our exile as a result of this. The other choices in case you are interested, the swirling dancing Muslims are called Sufi- and they dance- they’re like mystical Muslims. JahiIlya is pre-Muslim world- basically their term for secular people. And heretics are Kafirs- I only know that because like many Arabic words it comes from the Hebrew Kofer which means heretic.