The Last "I"nitiative- Parshat Mikeitz Chanuka 2024

 

Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land

from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

December 27^th 2024 -Volume 14 Issue 9 26^th of Kislev 5785

 

Parshat Mikeitz/ Chanuka

 

The Last “I”nitiative

 

I told him that I thought it was a bad idea. It was a stupid idea. And perhaps most of all I thought it was an evil idea. I think he was a bit taken aback. But, what did my well-meaning friend really expect when he called me to join him on what he thought was going to be a world-changing project? I was never really a yes-man, or Rabbi. Particularly when it comes to ideas that to me seemed to be taking off in the frum world. I’m a traditionalist, I guess. And I particularly get nervous when people come up with things that they believe others have to do for the miracles to come.

 

So to back up a bit, my friend and colleague called me a few weeks into the war with what he thought was going to be THE project that will save all of the hostages and win us the war. See, there was this story or video clip that was going viral all over the frum media of this woman that lived in Kfar Azza that I’m sure all of you have seen or at least heard of. It was a story of how the terrorists were coming to her house on October 7^th and she was hiding and cowering with her two children in fear. Something came over her at that moment and she turned to Hashem and prayed. She promised that if Hashem would save her and her children, that she would begin to observe Shabbos. Sure enough. As soon as she finished her short prayer from the depths of her heart, the terrorists turned around and left the direction of her house and she was spared. That’s the story. And I have no doubt that it’s true. She’s for real. It’s an amazing story.

 

As many know there certainly was an inordinate amount of shomer shabbat kibbutzim, settlements, cities, synagogues and yeshivos that were spared that Simchas Torah morning. There were some non-religious ones as well, but certainly most of the devastation took place in the non-religious areas. The ones that weren’t observing Shabbos. The ones that were perhaps even violating it by music festivals… Shabbos saves. Our rabbis tells us this. I believe that.

 

To be fair, as well, I also believe fundamentally, and it’s quite obvious, that our Rabbis have said that anyone that doesn’t have the benefit of a HEALTHY Jewish education and that was raised secular, has the same halachic status as a child that was kidnapped that at a very young age. Think that cute red-head baby Bibers. If God forbid we don’t bring him home…God forbid… He wouldn’t be responsible for not fulfilling mitzos. He doesn’t know. He didn’t learn. Neither did anyone that didn’t have a healthy Jewish education. It’s not their fault they don’t keep Shabbos or go to parties. They won’t even be punished for it. They’re an oneis. They had their heritage stolen from them. Yet, at the same time they don’t have the protection and beauty of Shabbos.

 

So this friend of mine called me up after he saw this video and he wanted to start this project. There were at the time assumed to be 251 hostages that were taken to Gaza. So what he wanted to do was start a project or movement, by which everyone would try to find 251 people that had never observed Shabbos before and they would undertake to keep Shabbos as a merit for one of the hostages to return. He thought that this would be an amazing idea. It would bring people closer together, make them more religious, it would connect us through Shabbos and of course it would bring back all of the hostages. He wanted my support. I wasn’t as excited as he was to put it mildly. But maybe that’s because I read this week’s parsha a little different than he did.

 

Parshat Mikeitz, which is always read Chanuka time, is a parsha that is very much about returning hostages. It’s about silly, stupid and bad, failed attempts. And it’s about understanding what really can bring them back. What we need to do to BRING THEM HOME. It’s 2024. Ba’yamim ha’heim ba’zman hazeh- in those days, but for our times. That’s what Chanuka is all about us realizing. About us revealing. It’s not ancient history. It’s us today.

 

The parsha picks up from last weeek with Yosef being held in some tunnel in Egypt. With no hope left. It’s Mikeitz. It’s the end. He thought the Butler would help him. He thought maybe he would get a pardon. But everyone else did except for him. Maybe he thought if Trump would get into office everything would be better. But he was wrong. 2 years passed and nothing changed. Keitz sam la’choshech- an end came to the darkness, our parsha begins Rashi tells us. The darkness was his faith that someone else could change his situation. After two years of waiting for it to be over, he realized there was no one else but Hashem that was gonna pull him out. Not Pharaoh. Not the Butler. Not Biden’s “Don’ts” Not Trump. Not Bibi. Just miracles. Just Chanuka. Yosef’s efforts are pointless and misguided. Stop looking to other people to solve your problems. There’s only One address one needs to turn to. We needs to turn within to ourselves. One needs to turn their eyes to Hashem.

 

Although Yosef was in prison for ten years. The parsha begins with the end of the two additional years that he sat there, waiting for his efforts and his hope and faith by turning to others besides Hashem to save him, to finally come to an end. Mikeitz, doesn’t only mean end or conclusion. It means li’hakitz- to wake up. Yosef needed to become “woke”. He needed to get out of the dreamland that deals, and exchanges, and diplomacy and anything besides Hashem will bring him home. When that ends. Yosef is redeemed. His new mantra is mi’baladei Hashem- there is nothing besides Hashem. No one else that can help Pharaoh, that can interpret dreams, that will save Egypt from the famine, that can return him to his brothers. It’s only Hashem.

 

The parsha continues with the brothers going down to get back Yosef. Shimon is taken hostage, by Yosef. There are demands and the conclusion of the parsha is about the possibility of Binyamin being taken hostage too. Yosef’s brothers implore Yakov to send Binyamin with them to get back their brother. To get food. To finally bring a cease fire. But Yaakov is wary. He doesn’t trust deals. He’s a bit older than his kids. He’s been betrayed again and again in his life. Esau backs out of his deal. Lavan as well. He knows that you can’t trust these people as far as you can throw them. He doesn’t want to lose Binyamin too.

 

There are two hostage negotiating teams that come to Yaakov. Two attempts to BRING THEM HOME. The first, Reuvein, fails. According to Rashi, Yaakov calls him a Bechor Shoteh-. It’s a stupid idea. What’s Reuvein’s approach. I’ll trade. If I don’t bring back Binyamin, I’ll give up my two sons instead. Yaakov is aghast. Really…? Reuvein, you just don’t get it. This story is not about trades. It’s not about your sons/my sons. The address you should be turning to is not looking at how you can manipulate or convince me by showing signs of faith, by making offerings of what other people or your even own children would or should give up. You’re missing the boat. You’re not looking within. You’re not taking personal responsibility. I’m not impressed.

 

Approach two is Yehudah. He doesn’t offer any trades. He merely says. I guarantee it. I’m responsible. I will do whatever it takes.

V’chatasi Lecha kol Ha’yamim- I have sinned to you all of my days.

 

No deals. No trade-offs. No putting it on someone else. It’s my sin. It’s all on me. That works. Yaakov bites. The redemption can come.

 

Yehuda, who perhaps had learned his lesson with the death of his own two children. Yehuda, who perhaps had learned what it means when he put the blame on Yosef, and as a result his own brothers put the blame on him. Who had almost obviated his own responsibility to his daughter-in-law Tamar, who fascinatingly enough as well was a hostage. An aguna, a trapped caged woman, unable to marry because of his own actions and sins. He had gone through his own process and understood that for the redemption and return of the hostages, he couldn’t put it anyone else’s shoulders besides his own.

 

Yosef, learns this lesson, Yehudah learns this lesson and finally as well, our parsha continues with the rest of the tribes learning this lesson as well. When they leave Yosef’s house, the Torah tells us that they stop off at an inn for the night and “The One”- who Rashi tells us is Levi (the one previously mentioned with Shimon) opened up his sack and finds the money they paid Yosef and that he had planted back there inside of it. He shows the rest of the brothers, whom, the Torah goes out of the way to tell us, don’t check their bags until much later after they get home. They have an interesting response to Levi

 

Va’yeitzei libam, va’yecherdu ish el echov ma zos asah Hashem lonu- And their hearts went out and they trembled- a man to his brother, what has Hashem wrought upon us.

 

Their hearts go out, and they tremble. But the Pardes Yosef notes, that they are not scared for themselves. They tremble for their brother. They’re nervous for Levi. The Yonasan Ben Uziel, adds even more poignantly that they ask what Hashem has wrought upon us, for they don’t feel that it’s their responsibility our sin. It’s Levi’s fault. It’s his sin. The way that they were processing this was placing the blame and responsibility, which is clearly coming from Hashem on someone else. It’s what they always did. What we always do…

 

 Yosef, was wrong. He was a snitch. A rodef- trying to be King. Yehuda’s at fault, they remove him from his position. Shimon is taken hostage. Well, that makes sense. He was the one that threw Yosef in the pit. It’s Hashem punishing him. Now Levi has the money in his bag. They tremble for their brother. But at the end of the day, it was him and Shimon that were in on this. The rest of us… We’re still good. We’re just following orders.  It’s not me that caused the hostages to be taken. It’s the guys not keeping Shabbos yet…

 

It was only after they come back home and empty their own bags that for the first time they don’t just tremble for their brother, but the Torah tells us Va’yirau- they feared. Or perhaps they saw. They understood. They’ve got stolen money in their own pekeleh as well. They have something that they have do teshuva on. Something that they have to return. It’s fascinating when they come back to Yosef, they change the story, they describe how they came to the inn and they all opened up their bags.

 

V’hinei kesef ish b’fi amtachto- and the money of a man was in his sack.

Kaspeinu b’mishkelo- our money in its weight.

 

It’s confusing. Is it one man who finds the money? Is it each man? Is it our money in its weight? Why change the story, when it seems that in reality they didn’t really find their own money until they came home, not there in the inn. Many of the commentaries wonder why and how they could lie like this. It seems a strange thing to make up.

 

But perhaps what they are saying is really the truth. This is their confession. We came to the inn. We all checked our bags. None of us found money except for Levi. We thought it was his fault. That we are guiltless. It’s his sin. But then we discovered that we were wrong. Kaspeinu b’mishkelo- our own money was also taken. We had our own sins. Our own mishkal- scales of guilt. Our own burden. We also made money off the sale of Yosef.

 

Va;neshev oto b’yadeinu- and we returned it to our own hands. Our own plates. Our own guilt.

 

There was a speaker that once came to my daughters Beis Yaakov school and spoke about the war. He took questions after the lecture and a girl raised her hands and asked why everyone was so busy helping out and getting things for the soldiers. Barbeques, doughnuts, Pizzas, raising money for them. In her holy spiritual Bais Yaakov world and innocence, the way she saw it was that the soldiers are really not doing anything here. They are just the external force of our battle. The real power is in our Torah. It’s the Kollel Rabbis and Yeshiva Bochrim learning. It’s the prayers. It’s the kabbalos and resolutions. That’s the real fighting force and artillery of the Jewish people. Why are we busy with soldiers so much?

 

My daughter, being my daughter,r was a bit upset by this line of questioning and asked me how I would respond. I told her that I would’ve told the girl that she is a hundred percent correct. The entire war is spiritual. Every bullet that hits its target, every tunnel we blow up, every Hamas guy we kill it’s all only because of the merit of Torah and our prayers and mitzvos. The soldiers, tanks and airforce are really not doing anything.

 

At the same time though, I asked her, why she is angry at Chamas? Chamas didn’t kill anyone. They didn’t burn, they didn’t pillage, they didn’t terrorize, they didn’t kidnap. That’s just Chitzoniyos. That’s just external. The real guilty party here is the Kollel guys. It’s the bitul torah. It’s the sinat chinam. It’s the machlokes and fighting in Satmer, in Gerrer, in Bobov, in Belz, in Ponivizh. It’s all the Jews in America that don’t move to Israel. It’s the talking during davening. Those are the real murderers. Those are the real terrorists. The blood is on their hands. On our hands. It’s my fault.The stolen money is in my bag… Chamas is just the external. Why are you angry at them? You can’t just take the credit and not the responsibility. Our Gedolim never did- as the Chafetz Chaim would repeatedly say that if there’s an earthquake in China it’s because someone is wasting time during seder in Radin… Or something like that… Certainly it’s even more true when something is happening in Israel…It’s not them. It’s not even the not-frum. They’re an oneis. They’re tinokos she’nishbu. They don’t know better. It’s us. It’s the Rabbis It’s the Chareidim- the ones who “fear Hashem”. It’s me…

 

But you are angry at Chamas it seems, little girl.  So, you do worry about the chitzoniyos. If that’s the case then you can buy a soldier a pizza, you can say thank you to them, you can at least say the prayer for their well-being.

 

Do you know why the project to get people to keep Shabbos to save a hostage is a bad idea? It’s because it’s putting the blame on someone else. It’s their chilul Shabbos that is preventing the return of the hostages. That’s the way they would hear it. How would you like it if I started a project and put up signs that 251 people from each chasidus should make peace with their dissenting break-off to save a hostage? Or that the two sides on the various yeshiva fights, the Bnai Brak and Jerusalem factions, the two Ponivizhes should make peace for a hostage. How long would that sign stay up on the bulletin board there in the hallway?

 

What if I said that 251 people should make Aliya to save a hostage. There was a great miracle story that someone promised to make aliya and he was saved. So how long would a sign like that stay on the wall in Lakewood? In Monsey. In the five towns. Maybe even in Teaneck? It wouldn’t last long. Because it’s not my sin… It’s Yehuda. It’s Yosef. It’s Shimon. It’s Levi…, I don’t have anything really bad in my pekeleh…

 

The parsha that we read on Chanuka is Mikeitz. It’s the holiday of the end. It’s the holiday of waking up. Of putting a wick in our menora. Ner Ish u’beiso. It’s in front of my own house. By my Mezuza that I have to light the candle. It’s the holiday of the miracle of finding me searching to find my own oil that I have to redeem. That I can uplift. That I can ignite.

 

We sing Maoz Tzur. We sing about the keitz bavel- the end of Iran. The keitz shivim- the end of the seventy years of exile when we realized that Bavel and Iran isn’t our home. That Zerubavel, that what we had thought that we could flourish outside of Eretz Yisrael was wrong and it was time to come home for the redemption. That the keitz is here.

 

Do you know what’s fascinating about this song? It’s first person. It’s me.

Maoz Tzur Yeshuosi- It’s my Rock of salvation

Tikon beis tefilasi- It’s my house of prayer

Az egmor b’shir mizmor- I will conclude with song.

 

Ra’os sava nafshi- my soul has been satiated with bad

B’yagon kochi kila- my strength is expired

 

Dvir kodsho haviani- I was brought to the Beis Hamikdash

V’higlani ki zarim avaditi- I was exiled, I served strangers.

 

It’s me me me me. Unlike most other songs and holidays that are “we” and plural Chanuka it’s about me. It’s my song. It’s my miracle. It’s my candle. It’s my hostage. It’s my redemption. But for that to happen we need to take the “I”-nitiative. It starts with I. With my own miracle. Karov keitz ha’yeshua- the awakening and end of the salvation is close. The beginning of the salvation has started. Iran and Bavel are falling. May by the end of Chanuka, perhaps even this Shabbos we merit for the return of the longest hostage. The Shechina, Hashem, back to His Home. Keitz sam la’choshech- there should be an end to the darkness. The bright new morning should begin.

 

Have a light-filled Shabbos and a happy Chanuka

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz 

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

YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

 

“Shuldik iz der stolyer: ven er volt nit gemacht di bet, volt ich nit gekumen tsu keyn chet - It's the carpenter's fault: if he hadn't built the bed, I wouldn't have sinned.

 

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

 

NEW EXAM STARTS THIS WEEK!

 

1) At the start of the 21st century, Israel discovered reservoirs of _______________

near its shores.

 

What is reclaimed water?

A. Wastewater treated to enable reuse in agriculture and industry

B. Desalinated seawater to be used as drinking water

C. Water restored to natural areas which have dried up, such as the Hula Lake

D. Water artificially infused into salinated wells, mainly in the Arava region

 

 

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

 

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/maoz-tzur   – In honor of Chanuka my latest song composition Maoz Tzur! Aren’t you ready for a new tune.. this one is great with Dovid Lowy doing my amazing arrangements and vocals!

 

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/haneiros-halalu  – And once you’re at it already why not use my fantazstically uplifting Haneiros Halalu tune for lighting your candles as well

 

 

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/al-hanissim  – And here’s my Al Ha’Nissim another amazing Lowy arrangement and vocals

 

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/chasof-zeroah  -  Finally my first Chanuka hit Chasof Zeroa arranged and sung by Yitz Berry!!

 

 

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

 

Old Bones- 621BC – Prophecies get fulfilled. Hashem just doesn’t work on our timelines. It’s Chanuka time. It’s time to go back to those days of the Beit Hamikdash and think about when it all went South. The First Temple built by Shlomo was only in use by all of the Jewish people for about 20 years or so. When he died Yeravam ben Nevat, Shlomo’s Rebbe breaks off and builds his own Temple. Two of them actually. One in Beit El and One in Tel Dan. Yup… Jews didn’t want to daven together. Back then Hashem sent a prophet to Yeravam to Beit El and told him that a day would come when not only would his kingdom be destroyed, but the very altar he was worshipping on would be used to burn the bones of all of the false priests and prophets by a future king named Yoshiyahu a descendant of Dovid. Guess what? It took 350 years, but we finally got here…

 

Now the prophet that came to Beit El with this prophecy and preformed signs from Hashem by freezing the hands of Yeravam and splitting the Altar and its ashes, was sworn by Hashem that he couldn’t eat anything in Beit El and needed to return home a different way then he came. Yet a false prophet met him along the way and wanted to discredit him so he convinced him that Hashem gave him a new prophecy that permitted it. The good prophet then joined him for his “last supper” and set off where he was killed by a lion. Ouch… Hope it was a good meal. The false prophet had regret and took the prophet’s body and buried him and admitted his guilt to his children and ordered that he be buried together with him. He figured that would save his bones from being burnt by Yoshiyahu later on. And sure enough that’s what happened.

 

Our chapter tells us how Yoshiyahu comes to do his job and sees this one grave that has trees growing all over it, different than all the other ones. He inquires after this and hears the story and spares these bones. Teshuva works. It helped this prophet. This is the final act of Yoshiyahu before the great rededication ceremony. The Pesach like no other one in our history. Stay tuned next week…

 

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S FUNNY INITIATIVE & CHANUKA JOKES OF THE WEEK

There is an initiative by the US government and the American Dairy Counsel that cheese needs to be sold only in block form. By doing this we could make America Grate Again.

 

My friends say I never take the initiative. I wish they'd just stop being my friends

 

A government run initiative to restore the male geese population is getting a lot of media attention...

Critics are referring to it as proper gander.

 

I was in a job interview.

"Can you give me a time where you've wrongly taken the initiative?"

"Hey, I'm the one that asks the questions here," came the reply.

 

A guy bought his wife a beautiful diamond ring for Hanukkah.After hearing about this extravagant gift, a friend of his says, “I thought she wanted one of those sporty four-wheel-drive vehicles.”

“She did,” he replies. “But where was I going to find a fake Jeep?

 

Who do penguins celebrate Hanukkah with? The Icebergs

 

I asked my dad if I could borrow 50 dollars to buy stuff for Hanukkah... He said "40 dollars? What do you need $30 dollars for?".

 

An old Jewish couple, Harry and Sadie, were married for 35 years but never got along...

...One day around this time of year, he says to her, "So? I suppose you'll be wanting a Hanukkah present?"

She says to him, "Harry, I want a divorce."

Harry says, "I wasn't planning on spending that much.

 What did the older Hanukkah candle say to the younger one? You’re too young to smoke.

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

 The answer to this week”s question is A – Baruch Hashem new exam this week and off to a great start! This first question is easy, despite the lousy English translation of the second part. Obviously the answer to part A is Natural Gas! The Leviathan as its called. But being it’s Chanuka and this exam miraculously many times coincides with the times and parsha and Email you should have known that… Part B as well is pretty easy, although the better translation of mayim tehorim is purified or recycled water which is of course the waste water in this country that is recycled- by parasites that eat up all the poop in about two weeks and then it becomes clean drinking quality level water, although its only used for most of the agriculture in this country- thus we don’t really have water crisis anymore, unlike decades ago… So starting off this first exam with Rabbi Schwartz 1 and Ministry of Tourism 0. Not bad lets see if I can continue this streak!

Old School- Parshat Shelach 2024 5784

 

Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land

from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

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

Parshat Shelach

Old School

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  Have a blessed Shabbos and a Chodesh Tamuz tov,

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

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YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

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

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

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

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

Christianity?

A) Matthew

B) Luke

C) Mark

D) John

 RABBI SCHWARTZ’S COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

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

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

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

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

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

 RABBI SCHWARTZ’S PARSHA PRAYER INSPIRATION OF THE WEEK

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

 RABBI SCHWARTZ'S OLD SCHOOL JOKES OF THE WEEK

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

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

Sally said, No

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

An elderly woman appears in court for stealing

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

To which she replied "about 6 your honor."

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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