Karmiel

Karmiel
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Showing posts with label battle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label battle. Show all posts

Thursday, December 10, 2020

Eternal Fights- Eternal Lights- Parshat Vayeishev/ Chanukah, 5781/ 2020

Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land

from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

 "Your friend in Karmiel"

December 11th 2020 -Volume 11 Issue 9 25th Kislev 5781

 Parshat Vayeishev / Chanukah

Eternal Fights- Eternal Lights

 

The Sefardim were there first, at least in the new/old settlement of Tiverya. Rabbi Chaim Abulafia, the chief Rabbi of Izmir who was born in Chevron but was sent back to Turkey to raise money for the community, was the one that was charged by the Druze ruler of Israel to return and rebuild the city of Tiverya. He was pretty excited as his great-great grandfather Reb Chaim Abulafia (Sr.) had originally been the chief Rabbi of the city, as was his grandfather Reb Yaakov. The city had lain in ruins until he arrived, having been destroyed by earthquakes and been abandoned. But now it was to be rebuilt. He gathered his sefardic congregants and made Aliya once again. Messianic fervor was in the air. Tiverya, the city where the Sanhedrin sat for almost 500 years and where the Talmud Yerushlami was written -no it was not written in Jerusalem-always had the tradition that the redemption would start from here in the North before the rebuilding of the Beit Hamikdash. On the same spot where the where the Sanhedrin sat and across from the place where tradition held that the ancient well of Miriam had rolled, he built the glorious Eitz Chaim synagogue in 1740, one of the nicest in the country. The Jews were back in town.

 

As the sefardic community that he led grew it became necessary to raise money for the community. Most of the Jews that had come to Israel at that time came with a Messianic fervor that the redemption was around the corner. They didn't have long term plans besides getting themselves spiritually ready for that day. The problem with that plan is that it doesn't always put food on the table. So therefore much of their support had to come from contributions from the diaspora. Jewish communities there wanted to have their representatives in Israel for when they would be heralded back when that great shofar blast called them. It was a match made in heaven.

 

But Reb Chaim wasn't interested in leaving anymore. He was 80 years old and been there-done that already. He knew that if he left once again the chances of him making it back to Israel weren't that good. So he came up with a plan. Rather than sending shada"rim- (shlucha drabanan- rabbinic messengers who were sent to raise money from community to community), they would send charity boxes. Each shul and each community would have their kupah- tzedaka box for Israel and particularly for his community in Tiverya and then the money would be sent back here. To sweeten the deal, he came up with the concept of connecting all contributions with the special benefit and segula that the city of Tiverya had. It was the resting place and grave of the great Mishnaic miracle worker Rabbi Meir Baal Hanes. Jews can never resist a good mystical charity incentive for success and salvation and thus the concept of the pushka was born.

 

It worked. The community flourished the Sefardim were building businesses. Infrastructure was developing, Christians and Muslims moved to the city and the Jews were at the heart of it all. And then the Ashkenazim came. The chasidim had arrived. There goes the neighborhood they said.

 

Led by visionaries and lovers of Israel, Reb Menachem Mendel of Permishlan, Reb Nochom Horodenkeh and Reb Meir of Vitebsk they as well came with the hopes and dreams of settling in the land of their ancestors. However, unlike the sefardic communities that flourished and were successful in integrating into the Middle East culture that they were already accustomed to, the Ashkenazim struggled. And their sefardic brethren weren't that helpful. Rifts grew between the communities and when the Sefardim came to the Ashkenazim to assist them in the building of the tomb for Rebbi Meir, the chasidim who already felt jilted because they were not getting any of the Rebbi Meir Baal Hanes funds that were being sent to Israel said that they couldn't and wouldn't participate. In fact, they were starting their own tzedaka fund campaigns. To make matters worse they demanded that the tomb of Reb Meir be shared by them. Why should the Sefardim have it all? And thus like the famous Solomonic decision with the baby and the two mothers claiming it was theirs, the grave was chopped in half. The Sefardic Rebbi Meir building would be built on the southern part and the Askenazic section would have to wait a few more decades until they would garner enough support to build their side. And thus Rebbi Meir's tomb sits today- his light divided into two buildings.

 

The Jewish politics though continued in Tiverya. A century later the Ashkenazim came to their sefardic brethren for support. The ancient shul of the great ashkenazic leader the She"la Hakadosh was finally going to be returned to their community. The shul which had ancient traditions of being a place where Jews for centuries would come and pray on the shores of the Kinneret was chosen by Reb Yeshayah Halevi Horowitz, the great sage of Poland and chief Rabbi of Prauge to build his shul in the 1620's after arriving and failing to settle himself in Jerusalem and Tzfat. It had survived four earthquakes but it fell into disuse. Yet it still remained a place of Jewish pilgrimage. However, because of the great poverty of the Ashkenazic community the holy ruins and area was sold to the Greek Orthodox Church in order to put bread on their table. The sale had a provision that they could buy it back when they had money, but over a century had passed and the Greeks had built a large church on its location. It was then that the Jewish community woke up. It was time to redeem it. We can't let this happen.

 

The timing was right for us. The Jews were finally in the red and had good relations with the sultan in Damascus and they sent a delegation to him to ask him to enforce the agreement and allow them to redeem their holy building. I'm sure they threw a little "bakshish" his way as well.

Sure enough, he agreed! The Greeks though were not too happy about this and they sent their own delegation and argued that it was well and fine that the Jews had the money to redeem the building and their original debt, however since then a new building had been built and if the church was meant to vacate it and hand it over, the Jews should be responsible to pay the enormous amount for cost of their building. I assume they threw the sultan a nice share of "bakshish" as well.

 

 Much to the Ashkenazim's consternation the Sultan agreed with them as well- you're both right- and conditioned the return of the Jews upon paying for the building. It was money the Ashkenazi Chasidim did not have. Having no choice, the chasidim turned to their sefardic brothers and asked for their support to help redeem this holy place of miracles that was being desecrated by this Church. Yet the Sefardim remembering the Ashkenazim's reluctance to help them with the tomb of Rebbi Meir, turned their backs on them. And thus until today, the Greeks are still here in our land, in our holy place. We are still awaiting the miracles to redeem it.

 

See what I did there in the last sentence. I mentioned Greeks, I mentioned miracles, and of course Rebbi Meir, whose name means light. This has officially made this entire E-Mail- from an unemployed tour guide who's desperate to share his stories and inspiration of Israel any way and anywhere he can sneak it in- relevant to the upcoming holiday and the parsha of the week. Desperate times, people, desperate times…

 

Now I'm not the only one that makes the connection between Chanukah and the fights between Jews. Every year Chanukah time we read the weekly parshiyot that are all about the original fights that led us into our first exile in Egypt. It's not coincidental. It never is. In fact, the story of Chanuka itself from a purely historical perspective is not as much about our war against the Greeks and their vicious anti-religious decrees as it is about the civil war that took place between brother and brother. Between the Kohanecha ha'kedoshim, the holy Maccabees and their Hellenized brothers that joined the Greeks and fought against the very small minority religious establishment (pretty much since the beginning it has always been a minority). Can you imagine Jews, residents of Israel passing laws to desecrate our holiest spots, building houses of foreign worship, idolatry, paganism in the land where we are meant to be revealing the light of Hashem to the world? Houses of promiscuity, intermarriage, and culture were proliferating all over our land all under the guise of open-minded-ness", pluralism or getting-us-out-of-the-ghetto. Yeah, I didn't think you could imagine it…

 

At the same time let's say in your wildest imagination you could imagine the above. Could you picture yourself picking up a sword and fighting and killing those same brothers and fathers for those sins? Can you imagine yourself answering the call of Matisyahu of Mi La'Hashem Eilai- Who is for Hashem? Grab a sword and let's go to war for our beliefs. Or would you just blog about it in your weekly E-Mail or your facebook page while chewing on a latka and sufganiya. Not that I know of anyone like that… (can anyone eat these things without the jelly popping out on your shirt. I always get the booby-trapped ones… can someone please get me a napkin…). Well if you can't imagine that then maybe you should put down the donut. Maybe you should think again about the praise that you are saying of how Hashem gave the miracle and victory to the hands of the pure and the righteous and the studiers of the Torah rather than the hands of the impure, the sinners and the wicked ones. Those aren't just the Greeks. Greeks aren't sinners and aren't meant to be learning Torah. It’s against the sinners from us. We can handle the Goyim. It's our own that are more often than not the bigger problem.

 

That problem starts with the parshiyos hashavua that we always read this holiday. It's the brothers against Yosef. The many against the one. Yosef who is called a tzadik against…. Well, they're not wicked. They are the holy tribes of Israel. Yosef was the osek batorah- his father Yaakov taught him all he knew. The brothers? Well they also learned… but they were also people that went against the will of their father. They took their swords and killed the city of Shechem… It's confusing. Were they right in suspecting Yosef? Was Yosef the one who played with his hair all day the wicked one? Were his dreams of grandeur and leadership a usurping of the kingship of Yehuda. Was his lashon hara that he would snitch to their father his attempt of ridding himself of them so he could take it all for himself. Did it warrant killing him? Was he the Greek?

 

The She"la Hakodesh tries to explain the mistake of both sides along those lines. But in the end of the day, it's a Chanuka story of brother against brother. And perhaps it is for that reason I have seen suggested that we don't celebrate the victory of the war. There were too many tragedies on both of our sides. When the zealots kill out the sinners, it's nothing to throw a Chanuka party about. It's not the result we celebrate. It's cutting the tomb of Reb Meir in half and just building over our section. It's leaving the "Orthodox" in the hands of the Greeks on our holy sites and thinking we can sit back and pray in our sefardic synagogue. No we don't celebrate that miracle or fight at all, although we do thank Hashem that at least it was the side of good that won.

 

Rather the holiday of Chanuka is about finding a small little flask of pure oil. It's such a minor detail in the big picture of the historical, years long battles that led up to and after the establishment of the independent Jewish controlled "state of Israel" by the hands of the Chasmonaim. It's almost like one of the miracle side-stories that one reads about that took place in the 6 Day War or any of the wars of Israel today. There are so many miracles of battles, of people that were saved, of ways that Hashem misdirected the Arabs that attacked us. A small little oil flask story shouldn't be the heart of the whole thing. Yet it is. Because it’s the eternal lesson we are meant to take from this holiday and it carries with it the essence of fixing up the reason we suffered the tragedies that led to this division between Jews. The lesson being that we need to look for that little jug of untainted holiness and purity that could be hiding in all of the tumah, heresy, sins and external shmutz in the hearts of our brothers. We need to find that oil,  and that spark and light it in our Temple as unlikely, as pointless and short term of a solution as it may seem. Because we will be amazed to see that that holy oil will burn and burn and burn and will be lit in the courtyards of our holy city forever. We will witness the miracle of the eternal Jewish flame ignite once again. That is what we celebrate.

 

The tanna Rebbi Meir, the Talmud tells us, had neighboring youth that would drive him crazy. I'm sure the problem wasn't that they were playing loud music at night. They were sinning. They were bringing tumah into his neighborhood. Maybe they had parades of "pride" about their sins, maybe they drove through his neighborhood on Shabbos. Maybe they had phones that were not kosher. It doesn't tell us. But it reached a point where he couldn't take it anymore. He began to pray that Hashem take care of them. Genugt Shoin! His wife Beruria heard his prayers and like a good wife she corrected him. "We don't pray for the wicked to perish, Meir'l" she said. Dovid Hamelech teaches us in Tehillim  that yetamu chata'im min ha'aretz- the sins should perish from the land. U'reshaim od einam- and there will then no longer be anymore wicked people. We daven for them to do teshuva. We daven that their true light shines away all of their darkness. And so he prayed. And so he taught the world about the power of prayer for the repentance and returning of the children to their father. He is called Me'ir because he was able to light them up. He found the holy oil.

 

Fascinatingly enough there is an even deeper connection between Reb Meir and the holiday of Chanuka. The Ben Ish Chai and other works mention that there is a custom to light candles and make feasts on Chanuka in honor of Rebbi Meir. There are those that suggest that this is because when the ancient tradition of when his yartzeit really falls out, {This is despite the accepted celebrated date of Pesach Sheni. Thank you Rabbi Daniel Glatstien for your sources and an amazing shiur and book on the topic.} Even more fascinating it seems that the Shela Hakadosh as well whose yartzeit is recorded as a few days before Pesach also seems to have questionable sources. And wouldn't' you know it, descendants of the Shela claim that his yartzeit as well falls out in the month of Tevet. It seems even in their deaths there is that Chanuka connection that is meant to draw us to their graves. And perhaps non-coincidentally there is dispute, argument and confusion if there really is that connection or not.

 

The famous prayer of salvation composed by Rebbi Meir consists of three words. Eloka D'Meir Anani- May the God of Meir answer me. He teaches the world this prayer when he performs the miracle of saving his sister-in-law from a house of ill repute she was placed in by the Romans as a prisoner. He says this prayer after he found her to be pure, like the holy jug of oil even in the worst of the impurity of the Romans, just as pure as Yosef Ha'tzadik was when he was held in the belly of the cesspool of Egypt's impurity. The Maharsha notes that when Rebbi Meir invokes this prayer he is not asking for the God of himself -Meir- to answer him. We don't mention Hashem's name as the God of someone in our prayers when that person is still alive. Rather he was saying 'May the God who is me'ir; who shines light in the places of darkness, Who lit up the darkness of the Greeks with the holy oil of our Temple. May that God shine his light here as well. Perhaps that ability to find that light is the reason for the tradition that is tried and true that charity to Reb Meir will help one miraculously find lost objects. It is his light that revealed the finding of the sparks where it seems to be hidden. Where may be we never looked before. Where we didn't think it could be.

 

It may be that Rebbi Meir learned that prayer from his holy wife when she told him to see the Jew and not his sins. Every Jew has that holy spark and oil. We need to light it up and the sinners we perceive before us will disappear. They will disappear as quickly as it takes to say Ani Yosef Ha'od Avi Chai- I am Yosef is my father still alive. When Yosef's brothers, the tribes of Israel, heard those words all of their previous suspicious perceptions of Yosef disappeared. Ours can as well when we will see the Father that is alive in every single one of us. It will be a time when there are no Sefardim, no Ashkenazim, no chasidim and no mitnagdim, no Maccabees and no Hellenists, no Chareidim and no chilonim, no Democrats and no Republicans. We just need to find that hidden flask of oil.

 

Have a happy Chanuka and a hearty Shabbos and a light-filled week of miracles,

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

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RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

" Es shlogen zikh aleh far di shtikeleh challeh.." They're all fighting for a little piece of Challa.

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

7) Global warming may cause:

A) A rise in sea level

B) A fall of sea level

C) Multiple earthquakes

D) Migration of the magnetic north

 

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S COOL VIDEO  OF THE WEEK

Special Chanukah Treat for all you faithful readers!!!

I'm proud to present my latest

MISHPACHA MAGAZINE ARTICLE AND VIDEO TOUR

·         CASAREA; THE JEWISH/ROMAN CITY OF KINGS!

Special features include

SCHWARTZ AND SHWEKEY LIVE!

TULLY SCHWARTZ AND FRIENDS DANCE

And the most fascinating tour ever of one of Israel's hidden treasures

Click here to check it out!

https://mishpacha.com/watch-live-in-caesarea/

 

and click here to read my monthly column on this virtual tour

https://mishpacha.com/roman-holiday/

 

PLEASE LIKE, SHARE, POST

 and write the EDITORS of my Favorite magazine how much you enjoy these Virtual Tours, so we can keep them up!

 

Rabbi Schwartzes Chanukah Hit Compositions!

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/chasof-zeroah - My most lively Chanuka song and one you definitely need to sing by you Chanuka parties… Yitz Berry arrangements…

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/haneiros-halalu - You know you're bored with your old Haneiros Halalu and want something to lighten up you Chanuka listen to my composition and add it to your repertoire you will love it!

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/al-hanissim    My amazin Al Hanissim composition that will make you want to start dancing and getting into the mood. Arranged and sung by the amazing Dovid Lowy!

Everyone Else's Chanuka 2020 New Releases!

https://youtu.be/u6PvoWmHiUsMaccabeats Chanuka 2020 Candlelight

https://youtu.be/8YjLghDRrPE –  613 Acapella Ariaunuka?

 

https://youtu.be/4bNcy3v5TJk -Shir Soul Stevie Wonder Chanuka Mashup???

 

https://youtu.be/FePbZAs3dbs - Zusha- Chanuka is here!

 

https://youtu.be/O2n9-WsgPZg  Nissim Black, My good friend Jacob L. get's an upsherin and Hava Nagila like you never heard it before…

 

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

 

To Settle- Parshat Vayeishev Ahhh finally… yishuv Eretz Yisrael. Yaakov Avinu has come home and his only wish our parsha tells us is to settle in at the home he had been longing for. Bikeish Yaakov le'sheiv b'shalva- Yaakov wishes to settle in tranquility. But it doesn't work. It's not going to be easy to settle Eretz Yisrael. There will be challenges. And yet unlike all of the other challenges our forefathers had in the previous parsha's, these are internal problems. It's Jew V Jew. Brother against brother. The problems it seems that we still face until today and need to learn and internalize well.

 

The first sentence that introduces this desire of Yaakov to settle the land perhaps reveals what this drive to settle the land is all about. What we should turn towards when we are faced with the challenges the land presents us with. What we need to focus and keep in mind as we return and settle the land.

 

Vayeishev Yaakov b'eretz mi'gurei aviv; b'eretz Canaan-And Yaakov settled in the land where his father sojourned in the land of Canaan. The simplest understanding is that this is the land of his ancestors. No matter what Israel and the settling of the land throws at us. Wars, masks, politics, parnassa, chinuch challenges, it will never lose this. It's the land of our forefathers, it will always be that. And that is what will always make our settling here meaningful.

 

But it's more than the place where they lived. It is mi'gurei aviv- which  I translated the word as sojourning. Yet the Baal Hatanya notes there are three different variations of the root word "gur" and each one of them shed a light on the mitzva of settling the land. Each one contains an element in an appreciation we should have about living in Israel.

 

The first is as we said it is a place to dwell. It's where our ancestors dwelled. We connect to them merely by living, walking and settling in the place where they did. The second one is like the word ger- convert or stranger. Eretz Yisrael is the place where one can finally lose the stigma and aspect of our exile that we are strangers in a foreign land. Every where else, no matter how settled or secure we may fool ourselves into feeling we are is really not where we are meant to be. The gentiles are always right about this. We don't belong in their country. We will always be strangers there. Even we serve in the highest levels of government, even if we build their entire economies, even if we give them our blood sweat, tears and antibodies. We're still strangers. We're like those holy converts to our nation will tell you that they always felt before their conversion and finding their home amongst Jews. Moving to Israel we finally are like geirei tzedek that after a lifetime of searching for meaning and truth finally feel they are where they belong.

 

The third translation of ger is in the word Bamidbar (22:3) va'aygar Moav- and Moav feared or in devarim1:17) lo saguru mipnei ish- Judges are cautioned not to be intimidated or fearful from any man. Yaakov wished to settle in a land where he would not have to suffer anymore from any fear of any man or nation. This is not only a fear of physical danger, it is a fear of spiritual danger. As long as we are not settled in our land, there is a feeling that Yaakov repeatedly has that that failing will be held against him. It will open him up to the atmosphere and put him at the mercy of the nations and influences around him. It's like walking around the street or shopping without a mask. In my house on my couch I know I'm safe. I have nothing to fear. Outside in the world away from the safety of my four walls, away from the country where I'm meant to be. Without that protective shield that Hashem has over our country we will always have the fear of the knowledge that it is because we are not living where we are meant to, that we don't have the mitzva of yishuv Eretz Yisrael in our hands that does not allow us to live b'shalva- in tranquility.

 

There are unfortunately so many that take the heroic and gutsy move to finally move to Eretz Yisrael. They seek to live b'shalva finally. And then the challenges hit them and they forget why they really need to be here. Why there is nowhere else for them. What the eternal reasons for being here really are. As well there are those that those same fears keep them away from making that move. Parshas Va'yeishev, the portion of settling in the land begins with the opener that we always need to keep in mind. It's migurei aviv- it's the land where we no longer need to fear, the land where we will never be strangers, the land of our forefathers. It's time for va'yeishev.

 

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

 

Chanukah - 165 BC- OK Let’s break for a week from our chronological sites and eras to talk about the holiday of Chanukah. So in the year 165 about 100 years or so after Alexander the Great comes to Israel and spares the country and Greek culture enters the Jewish world, the country is once again in turmoil. The generals of Alexander divide up the country and the Northern Syrian Greeks, known as the Selucids, led by Antiochus passes laws against the Jews and the revolt begins. It ultimate culminates with the liberation of the Beit Hamikdash and the lighting of the Menorah which miraculous oil that lasted for eight days. You learned all that in kindergarden. But where can you experience and relive that in Israel.

 

So obviously the places to relive these battles would be where they took place. Mod’in where the revolt took place is today a big city, but Umm al Umdan right outside of it a shul was found there from the Herodian post Maccabee period and underneath it another Chashmonean period shul was found, so perhaps it was there. There is nearby as well a great place the Chasmonean village that has been created as well as Neot Kedumim that have all types of activities including olive oil making for Chanukah.

 

The battles of the Maccabees are certainly sites that we are familiar with. At Latrun by the Ayalon valley, Yehudah fights off miraculously Nikanor. I like to play lazer tag with my tourist kids there, that’s really reliving the action. A little north of that by Beit Choron you have the amazing battle fights off the general Seron. Even as far South as Yavneh which is right above Ashdod you have the final battle when we threw off the yoke of the Greeks. On the other hand, in the Gush Etzion area by Tel Zekariah right outside of Elazar is when the Maccabees suffered a defeat and Elazar was crushed by an elephant. The yishuv is thus named after him. Further down as you head to Chevron the village of Karmei Tzur is named after the Chashmonean city Beit Tzur where they sent the Syrians and their general Lysisus back to Syria.

 

The truth is though everywhere you go in Israel everyone is trying to get in on the action all of the museums have Chanukah activities, the parks have games and period-era costumes, and everyone is getting in on the action. But of course the most important Chanukah experience is to walk through the streets of the old city of Yerushalayim at night and see the neiros b’chatzros kodshecha- the candles, just as they were 2000 years ago lit in the courtyard, streets and window of our holy city. Am Yisrael Chai!

 RABBI SCHWARTZ’S TERRIBLE CHANUKAH  JOKES  OF THE WEEK

Mom: who ate the entire plate of Donuts?

Dad: I thought they I only had room for one and in fact there was room for eight! A true Chanuka miracle.

 When the police Corona inspectors crash your illegal Chanuka Party and you hide your dreidels and pull out your gemaros and pretend like your learning Torah in a legal capsule you'll know that we have come full circle.

 Which hand is best to light the menorah with? Neither, it’s best to light it with a candle.

How can you recognize a Hanukkah hippie? He’s the one with his hair in dreidel-locks.

How much Hanukkah gelt did the skunk get? One cent.

What’s the best Hanukkah gift for the person who has everything? A burglar alarm.

What do you call a speck that falls into the latke pan? An unidentified frying object.

Why don’t we eat clowns at Hanukkah? Because they taste funny.

What’s the difference between Hanukkah and a dragon? One lasts for eight nights, the other sometimes ate knights.

What’s the best thing to put into the sufganiyot? Your teeth.

What did the candles say when the menorah complained about getting too hot? Whoa, a talking menorah.

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

Why was the broom late to the Hanukkah party? It over-swept.

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Answer is A –  I'm no scientist or environmentalist. But I do read the papers and this one was pretty easy to figure out. First of all I have no idea what migration of North magnetic means or if that is even a sentence or a thing or just an Israeli mistranslation. Earthquakes are caused by the Syrian African Rift not global warming, so it obviously wasn't that one. So it was either rising or lowering sea levels. And since hurricanes and all melting icebergs and glaciers are all being blamed on global warming so obviously the sea is rising, which of course makes sense as when water heats it expands and rises. So another one right and the score now stands at 6 for Rabbi Schwartz and 1 for the Ministry of Tourism on this exam.

 

Friday, July 29, 2016

Getting Back Together- Pinchas / Mattos 2016/5774

Insights and Inspiration
from the
Holy Land
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend in Karmiel"

July 29th  2016 -Volume 6, Issue 43 23rd Tamuz 5776
Parshat Pinchas and Mattos!

Getting Back Together
 
I miss you guys in America. We’ve been separated by a Torah portion for months already. I know many of you click on the link I send for a previous year’s torah portion on the Parsha you are reading. But it’s time we got back together again. As one of the recent presidential candidates said it’s time for us to get together. “We are stronger together”. “Be wary of someone who says only I can bring change and save you”. We know better- or at least she does- All of us together is what makes us great. Or not?

So let’s try that with our weekly E-Mails again. Let’s talk about the Parsha that brings us all together. Interestingly enough, it’s named not after a group of people together, rather it’s named after one person; Pinchas. So maybe one person can make us great again. Oh… Yet on the other hand this week’s Parsha in Israel seemingly a more democratic one is called Matos- tribes. Oh…Who should we vote for? Can one person bring us together or can one make us a great and we need all of us. I’m confused. As you can see I didn’t have any tours this week so I’ve spent way too much time following these campaigns. Don’t worry they start up again next week so hopefully I can try to forget about the mishegas that doesn’t look like it will end for another few months.
The truth is though these two Parshas are really one story which is nice to bring us all together. But they are a strange story; perhaps the strangest broken narrative in the Torah. One that is screaming out one big question. What is going on?
The beginning of Pinchas seems to be the conclusion of last week’s Torah portion. The epilogue of the story of the Jewish people sinning with the daughters of Midian and the subsequent plague which led to the greatest amount of casualties of all of the battles and punishments in the wilderness. The plague was brought to an end by Pinchas taking his spear and kabobbing Zimri and the daughter of the king of Midian who were flagrantly consorting in front of Moshe and the Jewish people. This week the Torah tells us the identity of Zimri and Kazbi and the reward of Pinchas to be the winner of the covenant of peace award. The Torah then commands us to wipe out Midian and wage battle against them. The next thing we would expect though is for the war to take place. Just like every other war in the Torah. Yet the Torah does not do that. Instead we seem to have a very long intermission with many different and diverse topics which take us all the way into this week’s ‘Israel’ parsha of Matos where the battle takes place. Incidentally the battle against Midian is not only the most described battle in the Torah covering about 4 aliyas, but it contains a greater description than almost all of the other wars in the entire Torah from the times of Avraham put together. It’s obviously an important one. If not the most important one. Yet at the same time it seems to be the strangest description with this long break and narrative from the time it was commanded until it was actually carried out.
Let’s examine all of the different topics that are covered. Seemingly an understanding of them are critical to us preparing for the battle against Midian. First the Torah counts and lists the families of Israel. This would seem understandable, after all they are going to war and we have to round up the troops. Yet there seems to be a lot of extraneous information. The list includes various stories Korach’s sons not dying. Lots of names of families each with a yud and heh in front of them to show Hashem’s name in each of them. It mentions Serach the daughter of Asher who was certainly not a major solider at age 280 or something. Strange. The Torah then proceeds to talk about the division of the land and the tribe of Levi- as well as Yovheved and Miriam- who do not go to war and enter the land. What this is doing here? Again strange…  

But then the Torah really seems to get off topic with the story of more women, the daughters of Tzlafchad who want their portion in the land of Israel, because their father died and the law that girls could inherit in that circumstance was not yet taught. {Who says a woman can’t bring up issues that us men miss? Although it ultimately had to be a man, Moshe that raised it to Hashem. Hmmmm…there I go again- enough with the politics.} But what does this have to do with the war against Midian. Why here and now? The Torah then really goes off topic telling us about Moshe being told he would die, his request for someone to take over him; a candidate that would truly uplift each man and deal with their individual personalities and unite them. {Hmmmm again- I’m trying, I really am}. And that we shouldn’t be like a flock of sheep without a shepherd- I think I’m gonna give up soon on not seeing the connection here to politics and the sheep that flock to leaders. But again what does this have to do with Midian?
To bring it all to an end the next two aliyas deal with the laws of the daily sacrifices, the holiday additional musaf offerings, just in case you thought we finished all of that already back in Vayikra. It’s like a little review. Then the beginning of Matos pretty much starts off with the concept that once you covered the laws of land, division, inheritance, sacrifices and holidays, why not talk about oaths and vows and family members that can nullify them. Huh?! Really what is going on? Where is all this coming from? It’s like one big chulent. I feel ADD jumping from topic to topic. The torah then finally goes back and continues for the next five aliyot the story of the war we have been waiting for. The war incidentally where we wiped out five kings and their armies and not one soldier died or was captured. A war which was led by that one man Pinchas. It seems that the prelude to this battle must have worked.

Rav Mordechai Alon suggests an incredible insight into this battle. He suggests that the secret can be found in the way that Hashem commands Moshe and that Moshe commands the Jewish people. Hashem commands Moshe that this battle be one of the (Bamidbar 31:2-3) ‘vengeance of the Jewish people against Midian’. Moshe however commands us to fight because this is the ‘vengeance of Hashem’ against them. Rashi notes that a battle against us is like a battle against Hashem. Our vengeance is His and His is ours. We are one.

Midian led by Bilaam understood after witnessing the annihilation of the giant armies of Og and Sichon realized the only way they can get to us is to divide from Hashem. “Their God hates zima- licentiousness”. We can seduce them and their God will abandon them. That was the plan and the battle of Midian. The nefarious final solution to break us up from Hashem. The word zima can be an acronym of two Hebrew words zeh ma- what’s this? What is this ideology that Hashem has chosen you? What is this concept of the sanctity of your relationships between you and your Creator, between a man and his wife, between your nation and other nations? That is Midians objective. That is their plan.
Hashem therefore gives us the arsenal we need to fight and conquer a Midianite ideological battle. First recognize that His name is found in each Jewish family, name by name-family by family. Even a Korach who claimed that we were all special and there was no room for individual roles and relationships that are different, such as the Kohanim, was swallowed up. His own children though were accepted back and did Teshuva. We have matriarchs like Serach who revived Yaakov after Yosef was kidnapped and who thought all was lost. We have Yocheved, Miriam and the daughters of Tzlafchad whose faith that the Jewish people are eternal and that each of us has a portion in Israel divined by Hashem.; A personal homestead where each and every individual Jew will have a connection to fulfill his personal role in service of Hashem and realize the greatness of their spiritual potential.
The Torah continues with the necessity for leaders that will follow Moshe that will inspire that personal spark that Hashem is one with us. Who better than Yehoshua whom Moshe himself added the yud and heh to his name giving him the appreciation and spirit that will become his identity representing Hashem in each of us. The Torah then moves to the idea that each us will bring Hashem His daily bread- the daily sacrifice. ‘Bring Me My daily bread so I may bring you yours’-the Midrash says. We will have linked eternal relationship. We will have holidays that we will congregate together each one with its own specific message and link and sacrifices that we will become one together. Finally the Torah concludes the narrative in this week’s Torah portion that we will have the almost god-like power to create prohibitions that have Divine ramifications through the vows that we make. But the truth is. It’s really not necessary. They can be annulled, when you recognize that all that needs to be prohibited is already. The holy spark is within us. A father can pass that down to his children, a husband to his wife, the wise man and even a simple Jew can show you and help you find the petach- the opening to realize that Hashem is one with us without any unnecessary man-made restrictions. We have the power and ability to make vows and create Divine laws in this world. But even more powerfully we have the even greater ability to remove those vows and reveal the oneness that Hashem already put into the creation that is revealed through us and our families. Only then can we begin to fight a battle that is vengeance of Hashem and the vengeance of us. Revenge is when we recognize that anyone that says something or does something against our God is doing something against us. It’s personal. It’s who we are. Hashem in turns feels and does the same for us.
The battle against Midian is an eternal battle. It is the final battle before entering the land of Israel and meriting in our inheriting of the land. The biggest challenge we will face in coming to the land of Israel is to recognize that we are not a nation like any other nation. To merit the land we have to appreciate we each have a unique divine job to accomplish here. A spark of holiness that only we can reveal and that we can only reveal here. It is also a spark that we can only reveal together. When we are united. When we are one. This spark was awakened in us by Pinchas, who are sages tells us is also Elijah the prophet. Eliyahu Hanavi who will herald in the Messianic era that we so desperately long for. As we mourn during this three week period to the 9th of Av and reflect upon the hatred, the fighting, the distance between us and Hashem that led to the destruction of the Temple, let us resolve to repair that. To see the Divine in each one of ourselves and to shine it out unabashedly to the world. If we do that, who knows, we may not have to suffer with too many more self-serving politicians’ rhetoric elocutions and invocations. We may just hear a shofar blast instead. See I’m almost made it to the end…

Have a holy meaningful Shabbat and a blessed new month of Av
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

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RABBI SCHWARTZ COOL VIDEO CLIPS OF THE WEEK

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NmCE8ftufQ   - Funny Breslav against Maccabbe soccer game

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZtWWbbQVLY  Bernie Sanders in a movie as a Rabbi Manny Chavitz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCFGPo6LI3s  – One day Acapella version from Matisyahu
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

“Verter zol men vegn un nit tseyln”-. Words should be weighed, not counted.

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S JEWISH PERSONALITY AND HIS QUOTES IN HONOR OF THE YARTZEIT  OF THE WEEK

A man may hide himself from his enemies, but not from his friends.”

“Obeying from love is better than to obey from fear.”

“There are many Midrashim and the Explanations of our sages and I have only come to explain the simple explanation of the text in a clear fashion”-

Rav Shlomo Yitzchaki- Rashi 19th Tamuz  this Thursday (1040-1105)-
Readers of our weekly E-Mail are familiar with the name Rashi. In fact if you ask me what makes Rashi so unique is that he is probably the last person in Klal Yisrael to ever study the Torah or the Talmud without Rashi. From Rashi and on every commentary or student young and old beigns their study with his commentary. It is not even debatable I believe that Rashi perhaps became the greatest commentary and most accepted one of all times.
"Rashi" is not the full name of that great man. It is merely a combination of the three Hebrew letters, Resh, Shin, Yud, which stand for RabenuShlomo Yitzchaki - our Rabbi Solomon, the son of Yitzchak.
Rabenu Solomon Yitzchaki, or Rashi as he is generally referred to, was born almost exactly 900 years ago, in the year 4800. He lived 65 years. Rashi is said to be a descendant of King David.
Rashi was born in the town of Troyes in France; some people believe he was born in Worms. His father Yitzchak was a great scholar, but very poor. He made a meager living from the sale of wine.
A wonderful story is told about the birth of Rashi: His father, Rabbi Yitzchak once found a rare diamond. "Now, there would be no more poverty," he thought and went to sell the precious stone to the local jeweler. The jeweler hadn't enough money to pay for such a large diamond, and suggested to the bishop to buy it. Now the bishop had been looking for such a diamond for he wanted to put it on his cross. He offered a huge amount of money for it. When Rabbi Yitzchak heard for what purpose the bishop wanted the stone, he refused to sell it. He knew, however, that if he did not sell the stone, it would be taken from him forcibly, and so he threw it into the sea. A Heavenly Voice then resounded: "For this great sacrifice you will be blessed with a son that will outshine all the precious stones in the world, and the light of hisTorah will shine for ever." The following year a son was born to him, and he called him Solomon, saying, may G‑d grant him wisdom like unto King Solomon.
Rashi was still a youngster when he left his home town and went to Worms and other towns that were known for their great Torah scholars. With great zeal Rashi learnt Torah and Talmud, and after some eight years of ardent study, he returned to his home town again. He was then about 25 years of age, but he continued to study on his own. Soon he became known as a very great scholar, and thousands of students and scholars flocked to him, to learn from him. Rashi, was elected Rabbi of his town Troyes, but he did not accept any wages, and made his living from the sale of wine, like his father used to do.
Rashi began to write his famous commentary on the Tanach and Talmud at an early age. The Torah was very difficult to understand properly, and the Talmud was even more difficult. Rashi decided to write a commentary in simple language that would make it easy for every one to learn and understand the Torah. But Rashi was very modest, and even after he had become famous far and wide, he hesitated to come out into the open with his commentary. He wanted to make sure that it would be favorably received. So what did he do? He wrote his commentaries on slips of parchment and set out on a two years' journey, visiting the various Torah academies of those days. He went 'incognito,' never disclosing his identity.
Rashi came to a Yeshivah and sat down to listen to the lecture of the Dean of the Yeshivah. There came a difficult passage in the Talmud which the Rabbi struggled to explain to his students; but did not succeed very well. When Rashi was left alone, he took the slip with his commentary, in which that passage of the Talmud was explained simply and clearly, and put it into the Gemora of the head of the academy. On the following morning, when the Rabbi opened his Gemora he found a mysterious slip of parchment in which the passage of the Talmud was so clearly and simply explained that he was amazed. He told his students about it, and they all decided it must have been sent from heaven. Rashi listened to their praises of his commentary and was very happy to know how useful it was to the students, but he did not say that it was his. And so Rashi went on visiting various academies of the Torah in various lands and cities, and everywhere he planted his slips of commentaries secretly. The way these slips were received, made Rashi realize more and more how needed they were, and he continued to write his commentaries on the entire Chumash, Prophets, and all the tractates of the vast 'Sea of the Talmud.' These "mysterious" slips of parchment were copied and widely circulated throughout all the academies of the Torah, but nobody knew who the author was.
Once Rashi was discovered planting a slip of his commentary in the usual manner, and the secret was out. Immediately he was acclaimed by all as the great author of that wonderful commentary. Rashi's name became known throughout the world. In every Yeshivah, in every Torah school, Rashi's commentary was used by young and old, and he literally opened the eyes of all the Torah scholars. No other Rabbi or commentator gained so much popularity as Rashi. There are very few Chumashim or Gemoras printed without Rashi, and the study of the Torah and Talmud is now almost unthinkable without the aid of Rashi's explanation.
Rashi had no sons, but he had several daughters, some say two, some say three.
His sons-in-law and grandchildren were famous scholars and commentators of the Torah and Talmud. One of his grandsons was Rabenu Tam, another one - Rashbam (Rabbi Samuel ben Meir). Rashi's grandsons and disciples were the authors of the 'Tosefoth' known to all students of the Talmud.
In the last years of his life Rashi lived to see troubled times. It was the time of the crusaders, when thousands of Jews were massacred by wild and mad mobs that participated in the crusades, and wiped out whole communities on their way. Rashi's heart was broken and full of sorrow about the plight of his unfortunate brethren, and he wrote Piyutim, some of which have become part of our prayers (especially in the 'Selichoth').
At his old age Rashi's health failed him. He was weak and ailing and could no longer write. His daughter then acted as his secretary, and he dictated to her his answers to the many queries that used to come in to him from the greatest scholars of his time.
On the 29th day of Tammuz, in the year 4865, Rashi passed away. Rashi, however, continues to live in his works which are studied by all the students of the Talmud Torahs and Yeshivoths, and by the adult scholars too. ncidentally, Rashi's commentaries are the primary source of information for the study of French language and culture in the Middle Ages. The recent 900th anniversary of his death was widely commemorated in France, with public ceremonies, conferences, and a postage stamp issued in his honor.

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK
answer below at end of Email
In the peace accords with Jordan it was agreed, inter alia, that:
A.    Jordan will provide Israel with water
  1. Israel will provide Jordan with water
  2. Israelis will be allowed to cross into Jordan on the Allenby Bridge
  3. Two more crossings will be opened between the Arava crossing and the Allenby Bridge

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S COOL RASHI OF THE WEEK
The problem with Rashi is that its sometimes so easy to read what he writes and continue and move on without actually thinking about what he writes and one then misses the perplexing questions tht need to be asked and that once answered reveals a powerful insight into a Torah teaching.
In this weeks Torah portion the verse tells us that (Bamidbar 31:5) a thousand from each tribe were given over to fight in battle. Rashi notes that the Torah uses a term that seems to mean they were given over against their will
“In order to teach you the praise of the shepherds of Israel how dear they are to Israel. Until they heard that Moshe would die (as part of the aftermath of the battle with Midian) what did he (Moshe- say about them) ‘ A little more and they will stone me”. Once they heard that Moshe’s death would be connected to the vengeance of Midian they did not want to go and they had to be forced.”
If one thinks about this Rashi for even a second, the question is why did Rashi have to bring up the dirty past to tell us that we love our leaders and Moshe? Just say that we didn’t want to be given over if we knew that Moshe would die. Why does Rashi have to tell us that previously we wanted to stone him?
The Steipler Gaon, explains based on a concept of Rabbi Yisrael Salant explains that the love Israel has for its leader is so deep that even when we are holding externally by stoning him deep down the true love will come out ultimately. He brings an example of a parent of a difficult child who he constantly fights with, at the same time that parent might be a teacher who has a student who he loves and always treats with pride and praise. However in time of danger, the parent’s internal love for his child would come out and if given a choice he would save the child first, despite all of the trouble he gives him. It is almost inexplainable. It is just a deep-seated natural love he has for his child. That is what Rashi is trying to convey about our connection with Moshe. This can only be shown this internal love by contrasting it with the external strife. That is the depth of the love and connection we have to Moshe.
If that is true about us and Moshe- the shepherd of Israel, how much more so is that true about our love for Hashem who is our shepherd. Despite how much we might rebel, under it all we are faithful and would give our lives for Him and our belief in Him. That is the history of the Jewish people from even the least observant of our people, when given a choice or threat of life they will martyr themselves before denying God.
What an amazing Rashi and lesson

 RABBI SCHWARTZ'S COOL HISTORICAL EVENT THAT HAPPENED ON THIS DATE IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK-
Battle of Horns of Hittin-Crusaders gone or the Muslims strike back!- 27th Tamuz July 4th 1187- As we mentioned last week about the Crusader capture of Jerusalem it took less then a hundred years until the Muslims came back this week by the Egyptian ruler Saladin- who’s doctor was none other than the  Rambam. During the 1170s, Saladin began expanding his power from Egypt and worked to unite the Muslim states surrounding the Holy Land. This resulted in the Kingdom of Jerusalem being encircled by a unified enemy for the first time in its history. Attacking the Crusader state in 1177, Saladin was defeated by Baldwin IV at the Battle of Montgisard. In the wake of the battle, an uneasy truce existed between the two sides. As the Muslim states were uniting, there was increasing dissension in Jerusalem with the elevation of Guy of Lusignan to the throne in 1186.
Claiming the throne through his marriage to Sibylla, mother of the late child-king Baldwin V, Guy's ascension was supported by the Knights Templar. Others, such as Raymond III of Tripoli, who had been Baldwin V's regent, were angered by the move. Tensions quickly escalated between the two parties and civil war was only avoided through mediation by Balian of Ibelin. Despite this, Guy's situation remained tenuous as Raynald repeatedly violated the truce with Saladin by attacking Muslim trade caravans.
This came to a head when his men assaulted a large caravan travelling north from Cairo. In the fighting, his troops killed many of the guards, captured the merchants, and stole the goods. Operating within in the terms of the truce, Saladin sent envoys to Guy seeking compensation and redress. Reliant on Raynald to maintain his power, Guy, who conceded that they were in the right, was forced to send them away unsatisfied, despite knowing that it would mean war.
This deal backfired when Saladin requested permission for his son, Al-Afdal, to lead a force through Raymond's lands. Compelled to allow this, Raymond saw 7,000 men enter Galilee and defeat a Crusader force at Cresson on May 1. Calling his allies to assemble, Guy hoped to strike before Saladin could invade in force. Renouncing his treaty with Saladin, Raymond fully reconciled with Guy and a Crusader army of around 20,000 men formed near Acre. Advancing, they occupied a strong position near the springs at Sephoria.
Possessing a force nearly the size of Saladin's, the Crusaders had defeated earlier invasions by holding strong positions with reliable water sources while allowing the heat to cripple the enemy. Aware of past failings, Saladin sought to lure Guy's army away from Sephoria so that it could be defeated in open battle. To accomplish this, he personally led an attack against Raymond's fortress at Tiberias on July 2 while his main army remained at Kafr Sabt. That night, the Crusader leaders held a war council to determine their course of action.
While the majority was for pressing on to Tiberias, Raymond argued for remaining in the position at Sephoria, even if it meant losing his fortress. He wasn’t listened to and that was pretty much the end. Moving slowly and under constant harassment by Saladin's cavalry, they were guided towardsthe springs at Turan (six miles away) around noon. Concentrating around the spring, the Crusaders eagerly took water.
Though Tiberias was still nine miles away, with no reliable water en route, Guy insisted on pressing on that afternoon. Under increasing attacks from Saladin's men, the Crusaders reached a plain by the twin hills of the Horns of Hattin by mid-afternoon. Advancing with his main body, Saladin began attacking in force and ordered the wings of his army to sweep around the Crusaders. Attacking, they surrounded Guy's thirsty men and cut off their line of retreat back to the springs at Turan. Under increasing pressure, the Crusader rearguard was forced to halt and give battle, stopping the entire army's advance.
 Though advised to fight on to reach Tiberias and water, Guy elected to halt the advance for the night. Surrounded by the enemy, the Crusader camp possessed a well but it was dry by Sa;adins troops previous. The next morning, Guy's army awoke to blinding smoke. This came from fires set by Saladin's men to screen their actions and increase the Crusaders' misery. With his men weakened and thirsty, Guy broke camp and ordered an advance towards the springs of Hattin. Despite having sufficient numbers to break through the Muslim lines, fatigue and thirst badly weakened the cohesion of the Crusader army.
Advancing, the Crusaders were effectively counterattacked by Saladi. Desperate for water, much of Guy's infantry attempted a similar breakout, but failed. Forced onto the Horns of Hattin, the majority of this force was destroyed. Without infantry support, Guy's trapped knights were unhorsed by Muslim archers and forced to fight on foot. Though fighting with determination, they were driven onto the Horns. After three charges against the Muslim lines failed, the survivors were forced to surrender.
Precise casualties for the battle are not known, but it resulted in the destruction of the majority of the Crusader army. Among those captured were Guy and Raynald. While the former was treated well, the latter was personally executed by Saladin for his past transgressions. Also lost in the fighting was a relic of the True Cross which was sent to Damascus. Quickly advancing in the wake of his victory, Saladin captured Acre, Nablus, Jaffa, Toron, Sidon, Beirut, and Ascalon in rapid succession. Moving against Jerusalem that September, it was surrendered by Balian on October 2. The defeat at Hattin and subsequent loss of Jerusalem led to the Third Crusade. Beginning in 1189, it saw troops under Richard the Lionheart, Frederick I Barbarossa, and Philip Augustus advance on the Holy Land.

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S  POLITICIAN JOKES OF THE WEEK
The two U.S. cities with the highest alcohol consumption are Las Vegas and Washington, DC. The difference between the two is that in Washington the drunks are gambling with our own money.

On his deathbed, a lifelong Republican supporter suddenly announced that he was switching to the Democrats. “I can’t believe you’re doing this.” said his friend. “For your entire life you’re been a staunch Republican. Why would you want to become a Democrat now?” “Because I’d rather it was one of them that dies than one of us.”

A thief stuck a pistol in a man’s ribs and said, “Give me your money.” The gentleman, shocked by the sudden attack, said “You cannot do this, I’m a United States congressman!” The thief said, “In that case, give me my money!”

A presidential candidate was a guest speaker at the golf club dinner. As the politician stood up to speak, a few of the men saw it as an opportunity to sneak off to the bar. An hour later, with the politician still talking, another man joined them. “Is he still talking?” they asked him. “Yes.” another man answered. “What on Earth is he/she talking about?” “I don’t know. He’s/She’s still introducing him/herself.”

A bus full of politicians was moving along the country road. Then it crashed into the tree and overturned. Blood and glass were everywhere. A middle-aged farmer working on the field nearby saw the accident and decided to help: he dug a huge hole and buried all the politicians who were still alive. He thought he did his country a good service.

Q: How many politicians does it take to change a light bulb? A: Two: one to change it and another one to change it back again.
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Answer is B – The main accomplishment of the peace agreement with Jordan where Jordan recognized Israel’s right to the lands it liberated in the 6 day war were and renounced its claim was that Israel would give about 13 billion gallons of water a year to Jordan. Until today the Allenby crossing is only for foreigners and diplomats Israelis must cross through Akaba/Arava or the Jordan river crossing by beit shean. There is nothing between Arava and Allenby.