from the
Holy Land
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend in Karmiel"
September 9th 2022 -Volume
11 Issue 4 13th of Elul 5782
Parshat Ki Tetzei
Love and War
Vacation, finally! And yet although
the tour guide Rabbi Schwartz might get a few days off to recuperate and re-“Jew”-venate,
your friend in Karmiel still needs to get out his weekly E-Mail. Your children
wouldn’t know what to do if their Shabbos meal ended an hour early without the
weekly missive. Your boss might wonder why you don’t have that smile you
usually do Friday mornings while you pretend that you’re working on your
computer at work, but really reading the jokes on the bottom. The Rabbi in your
shul might wonder why you’re paying attention to his drasha instead of
reading that printed up E-Mail each week. But perhaps most significantly, my
mother would be disappointed if she didn’t have something to either read and
compliment me on and tell me how much she loves me- or alternatively to scold
me and give me Mussar and tell me to stop writing about my surgery and my personal
life and business. Then she would of
course tell me that she loves me as well… and I forget everything else she
said. If I even heard it in the first place.
Regardless I gotta write this. So
here we are sitting out in the front yard of my vacation tzimmer overlooking
the Mediterranean and the hills of the Western Galilee and writing to you. It’s
beautiful, by the way. It’s serene. I’m here without my family. It’s just me.
Me and Hashem. Hashem and His mountains in His magnificent country that He has privileged
me with sharing with so many over the past few months once again. I sit here
and can’t even express how loved I feel by Him and how much blessing He has
given me. Have you ever felt like that? Just so amazingly loved, so grateful,
so close to Hashem, perhaps even a bit unworthy.
Why me? What have I done to deserve
such love? I certainly can think of plenty of reasons and things for Him to be
pretty annoyed at me. And ‘annoyed’ is a polite don’t-feel-so-bad, kind of word.
There’s lots that I’ve done or haven’t done that He should be downright fuming
at me about. And my wife, my mother, my kids, my rebbeim and even my
tourists and congregants could give Him an even more elaborate list just in
case He was looking for things. Yet… yet… yet… He doesn’t stop loving me and showering
me with blessing. It’s crazy. It’s overwhelming. It’s really everything.
As I sit and ponder and bask in
this glow of appreciation, I hear music come on. It’s the neighbors tzimmer
next door to mine. Like every good Israeli they like 70’s and 80’s American
music. Thankfully it’s not Pink Floyd or Madonna. Rather perhaps the couple
next door seem to be feeling as loving as I am. They are listening to love
songs. Songs that I’m familiar with. Songs that aren’t Jewish, that I listened
to in my younger goyish music stage of life. Songs that are actually beautiful and
emotional. But as I sit here in Elul trying to write this E-Mail, I try to make
those songs that I can’t get out of my head a little holier. Like the Chasidic Rebbes
of old who also perhaps snatched one or two goyish songs, and as they say, found
and released the sparks of holiness inside of them. Perhaps I can have my
goyish music and my kedusha too… Or not. Regardless, it’s playing, my soul is
stirring, and it’s too beautiful to go inside and close the windows. I’m here
and now you are too.
The truth is it really isn’t that
hard to find that holiness. Maybe even it’s a bit too easy. I just never
thought about it before, but now the words come rushing out to me from their
very loud surround sound speaker with entirely new meaning. The love songs that
they are singing about really aren’t about the love between a husband and wife,
a boyfriend and a girlfriend or perhaps even something more illicit or
forbidden. They’re about Hashem and me.
“I can’t live my life without
You”.
“I’m alive when You’re with me”.
“You give me meaning.”
“You’re my world.”
“My inspiration”
“You’re my everything.”
“I’d walk the world for You.”
“Our love is eternal”.
“You bring out the best in Me”.
“I’m alone without You”.
Lyric after lyric, chorus after
chorus. It’s all Hakadosh Baruch Hu. It’s a jukebox or playlist from
heaven. (or not). But its tugging all of my heartstrings. I feel as if I’m
being serenaded by Hashem. The Melech is in the field with me. (or not).
After this musical introduction I
open up our parsha. It is a parsha that is packed with mitzvos. Interestingly
enough they are mitzvos that are primarily concerned with two topics: love and
war. Sure, there are plenty of other mitzvos here as well, but the themes of
love and war keep coming up again and again. We are introduced to the conjunction
of both of those in the first mitzva of the parsha. The strange mitzva that
during war one is permitted to take a non-Jewish captive woman as a wife.
The Torah tells us that it’s a love
story that really isn’t,. On the one hand this guy is perhaps moved by the flaring
testosterone of warfare and killing and murdering people- enemies of course. His
spiritual guard is understandably a bit down. On the other hand, this woman is
really not a good match for him. No less than Dovid Ha’Melech fell into this trap,
and found out much later, with the rebellion of his son Avshalom who came from
such a union, that bad things come from fake love songs.
As well the Torah continues its
journey with marriages and love gone awry. We have the person who has two wives
one which he doesn’t love. He hates her. We have divorce. We have widows who
have to marry their brothers-in-law. We have all types of people who engage in
forbidden pre-marital or extra- marital, or forbidden relationships-some consensual
some not. It’s a mess. It’s a goyisheh love song. At the same time, interestingly
enough, we learn the laws of making your wife happy during the first year (and
always!) and the laws of marriage. We have women jumping into their men’s
fights and standing up for their men. Inside of all this murky bad stuff we
have holiness. We have a love song of Hashem joining this union.
Similarly, the laws of war have all
types of brutal depictions. In last week’s parsha we are told to wipe out the 7
nations men women and children. Genocide. Ouch. At the same time, it told us to
be careful not to knock down any fruit trees. Man is like a tree. Hmmm… It told
us about the holiness of the soldiers in battle. Who was exempt. How not to
fear. The Kohen recited Shema and gave them blessings. It’s intense. This week
with the holy army- according to Rashi it only contained those that didn’t fear
they had any sins in their hands, right away though it starts to tell us about
taking these captive women. The Chozeh of Lublin notes that the Torah permitted
this because if not the yetzer hara would be too great and the men would take
her even if she was forbidden. Wryly, he says, that the only Jews that would be
susceptible to this yetzer harah are the ones that think they don’t have
any sins. The ones that think they’re big tzadikim- those are the guys
you have to watch out for. Those are the ones that the yetzer harah
could snare with one pretty shiktza. With one goyisheh love song.
The Torah then tells us that our
camp must be holy. It must be sanitary. Hashem is amongst our camp. This is not
a goyisheh army. As well the parsha concludes with the obligation to
wipe out Amalek. Again, men women, children and even animals. We are meant to
do this with brutal hatred. They are the enemy. They are preventing the shechina
from shining amongst us. We need to take them out.
War and love. This is the season we
are in as well in Elul when we read this parsha. On the one hand this month we
are told that we are together with our beloved. Ani l’dodi v’dodi li- is
the famous acronym for this month. At the same time, it is a time of fear and trepidation.
We have a court case coming up this year. In a few weeks’ time Hashem will pull
out the books and decide if we will live or we will die. The Satan will be there
with plenty of ammunition. Like most Israeli wars- we don’t have too much to
fight and shoot with. But anachnu b’sheim hashem elokeinu nazkir- we
come in the name of Hashem. How do we navigate
these extreme emotions and situations we face?
Rav Shlomo Aviner notes that the
obligations of war really obviate many of the commandments. Not just simple
ones either. We violate Shabbos, not only to go to war but even to rescue
people and even bodies. We even violate the “theme” at least of the three big
sins. As we noted it is permitted to take a non- Jewish woman, we are obviously
killing and even some of the Kosher laws are permitted to being violated during
war according to the Rambam non-Jewish wine is permitted to being drunk. The
reason he suggests is because when we go to war there are no personal
considerations that mitzvos are obligated in. It’s about negating oneself
entirely for the nation and for Hashem’s glory. I am not an individual in war.
I am Israel. I am Hashem’s army. As one we have the power, and we move beyond
the usual individual mitzvos which are about our personal growth. We are
entirely connected to Hashem and the mission he placed upon us.
In marriage it is a very similar concept.
It’s not about what I want. What I’m feeling. What I can get out of the
relationship. What I desire. It’s about building a home for Hashem. It’s about
creating a family. It’s about becoming one. It’s about understanding that the
love and bond shared between you and your spouse has the ability to be eternal,
if Hashem is part of that love song as well. If He’s not, then you’re in
trouble. Then your children are in trouble. Then it will be war.
Rebbi Nachman of Breslav said that every
wisdom in the world has a song attached to it. Even non-Jewish ones. It is
where it gets its chiyus from- its spiritual essence to exist. Religious
songs, love songs, celebratory songs, they are all pieces of one great song of
Creation. Amazing grace, if you will. In Shir Ha’Shirim – the Song of Songs it
says
Tavo’I v’tashuri mei’rosh amana- which literally means you should come straight down from
the peak of Amana.
Rebbi Nachman though reads it homiletically, that we will come with the ultimate redemption and sing from the peaks of faith- emuna. As well others note that that the word tashuri is like the word Tishrei- me’rosh is rosh Hashana. On Rosh Hashana when we sing, we connect to that first song. We reveal the core and the love of all Creation that Hashem had when He made man. Since that first sin on that great day of love we have been at war. War with the yetzer hara, the Satan, the nations, with ourselves. But the King is back in the field in this month. It’s time to reveal that love song to the world. To put down our swords and turn them into plowshares. We’ll then live forever…knowing together… that we did it all for the glory of love.Have a song-filled Shabbos
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
************************
YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK
“Tsu itlechen neiem lid ken men
tsupassen an alten nigen..” - To every new song one can find an old
tune
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE VIDEO OF THE
WEEK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HxjWn_7FdI
-
Nissim Black and Dustin Paul Human Greatness! Latest
release…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kt0mR1i9lOk
– A classic and powerful video
from the Haftorah B’Shetzef Ketzef from Avromy Flam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5dNzfzJVoE – Ahavas Olam from Akiva.. beautiful
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Nx_tkCB0a8
– Eitan And Shlomo Katz Everlasting Love
also from this weeks hafotrah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YjgCN3k3Uc
– And
of course Parsha ki Teitzei is never complete without Yigal Calek’s Ki Yikarey
kan Tizppor
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
answer below at end of Email
11) The Muchraka monastery was founded by the _________ church order
Its
location is where
A) The prophets of the Baal were slaughtered,
and their idolatry was invalidated
B) Eliyahu went up to heaven and where he
appointed Elisha
C) A heavenly fire came down and the faith in
one God was restored
D) The resurrection of the child of the widow
was preformed and Eliyahu went into isolation
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S PARSHA/SHABBOS
CONNECTION OF THE WEEK
Remember- Parshat Ki Teitzei- Our Parsha concludes with the
mitzva to remember what Amalek did to us and to erase them from the face of the
earth. We read this right before Purim each year. Yet it’s a strange mitzva. On
the one hand if we remember them then we will never forget and then they exist.
On the other hand we are obligated to destroy them so that there shouldn’t be
any memory of them.
Amalek as we know is not the only
remembrance mitzva. We are also obligated to remember Shabbos each week. It’s
in the Ten commandments. The Ramban explains that the mitzva has two aspects to
it. On the one hand it’s a daily commandment each day of each week to do things
to remember Shabbos. Each day we count towards Shabbos. Each day we make little
preparations for Shabbos. As well the mitzva of remembering is on Shabbos as
well. On Shabbos we need to do something to make the day a memorable one. We
need to sanctify it and make Kiddush on wine to celebrate it each week.
Shabbos reveals Hashem’s presence
in this world. Each day we remember Shabbos we are erasing Amalek. We are
testifying that Hashem created and controls the world. The remembrance of
Shabbos erases Amalek. As well on Purim when we drink wine and celebrate the
day we erase the memory of Amalek. They are totally gone. They are destroyed
and we are redeemed. At least for the moment. Each Shabbos when we make Kiddush
and remember Hashem on this special day as well we have erased Amalek. We have
remembered. Lchayim!
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S ERA’S AND THEIR PLACES
AND PEOPLE IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK
Hit Me - 724 BC – After the incredible 2nd miraculous
victory of Achav against Ben
Hadad of Aram that was foretold by the prophet Micha. Their
army of 100,000 was wiped out and they fled to the city of Afek where
Hashem made a miracle and the walls of the city collapsed upon them. Yet, as we
mentioned last week our enemies know how to play upon our mercy and our
un-comfortability with being victors. Ben Hadad and his men realizing
that the end was near dressed in sackcloth and put nooses around their next and
appeared before Achav and asked for mercy. That’s our weak point. We don’t
like to see people in sackcloth and being pathetically submissive to us. As
well when someone-especially a goy apologizes to us that’s pretty much all we
really need. So Achav not only pardons them but even restores them to
their land giving them their “terror” state in Damascus. Of course we
signed treaties- that of course they had no intention of keeping and thus they
left.
Hashem wasn’t happy with
this. Fortunately, he had the prophet Micha to do some splainin to Achav.
In a fascinating story Micha approaches another prophet and tells him to
beat him up. The prophet of course refuses, and Micha curses him that since
he didn’t listen to the word of Hashem as he spoke then he will die. Sure enough
a lion pops out and eats him. Boom one down. Next he goes over to another person
and gives him the same command and prophecy. This guy learned his lesson and
sure enough he beats up Micha. Micha then waits for King Achav
to pass by. He disguises his face as a beaten-up soldier coming from war
and he turns to him and asks him a seemingly hypothetical question. Here he was
told by a soldier to watch over a prisoner. If he did so properly, he would be
rewarded, if however the prisoner wasn’t there when he got back then he would punished
with his life in place of the prisoners. Sure enough, he told Achav I
got distracted and the prisoner escaped. What should happen to me now.
Achav without blinking an eye told the “soldier/prophet” in
disguise that he pronounced his own fate already. He should die in place of the
prisoner. Boom! He fell into the trap. Micha then takes off his disguise
and tells Achav that he had just pronounced his own fate Hashem had
given Ben Hadad into his own hands to get rid of him. How dare Achav
let him free and even build him up once again? Because of this Achav and
the Jewish people will be held accountable with their lives. The truth is it
will only be Achav that will be accountable. The Jews will be set free
as the midrash tells us that Micha prayed that the suffering that he had
when he got beaten up should atone for them.
This is a Tanach story
yet it is an important one that many don’t know and realize. It’s as timely as
it gets and it is the mistake that Israel makes again and again. We keep having
mercy on the cruel who Hashem gives in our hand and we don’t appreciate that
our obligation is to rid the country of those that wish to destroy us and who ultimately
don’t accept our sovereignty over the land. There are no peace agreements. They
can live and remain on one condition only they accept us. They are subservient
to Hashem and us His nation. Perhaps the governments need to start reading this
column
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S TERRIBLE FASHION JOKES OF
THE WEEK
Yankel:
I stood under my Kallah's window and sang a love song to her. She threw me a
flower.
Berel:
then why is there a wound on your head?
Yankel:
she forgot to take the flowers out of the pot
A
shabby-looking man walks into an upscale bar full of businessmen and orders a
Scotch. The bartender looks him over and says, "Sir, I don't believe
you can afford the drinks at this establishment. May I ask that you go
somewhere else?"
The
man shrugs his shoulders and says, "You're right. I don't have any
money on me. But I'll tell you what. I can show you a miracle. If I do, can I
have one on the house?" The bartender sighs and nods, and sees the man
take a hamster out of the pocket of his overcoat. Before the bartender can tell
the man that animals aren't allowed, the man leans down to the hamster and
says, "Play."
The
hamster darts out of the man's hand, runs up to the grand piano in the bar's
corner, and runs across the keys, playing Gershwin songs as he does so. It's
incredible. Concert pianists don't play this well! At the end of the hamster's
set, everyone applauds, and the bartender pours the man who came in a glass of
their best Scotch.
The
man savors the Scotch, and says, "That was incredible! If I show you
another miracle, can I have another drink?" The bartender nods
excitedly, and sees the man pull out a frog from his coat this time. He leans
in and says, "Sing." The frog opens his mouth and begins
singing a deep and rich love song. Everyone stops talking in the bar to listen
to this frog. They have tears in their eyes, thinking about the ones they love,
the loves that they let slip away. Not a dry eye in the bar. When the frog
stops singing, the whole bar bursts into applause, and the weeping bartender
gives the man the whole bottle of fine Scotch.
One
of the businessmen comes up to the man and says, "Hey buddy, you look
hard up. I'll give you five thousand dollars for the frog, what do you
say?" The man thinks it over, says yes, and accepts five thousand
dollars that the businessman offers. The businessman takes the frog and runs
out. The bartender, shocked, looks at the man and shouts, "Are you
nuts? That frog was beautiful! And it was a FROG! How could you let something
worth a fortune go away like that?"
The
guy takes a swig from the bottle and says, "What are you talking about?
My hamster is also a
ventriloquist."
Dad,
whose music did you listen to when growing up?”
Dad:
Led Zeppelin.
Son:
Who?
Dad:
Yes. They were good too.
My
drunk friend was kicked out of Karaoke for singing “Danger Zone” 7 times in a
row.
He
had exceeded the maximum number of Loggins attempts.
Knock
knock!
Whos
There?
Kenya!
Kenya
who?
Kenya
feel the love tonight!
“Somebody
just gave me a shower radio. Thanks a lot. Do you really want music in the
shower? I guess there’s no better place to dance than a slick surface next to a
glass door.”-Jerry Seinfeld
“I
wrote a song, but I can’t read music so I don’t know what it is.”-Steven Wright
“My
definition of an intellectual is someone who can listen to the ‘William Tell
Overture’ without thinking of The Lone Ranger.” -Billy Connolly
“I
love to sing, and I love to drink scotch. Most people would rather hear me
drink scotch.”-George Burns
“When
she started to play, Steinway came down personally and rubbed his name off the
piano.”-Bob Hope
“Talking
about music is like dancing about architecture.” -Steve Martin
“I
know only two tunes: one of them is ‘Yankee Doodle’, and the other isn’t.” -Ulysses
S Grant, former US President
Q:
“What kind of music are balloons afraid of?”
A:
“Pop music”.
Me
and my friends are in a band called “Duvet.” We’re a cover band.
What
part of a turkey is musical? The drumstick.
Why
couldn’t the athlete listen to her music? Because she broke the record.
Why
did the pianist keep banging his head against the keys? He was playing by ear.
How
do you make a bandstand? Take away their chairs.
********************************
Answer
is B – This is a bit of a
trick question, even for all of my tourists that I have brought here. Muchraka
of course is the Carmelite Monestary on the tip of Mt. Carmel. Even those of
you that haven’t been there with me, but if you’ve been watching my statuses you’ve
certainly seen me there plenty with its incredible lookout point of much of the
North of Israel. It’s there where the story of Eliyahu and the prophets of the
Baal take place. The question though is which part of the story? Well for those
of you that remember the story it could be one of two answers. Either the fire
came down or he had the prophets of the Baal slaughtered there. But the name
Muchraka should give it away. See, Muchraka means burnt place (it’s similar to
the word in Hebrew as well charach is charred). The top of the mountain is
where the fire came down and ate up Eliyahu’s offering. He then ordered them to
take the prophets of the Baal to the bottom by Nachal Kishon and kill them
there. So the right answer is B, which of course I got right. So the score now is Schwartz 8.5 and 2.5 for MOT (Ministry of Tourism) on this exam.
