from the
Holy Land
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend in Karmiel"
July 29th 2022 -Volume
11 Issue 42 1st of Av 5782
Parshat Maasey
One of the most satisfying moments of being privileged to tour people in the Holy Land is that moment when we are standing somewhere and I’m telling them some story, an idea, some Tanach lesson or even show and point them out something fascinating along the way that we are driving. It could be a tree or a rock or even a name on a sign. Suddenly I see their faces change. It’s like a lightbulb pops up on top of their head. They smile and they turn to me and say
“Ahh… so that’s what that is!” “That’s where it took place”. I’ve learned this so many times and now I finally see it”.
It comes to life. It’s real. And that glow of satisfaction that shine from their face when the pieces all connect is amazing. It makes it all worth it…every single day…
I remember hearing a story about Rav Baruch Ber Leibowitz who had spent a lot of time studying the laws of slaughtering animals and their various organs. He one time walked into the kitchen and saw a bird’s gizzard on the table. In our family this is called the pupik. My mother would tell us this was the belly button. Chickens don’t really have belly buttons, I realized at a much too late stage in my life. They’re hatched. But anyways, Reb Baruch Ber saw that pupik and he’s said to have exclaimed with joy.
“Wow!, OMG! This is the holy kurkevan!”
(That’s what it’s called in Hebrew).
"This is that famous gizzard that is mentioned in so many chapters and sugyos of Shas that I’ve been studying."
I like pupiks. They’re like chicken soup flavored jellybeans. But I never saw them as “holy kurkevans”. But for Reb Baruch Ber who invested so much time in learning about it, this was the chavaya- the experience of a lifetime. Everything he studied came to life. It was real. How amazing is that.
The truth of the matter is, that it’s not only a enjoyment I have had in my tour guiding years. When I did outreach for many years in the States I also was able to experience that lightbulb moment from my students.
Wow! So this is what Shabbos is!. This is what a shul looks like! This is a Beit Midrash. Is this really tefillin? A Sefer Torah? The words of Moshe. Sinai? And this is chulent! Wow!!
It’s new it’s fresh but even more so. So many things in their lives that didn’t seem clear. That somehow deep in their souls they knew existed. When they learned with me and hung out at the Schwartzes they were able to really experience for the first time and it all came together for them. Life, their identity, their purpose it all clicked. It made sense. They had meaning. They had life.
This week we finish the 4th book of the Torah. To a large degree it’s really the end of the Torah’s story of our nation from the beginning of time. From next week when we begin the book of Devarim, it is all a repetition. It’s the final speech of Moshe. The story ends here though and the conclusion of the book is a recap of it all. The parsha begins with the travelogue of the Jewish people for 40 years in the wilderness. We traveled here and camped there. 42 stops in 40 years. Do we really need all of this? Who goes back and reads their trip-tiks after their trip. (Remember those from Triple A in the old days- explain them to your kids if you’re reading this by your Shabbos table). The commentaries are all busy trying to understand on many different levels what the point and hidden messages and meaning behind each stop is supposed to mean for us today.
After that the Parsha continues with the borders of Israel. The North, the South, the Jordan River the Dead Sea. Names of cities and borders and mountains and plains. It’s fascinating information if you’re an ancient map guy. But for most of us this is really a blur. But once again this is the end of the Book. There’s a lesson there for us.We just need to figure it out.
Finally the Parsha concludes with the cities of refuge for the unintentional killer. The cities they can run to that were established by Moshe and the laws of inheritance were tribes could marry one another and their portions would remain in their hands. That’s the end of the book. It seems like a boring ending. But the truth of the matter is that it really is the lightbulb moment. It’s the look of satisfaction that everything finally clicks into place.
The Yitav Lev of Siget. Notes that the Parsha begins very strangely if you pay attention to the wording. It says
“These are the travels of the Bnai Yisrael that left the land of Egypt according to their legions under the hand of Moshe and Aharon.
And Moshe wrote their motza’eihem l’ma’aseihem- their going forths according to their journeys according to the word of Hashem and these are their ma’asehem- l’motza’eihem- their journeys according to their going forths.
It reads very biblical and most of us don’t pay much attention to it. What are “going forths” to the journeys or journeys to “going forths”. And which is it? Moshe wrote their 'going forths' and then it switches it around? It’s strange but it’s the secret of life and all things, the Ytav Lev says.
Motza’eihem- means the things that happen to us. That motaza osanu- that found us. A journey on the other hand is a planned trip. You have an itinerary. When we left Egypt we were on journey. We were heading to the Holy Promised Land of our fathers. But then all types of things happened along the way. There was no water in one place. There was a war here. There was nice things there. It seems random. Yet Moshe wrote down that all those going forths. All those things that happened to us were part of the journey. They were all by the word of Hashem. It was on our itinerary. It was supposed to happen. We had something to gain from it. We grew one way or another through the experience. These are the ma’aseihem- the entire journey was really just for those motza’eihem. Just so we could experience those things. And that’s when everything clicked.
Wow! That’s why there was no water there. Now I understand. Now I see why this happened and that happened.
Do you know what it’s like? It’s like a puzzle with a lot of random looking pieces floating around in a box. And then slowly at the end of 40 years each piece slowly comes together and the picture emerges. It all makes sense. Now I see why that piece is in the box and that piece has to go there. The picture of the 40 year journey in our parsha has finally emerged. We are now ready for the next puzzle.
Now every puzzle maker knows that the best way to start with a puzzle is with the edges. With the borders and corners. They’re the easiest. They all have a flat edge. So we take them out of the box and put them all together. That is what the borders of Israel are all about. They are the frame where that 40 year story of us in the Midbar will finally realize it’s goal. The flat edge? That’s Hashem. That’s the connection that everything comes from him. That’s the framework by which we remember that the whole point is to build Him a place to finally move back down to. To reveal Himself in the picture that will finally emerge.
That puzzle has pieces that will reveal Hashem. They are the cities of refuge that no Jew will ever be left behind from. Every piece has a place. Those cities stand out in the puzzle and once we have those edges those are the next pieces we put together. They tell us that there are no accidental deaths or murders. There are no accidents. It’s all from Hashem. It’s all to bring us back to Him. It’s all so that we know we always have a place to come home to. And once we have that we conclude the puzzle and our book of the Midbar with the knowledge that although we may even be in the land and we may not know where we belong ultimately the land will always revert back to it’s proper tribe. Every piece will find its place. The picture will be complete. The lightbulb is lit. The holy kurkevan shines through.
This parsha is always read as we enter the month of Av. It is the saddest month of the year. The month perhaps where we felt the furthest from Hashem as our temples and all the tragedies seem to find their way to this month. Yet it is also a time for us to focus on the idea that nothing that happened throughout our history was random. It was all part of the journey. Our exile, our destruction, our assimilation and our ignorance and lack of knowledge and seeing Hashem is all part of the puzzle pieces that are slowly starting to emerge more and more as we get closer and closer to the final pieces. Our sages tell us that anyone who mourns the temple will merit to see it being rebuilt. Because by mourning the temple we are in fact putting those pieces back together again. We are connected to Jerusalem. Our hearts and thoughts are on the Beit Ha’Mikdash and on the so many generations that came before us that mourned and dreamt as well. And that’s how we build the pieces once again.
We are at the end game. The puzzle is almost complete. The world has undergone so many changes and is rushing to finish up that puzzle. May this year the month of Av already be a month of joy and happiness. There is a light in this month that his greater than any other month. It is Av. It is our father that is standing over us watching us put the final pieces in the puzzle. He has been the tour guide that is waiting for that satisfied look on our faces once again as the Temple lightbulb pops up over our heads. And we say Wow! This is what is has always been about.
Have an enlightening Shabbos and month of Av that turns to joy,
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
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WE’RE BACK IN MISHPACHA!
After a few month busy tour guiding hiatus was finally
able to get out the long awaited
MISHPACHA MAGAZINE
Tour guiding column
Check out this week’s edition and column as I explore the
Golan and Gilead region along Syrian borders of Israel. It’s this week’s parsha
as well- how incredibly timely.
Click here to read article
https://mishpacha.com/lookout-for-peace/
share, comment, let me know what you think, tell them how
much you missed me and enjoy a taste of Eretz Yisrael with your favorite weekly
tour guide Rabbi
***********************
YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK
“Er klert tsi a floy hot a pupik.”- He's meditating on whether a flea has a
belly-button
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE VIDEO OF THE
WEEK
https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/al-eileh-acapella
- Not a time of year for real music, yet a mournful Acapella AL
Eileh that I composed and is arranged and sung by Dovid Lowy is sure to make
you yearn for the Bais Ha”Mikdash
https://youtu.be/7dGLzOxXRm4
– funny Yiddish Gas Sangen parody Zemiros choir acapella
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teMadytP_J4
-Ari Goldwag Acapell Ani
Choshev Al Yerushalayim- timely
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoWlmC6xE5M
-One of my favorite Dovid Lowy songs- finally in Acapella
Elokai- there’s no reason why not everyone should be singing this song
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
answer below at end of Email
4) The parable in the new testament about that
mentions the Jerusalem holiday Pilgrimage road (olei regel) is _________
The lesson it
is meant to convey is
A) the value of bad friends and helping the week
and needy
B) a criticism of heretics that try to distance
people from Torah and Mitzvos
C) To emphasize that one should only give assistance
to those on the sides of the wilderness
D) To show the significance of the pilgrimage path
to Jerusalem
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S PARSHA/SHABBOS
CONNECTION OF THE WEEK
Run to Me- Parshat Ma’asey – This week’s Parsha shares with us the fascinating laws of the
cities of refuge for someone that kills someone unintentionally. There were 6
cities of the Levites that he could run to besides the other cities of refuge that
were established. Whenever you hear the number 6 your ears should perk up-after
reading this column for almost a year now. You know there’s going to be a
Shabbos connection and of course there is.
To understand the connection, we first have to appreciate the
idea behind the cities. I mean, the man committed this act unintentionally. Why
does he have to flee? How does that help him? And what do the Levi’im have to
do with all of this?
The Nesivos Sholom notes that the Rambam in Moreh Nevuchim- his
guide for the perplexed notes that when a Jew is connected to Hashem he has
special protection that he wont fall into any sin. Nothing bad can happen. It’s
only when he is disconnected, that bad things can occur. That’s what it means when
it says that he killed someone bli da’as- without knowledge. Meaning
that the person wasn’t connected with his da’as- his knowledge to
Hashem. The job of the Levi, as his name implies is to be melaveh- to
accompany a person. To bring them close to Hashem. The cities of the Levi’im
correspond, the Ohev Yisrael says, corresponds to the 6 words of Shema
Yisrael. That Hashem is one that we are connected to Hashem. Thus all the disconnect
that led to his sin will be corrected.
And of course that brings us to Shabbos. For Shabbos, like the
city of refuge is the day of the week that we run to that elevates the other 6
days like the 6 cities. It brings the connection of Hashem to those 6 days when
it gets too tough, to remember there is Shabbos coming. TGIS- Thank God for
Shabbos. It is our refuge where we can reconnect. All of the judgments are off
on this day. We achieve atonement and forgiveness. It’s maybe even why Erev
Shabbos we are always running. We are running to our city of refuge. To the day
of Shabbos when we will be safe.
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S ERA’S AND THEIR PLACES
AND PEOPLE IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK
Eliyahu
and Mt. Carmel 724 BC –The final part of
this story of Eliyahu and his faceoff with the prophets of the Baal
is after they finally give up Eliyahu takes 12 stones, like the number
of the tribes of Israel and then he digs a huge trench around his altar. This wasn’t
just a trench it was 5000 amos- cubits large the size of the courtyard
of the Temple. He then sent the people to go down to the Kishon River
below that still flows today during the winter months in the Carmel and
Jezre’el valley. It comes down from the Shomron and flows to the
coastline by Haifa. They brought up 4 barrels of water and then he sent
them down two more times to get more. Again 3x4=12, like the 12 tribes of
Israel. 12 barrels of water is not nearly enough to fill the trenches that
overflowed. But again the Midrash tells us that Elisha poured the water
over Eliyahu’s hands and it continued to flow.
With the
trenches overflowing- which is never a good thing for fire- Eliyahu opened
up his mouth and recited the most chutzpadik words anyone ever said to Hashem.
He first told Hashem and the people that although what he was doing would be
biblical violation as he was bringing a sacrifice outside of the Temple. This
was something that was not allowed. Yet, he teaches us that upon extenuating
circumstances one is permitted to break the law to save the law. An eis la’asos
la’Hashem- a time when one has to do for God, so the Torah will not be
broken. Not far from here is the city of Tzippori. About 1000 years
after this story Rebbi Yehudah Ha’Nasi uses this same law to break the
law and write the Mishna which is the oral tradition that was prohibited from
being written down. When they asked him how could he do that? He pointed up to
this very mountain and said it’s the minhag Ha’Makom- that’s what we
learned from Eliyahu in this very place.
Then Eliyahu
turns to Hashem and demands that he send down fire and take this offering. “Because
it is You who turned their heart away from you!” It’s Your fault Hashem.
You give them everything they want. You pamper them. You want to give them
rain. Now You bring down fire as well… Not bad.. huh? And like a little tatteleh,
Hashem sends down fire that eats the sacrifice, the altar, the trenches and the
water. It’s all gone. The people see this and fall on their face, just as we do
each Yom Kippur, when we recreate this moment. They say “Hashem hu Elokim
Hashem Hu Elokim- Hashem is our God.”
Eliyahu then sees the people get the point so he orders them to take
all of the prophets of the Baal and kill them down by the river. After that Eliyahu
turns to Achav and gives him a huge “OMG!” I forgot to tell you that it’s
going to rain. You better eat quick. And sure enough Achav does so. Eliyahu
then sends his student Elisha to look towards the Mediterranean Sea,
which really one sees fantastic from this viewpoint of this Carmelite Monastery
called the Muchraka on Mt. Carmel. There he tells him to spot the
rain cloud coming (which only comes on his 7th try). He then tells Achav
to pack his food to go and he runs home before Achav’s chariot, kind of
like SuperMan in the movie to his palace in Jezre’el. Thus the story
ends. Stay tuned next week for the amazing epilogue.
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S TERRIBLE PUZZLE JOKES OF
THE WEEK
Yentl calls
her husband Berel over and says, "Please come over here and help me. I
have a killer jigsaw puzzle, and I can't figure out how to get started."
Berel asks,
"What is it supposed to be when it's finished?"
Yentl says,
"According to the picture on the box, it's a rooster."
Berel
decides to go over and help with the puzzle. She lets him in and shows him
where she has the puzzle spread all over the table. He studies the pieces for a
moment, then looks at the box, then turns to her and says,
"First
of all, no matter what we do, we're not going to be able to assemble these
pieces into anything resembling a rooster."
He then
takes her hand and says, "Secondly, I want you to relax. Let's have a
nice cup of tea, and then..... he said with a deep sigh" ............
"Let's
put all these Corn Flakes back in the box
Robin turned
and shouted, "The Batmobile won’t start!" Batman growled,
"Check the battery!" Puzzled, Robin wondered... "What’s
a tery?"
I
told my daughter, “Go to bed, the cows are sleeping in the field.”
Puzzled,
she asked, “What’s that got to do with anything?” I chuckled, "Well, that
means...""It’s pasture bedtime!”
Can you imagine Yoshka
doing a crossword puzzle? And getting stuck on 2 across..
I don't want to brag,
but I finished the jigsaw puzzle in a week...And it said 2-4 years on the box.
"Make
me one with everything," says the Buddhist to the Israeli tofu hot dog
vendor.
Then,
after getting his tofu hot dog, the Buddhist hands the vendor a $20 bill.
The
vendor takes the money and begins helping the next customer.
The
Buddhist looks puzzled and asks the vendor, "Where is my change?"
The
Israeli vendor replies, "Change comes from within."
I hate connect-the-dot
puzzles. That’s where I draw the line.
The inventor of the
crossword puzzle lives near me. Street's three across and two down.
I need help with a
crossword puzzle. The clue is 'overloaded postman' and the number of letters
is... too many..
My wife asked for
help with a puzzle. She said to hand her pieces with rocks and water. I said
shore.
A blonde is doing
a crossword puzzle...
"What's a
7-letter word for 'easily perceived or understood' that starts with 'O'?"
"Isn't it
obvious?"
"It
should be, but I can't figure it out. That's why I'm asking."
I believe pencils
are superior to pens, especially for filling out crossword puzzles. Does that
make me erasist?
Moishe and Yankel were in a mental institution. The place
had an unusual annual contest, picking two of the best patients and giving them
two questions. If they got them correct, they were deemed cured and free to go.
Yankel was called into the doctor s office first and
asked if he understood that he'd be free if he answered the questions
correctly. Yankel said "Yes" and the doctor proceeded. " Yankel,
what would happen if I poked out one of your eyes?"
Yankel said, "I'd be half blind."
"That's correct. What if I poked out both
eyes?"
"I’d be completely blind." The doctor stood up, shook Yankel’s hand, and told him
he was free to go.
On Yankel 's way out, as the doctor filled out the
paperwork, Yankel mentioned the exam to Moishe, who was seated in the waiting
room. He told him what questions were going to be asked and gave him the
answers.
So Moishe went into the doctor's office when he was
called. The doctor went thru the formalities and then asked, "What
would happen if I cut off one of your ears?" Remembering what Yankel had
told him, he answered, "I'd be half blind."
The doctor looked a little puzzled, but went on. "What
if I cut off the other ear?"
"I'd be completely blind," Moishe, answered."
" Moishe,, can you explain how you'd be blind?"
"My hat would fall down over my eyes."
********************************
Answer
is A- I don’t remember much of
my Xtian junk from my tour, but I do drive by the sign towards the Dead Sea
that points out the “Good Samaritan”. So I know the story well. Basically
yoshka makes up a bubbeh mayseh about how there was this hungry guy going to
Jerusalem and no one stopped to help him- not the kohein, Levi or Israelite.
The only one that stopped was a Shomroni who were second class citizens and not
even Jewish although they claimed to be. The point he was making is that sometimes
the guys that look the frummest aren’t worth anything and the it’s the simple
goy or Samaritan that is holy and a baal chesed which it seems would be answer
A. You don’t care much about this. Neither do I. But I got it right so there!
So the score now is Schwartz 4.5 and .5 for MOT (Ministry of Tourism) on this exam.
