From the River to the Sea- Parshat Beshalach

 

Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land

from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

January 26^th 2024 -Volume 13 Issue 15 16^th of Shevat 5784

Parshat Beshalach

From the River to the Sea

 It’s a bracha that has been recited by many since this war has begun. It’s one that I only pretty much recited until now when I flew back and forth from the States. To be honest it really didn’t have such meaning to me. The blessing is one that is recited on four occasions. It’s called the Gomel blessing- or in yeshivish shprach bentching Gomel. The halacha is that there are four that need to recite this blessing of thanksgiving. One who crosses over an ocean or desert, one who recovers from a serious illness and one who is released from prison or captivity.

 Now thank God, I’ve never been in prison or captivity although I did serve plenty of time in detention in the principals office, but I don’t think that counts. As well I have never been sick enough where it was life-threatening, though I might have said it when I went for my stomach surgery, just because they put me under for the surgery. So really the only times I have recited the blessing was on my overseas flights to America (and Africa!), which as well doesn’t seem too life-threatening.

 Actually, the last time I came back from America when I recited the blessing, I had in mind for the first time that Hashem saved me from that dangerous country of yours where antisemitism is up like a million percent and most of the people I passed on the street at these Free-Palestine protests want me and my nation wiped out and think Hamas or the Nazis didn’t do a good enough job. They after-all went to the right Universities that indoctrinate them. That’s not even to mention the “Der Shturmer-Goebel’s worthy TikTok social media and “legitimate” News outlets that should be quite frightening to most people that don’t suffer from 80-year-old short term memory loss of pre-Holocaust era propaganda. That was scarier than the flight across the ocean. Yet the blessing is as well for any life-threatening situation that one is saved from and so I might have said it as well for some car accidents as well that I came out in one piece from.

 Yet today here in Israel there are not too many soldiers that haven’t recited this blessing after every mission that they come back in one piece from. There are thousands, if not tens of thousands that survived the pogroms of October 7^th and the following days in which they and their families were in their words miraculously saved. Tens of thousands of missiles have fallen on this country, in cities like Ashkelon and Ashdod, all over the Northern border. It’s literally miracles daily and so many that “were right there’ just minutes before that were saved. And then there are those that I visit in the hospitals that were unfortunately injured. Whether they were soldiers, civilians wounded in attacks, and all of the usual non-war related cholim that have undergone serious surgeries and illnesses. Yes, the Gomel blessing is perhaps the bracha that Klal Yisrael is reciting more often than ever and like all things that are happening in these days of the final era before Mashiach comes it is something Hashem wants us to focus on.

 Now just in case you were skeptical, one need not do more than what we do every week this past year and just take a peek into this weeks parsha, which is of course the parsha of our redemption from Egypt. The highlight of which contains of course the Song of Sea that we sang upon being redeemed. The singing of that song our sages tells us is in fact the source for all the criterion for the recital of this blessing. We were freed from captivity, we didn’t suffer any of the sicknesses of the plagues that were placed upon Egypt, and we crossed the sea and the desert.

 And so in the song of praise we thank Hashem for it all. We recognize that He is our savior. The song begins with the word Az Yashir- then we sang, and our sages tells us that it is a song for all times. It is past and it is present, and it is even about the future. Its conclusion is that Hashem will rule forever and how we will build him a Beit Hamikdash where his Shechina will rest. It’s a song that we sing daily. It’s to a large degree the original Hatikva- the hope song that is full of praise that we await to sing when we are finally able to see its fulfillment.

 Rav Kook Zt”l however takes this blessing to a whole new level. He notes that the words of the blessing describe a fulfillment of an obligation that we have.  It is unique in that way, as other blessing of thanks just seem to be an expression of appreciation to Hashem that is about the moment or experience that one has undergone. Here the bracha almost puts us down in calling us undeserving or “obligated ones.”

 Blessed are You, Hashem our God, ruler of the world, who rewards the chayavim- the undeserving with goodness, and who has rewarded me with goodness.

 What did we do wrong? Why not just say and sing “Thank You Hashem”? Perhaps even deeper to an understanding of this blessing and maybe even this war as well is the question of why we even have to thank Hashem for this “salvation”? After-all isn’t He the one that threw us into the dangerous situation in the first place? He put us into slavery. He gave us the sickness or illness that we recover from. He imprisoned us. He sent these animals to attack us and enslave us. He gave us October 7^th and missile attacks. So why do we have to thank Him so much when we didn’t die or get killed?

 The answer though perhaps can best be found in the flowers I bought my wife this past Shabbos, and the ones I’ve started buying the past few weeks. I’ve stopped taking her and my family for granted. A week, a month and already more than three months of meeting so many families who have lost loved ones. Whose children will never grow up knowing their Abba. Of meeting soldiers who have lost their limbs and can’t walk, can’t go to the bathroom alone, don’t know if they will ever be able to see or hear again. The families of hostages that I’ve met who are still living on October 7^th and would do anything to have a phone call saying Good Shabbos from their loved ones. Who haven’t slept and refuse to do so until they can once again tuck their children into their bed safely and wish and kiss them good night. After spending a Shabbos with the families of refugees who haven’t slept in their own beds for over 100 days already and probably won’t for who know how many months to come, even my house, my own bed, my Shabbos table around my dining room suddenly has so much more meaning. There is so much more that I have never appreciated and taken for granted all these years, that I realize I truly am not worthy of. There’s so much that I have to thank Hashem for and that I need to say Gomel for.

 That, writes Rav Kook, is the essence of this special blessing. He notes that the four categories of people that recite this bracha all correspond to the different blessings and perhaps even challenges that we have noticing and appreciating the goodness Hashem is always providing us with. The first one, those that travel through the desert are the refugees. The ones that have no home. Perhaps all their lives they only saw the amenities that they didn’t have, or the nice ones that their friends did that they may felt they were lacking. They don’t have enough rooms, the ceiling leaks, they wish they would have nicer weather, they had a bigger backyard, a swimming pool. They want a nice hotel breakfast and bigger kitchen. Well try spending a few days in the desert. Or maybe even get thrown out of your house to a five-star hotel in the Dead Sea for a few months and then you will see and thank Hashem for all the goodness your own four walls in your home really are, leaky roof and all.

 The second, those that travel over the Sea is for those that perhaps don’t appreciate where they are living. They think they need to go to Cancun. They want a cruise. The land and country where they live is just not enough for them. They need adventure. The same old-same old humdrum daily life and grind of going to work and coming home is boring. Is mediocre. It’s doesn’t give them the high or the thrill they seek. They don’t get how amazing their existence is. How blessed Hashem has made their lives. They think they are lacking, when in fact He has taken care of everything that we could ask for. Soldiers fighting in the land and sea and that haven’t had a normal day can tell you that they would do anything to rewind and go back to their normal lives. That they miss that day-to-day grind. “Chozrim la’Shigra- back to the regimen” is what so many here want. Yet now it is with an appreciation like never before in the obligation we had to thank Hashem for how much and for how long he set us up in what was in fact a truly perfect and blessed existence before this.

The last two that recite this blessing are the ones coming out of captivity and the ones who have recovered from an illness. They are more personal blessings. The most personal ones perhaps. The one who recites this blessing after undergoing some type of medical emergency and life-threatening medical experience knows and understands how precious the gift of life and health is. He was given it anew. Whereas before this he might’ve wished that he was skinnier, prettier, stronger, more capable, more energetic. Where we might’ve said if only Hashem had done this or that for me… or made me this way or that way… After facing death, we all realize how incredible it is that we wake up each morning and can breathe. That we have life that we can accomplish things with. That we have family that are around us and care for us and that we can give to you. That we can hug and kiss and be embraced by. Because so many don’t. Because so many didn’t make it through. Because so many loved ones have been lost and don’t have the life that we do. And then we bentch Gomel and thank Hashem for what we didn’t realize or appreciate He has done for us until now.

 Finally, the last category is the prisoner. The captive. The hostage. The one who has perhaps thought that he needed to be a free-spirit. That felt trapped in life. That feels stifled by Torah, by Mitzvos, by community, by family, by obligations. That perhaps always lived with a gnawing sense that the life that Hashem has given us is one that hampers our “growth” our “becoming” our sense of being. They/we/I want to be free. Well welcome to 210 years of Egypt. Welcome to jail. To slavery. To Gaza tunnels with Hamas terrorists imprisoning you. That’s what being “not free” is really like. That’s what lawlessness and no sense of direction and being stifled feels like. Ask our soldiers who have spent days and days on high alert in far flung places how much they long to daven with a minyan, to be able to return to the Beit Midrash, to put on tefillin or wear tzitzis. How much they long to attach themselves to Hashem and to His light rather than to struggle in the murky darkness of a godless world. Then you can understand how much we’ve missed and not appreciated about the beauty and pleasantness of the ways of Hashem and how fortunate we have always been to be chosen to be the ambassadors of that light to the world.

 I remember one of the first times I was driving around with some Pizzas and cigarettes for the soldiers and one soldier came over to me and asked me if I had tefillin for him to put on. I apologized and told him that I didn’t. I wasn’t in the habit to drive around with my tallit and tefillin, and to be honest he didn’t really look like anyone that I thought would be interested. The tattoos, piercings and ponytail he was sporting didn’t scream I really need some religious rituals or Torah. But I was wrong. He rebuked me.

  “What type of Rabbi are you to come around with out Talit and Tefillin?” he told me.

  I guess I was the cigarette, Pizza type, but that’s not what he was looking for. He wanted Hashem. He wanted light. He wanted to connect. He realized how much he had been missing in his pre-October 7^th life. He had been “Gomeled.”. And now he wanted to sing the song of Hashem. The song of forever. Of ‘Hashem Yimloch L’Olam Va’ed.’

 While we are singing the song of the Sea, our enemies and the nations and individuals of darkness are singing a different song. It is “From the River to the Sea”. One of my great colleagues mentioned to me that their call  and song is one that we as well should be echoing. The story of our Exodus in the Parsha two weeks ago begins with Moshe visiting Pharaoh and the plague of blood by the Nile River. It concludes this week with the splitting of the Sea. Our redemption will come from the river to the sea God willing this week. It will as well return us to our true borders which are from the other side of the Jordan River all the way up to that other River past Iran, Iraq and Syria, the Euphrates and take us all the way to the Sea which is not only the Gaza strip but to the Sea of Egypt and beyond. When we have the river to the Sea we will be able to set the whole world free. We will shine the light of Hashem upon the world. We will build that temple that He has been waiting for. And finally we will hear the entire world respond to our Gomel as is traditional.

 Mi she-g’malcha kol tov, hu yi-g’malcha kol tov selah.- May he who rewarded you with all goodness reward you with all goodness for ever

 Have a grateful appreciative restful Shabbos

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

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YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

"Ven me zol Got danken far guts, volt nit zein kain tzeit tsu baklogen zich oif shlechts.- If we thanked God for the good things, there wouldn’t be time to weep over the bad.

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

24.The "Ecce Homo" Arch was built according to the hypothesis in the study by the emperor_______.

What is another name for Pools of "Beit Hasda" (Bethesda Pools)?

a. Pool of Towers

b. Hezkiah's Pool

c. Sheep Gate Pools

d. Pools of Israel

 RABBI SCHWARTZ’S COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrCK7zLj2U0  - Check out this Famous Rabbi Schwartz and family Story of our Exodus from Egypt with my Va’Yosha composition

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuIB3ZKsXiQ  – Joey Newcomb’s latest One Note Niggun…

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxW57BL1EW4  – Yackov Shwekey’s latest Ten Li Koach- for return of Uri Danino and all hostages

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdZN0NYW0VY -  Kinos Be’eri wow… a lament for the kibbutz unreal…

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp-jJpj4dq4   - Gorgeous Eyal Golan latest Yeled Sheli

  

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S PARSHA PRAYER INSPIRATION OF THE WEEK

Dovid's Non- Prayer – This column has discussed how to pray and how to daven, this week’s parsha tells us that when the Jews were standing before the Yam Suf before it’s splitting and start to cry and to daven, Hashem tells them that they shouldn’t daven.

Ma Titzak eilai- For what are you crying out to Me? Speak to the Jewish people and let them travel.

 The Midrash on this verse tells us that Moshe asked Hashem what they should do if not pray. And Hashem responded

 “It is for you to sing song and praise to the One to whom the Kingship belongs.”

 It seems strange that at the moment of the greatest trouble when we are facing the army of Egypt with no where for us to go that it is at this dire moment Hashem tells us not to pray. What’s going on?

Reb Aharon Karliner asks another interesting question that I know has bothered me and I’m sure most of you that have recited the prayer before or after the recitation of Tehillim/ Psalms. There it states that we ask Hashem quite audaciously that He accepts our prayers

Ki’ilu amram Dovid HaMelech olav ha’Shalom b’atzmo- As if King David OB’M recited them himself. 

C’mon… You know that bothered you… Really? My simple prayers should be as if King David himself recited them! What’s that all about?

 So he answers with a story of a village of Jews who were facing a terrible decree from the king based on a false blood libel that levied against them. They realized that they the King would not necessarily be open to their request for clemency and even a hearing and so they waited for the opporotunity when they might be able to come into him. As they stood outside of the palace they saw a group of local peasants and farmers that were coming before the King with requests that he lower the taxes that they were suffering from as they had a very difficult year. The peasants though were typical ignorant polish peasants and they had no clue how to write their request and fill out the necessary paperwork to bring their request and gain access to the king. They approached the Jewis representatives standing there and asked if they could fill it out for them.

 The Jews seeing their opporotunity of course agreed and yet when they filled out the peasants petition rather than talk about the taxes they wrote about their own plight and the false blood libel and pending decree against themselves. When the peasants brought this petition before the King he took one look at it and asked the peasants what the meaning of all of this was. When they admitted that the Jews had filled out the form, the king smiled and laughed and appreciated the cleverness of the Jews and granted them an audience and accepted their request.

 Reb Aharon Karliner thus explains our prayer and how we must daven at certain times and moments that is perhaps the key to all of our prayers. He explains that when Dovid Ha’Melech davened he never davened for his own needs. He always directed his prayers for the Shechina, for Hashem’s praise.

Me’hulal ekra Hashem U’mei’oivai evashe’ah- I will praise as a I call to Hashem and I will be saved from my enemies. Dovid praised Hashem and then Hashem saved him from his enemies.

 When we daven we ask Hashem to not think of our prayers as we are davening for our own needs, our own troubles, our own salvation. Rather he should accept our prayers as if Dovid Ha’Melech is saying them to praise Hashem. We’re just saying the words. He wrote the letter, the plea; the petition. We’re like the polish farmers perhaps that don’t know how to write and we’re like the Jewish delegation that perhaps aren’t worthy to get an entrance to the King because we’re not sure if we’re worthy enough. But if we use the words of Dovid Ha’Melech and we come in with the praise of the King then we’re sure to be answered.

 That is what Hashem tells Moshe. Don’t daven for your needs. Just sing My praise and then you can travel. Then you’re in. Then the miracles will come.

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

734 BC The Exile continues- Things were getting worse and worse in the Northern kingdom of Israel. The previous kings Menachem and his son Pekachia were evil and as we said their pacification plan didn’t work as Pul the king of Assyria attacked and exiled the Eastern side of the Jordan and the land of Gilead with the two tribes of Reuvein and Gad. Pekachia ben Remalia Pekach’s general assassinated the King of Israel and took over the kingship with his men from Gilead and promised to make things better for the Jewish nation. Yet, like most politicians it was mere words. Hashem was running the show. He was trying to get us to teshuva. And yet our leaders didn’t realize this. Some things never changed.

 Under the rule of Pekach the next phase of the exile of the ten tribes continued with the continued attacks from Aram/ Syria from Pul who was more commonly and historically known as Tigleth Philesar the 3^rd. He attacked the North conquered and exiled most of the Northern Jewish settlements and tribes. Pretty much like has happened today. The Navi tells us of the tribe of Naftali which includes the settlements of Iyun near Mapal Ha’Tanur and the name of the nachal there today. Beit Avel and Kadesh which are around Kiryat Shmona, as well as Chatzor all the way down to the Kineret where Tiverya is. Basically, the entire Galile Panhandle. It’s hard to even fathom that here we  were just about 100-150 years before the destruction of the first Temple and almost 1/3 of Eretz Yisrael is already in the hands of goyim and our nation has been thrown out and are refugees.

 What is even more shocking though, is that it is at this time that Pekachia himself decides to create a civil war and fight against kingdom of Yehuda. As we will see next week this is not just a civil war but in fact there will be hostage and prisoner taking as brother fights against brother as the nations around us seek to destroy us… It’s the worst of times and getting worse.

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S FUNNY THANK YOU JOKES OF THE WEEK

Yankel was thinking about how good his wife was to him, so he prayed to god to give thanks. To the man’s astonishment, the booming Hashem spoke to him.

Yankel:” : “Hashem, I’m so grateful that you gave me my wife. If I may ask, my Lord, why did you make her so beautiful?”

Hashem-“ I made her so beautiful so that you could love her, my son.”

Yankel:” : And why did you make her so kind-hearted?

Hashem: “I made as such so that you could love her, my son.”

Yankel:” And why, did you make her such an amazing cook?

Hashem: “I blessed her with the talent of cooking so that you could love her, my son.”

Yankel: “Thank you, Hashem but forgive me but I must ask one more question. Why, did you make her so dumb?

Hashem “I made her dumb, my son, so that she could love you.”

Thank God we don't need to hunt for food anymore. I mean, I have no idea where pizzas live in the wild

Only in Israel will you find someone that tells you when you ask his affiliation “Baruch Hashem I'm an atheist”… Wait...

 There is this atheist swimming in the ocean. All of the sudden he sees this shark in the water, so he starts swimming towards his boat. As he looks back he sees the shark turn and head towards him. His boat is a ways off and he starts swimming like crazy. He’s scared to death, and as he turns to see the jaws of the great white beast open revealing its teeth in a horrific splendor, the atheist screams,

 “Oh God! Save me!”

In an instant time is frozen and a bright light shines down from above. The man is motionless in the water when he hears the voice of God say, “You are an atheist. Why do you call upon me when you do not believe in me?”

Aghast with confusion and knowing he can’t lie the man replies, “Well, that’s true I don’t believe in you, but how about the shark? Can you make the shark believe in you?”

The Lord replies, “As you wish,” and the light retracted back into the heavens and the man could feel the water begin to move once again.As the atheist looks back he can see the jaws of the shark start to close down on him, when all of sudden the shark stops and pulls back. Shocked, the man looks at the shark as the huge beast closes its eyes and bows its head and says, “Baruch Ata Hashem Elokeinu Melech Ha’Olam…”

 Right after takeoff, a pilot comes on the microphone to welcome his passengers. “Thank you for flying with us. The weather is....”

Then he suddenly starts screaming while still on the mic, “OH MY GOD! IT IS BURNING!!, IT IS BURNING!”

Then silence.

A few seconds later, he comes back on and says, “I’m terribly sorry about what happened. I spilled some scorching hot coffee on my lap...you should see my pants!!”

A voice from the back of the plane yelled, “Why don’t you come back here and see ours?”

 

Berel is at a looking to buy a horse, the horse trader leads him to a majestic white stallion. The horse trader said: "This horse can understand three commands, if you want it to walk, say “Praise Hashem”, if you want it to gallop say “Baruch Hashem” and if you want it to stop say “Please Hashem”.

Berel did not believe the horse trader, so he requested to try it out. He got onto the horse and then said: "Praise god." The horse started walking. He then said "Baruch Hashem" and the horse started galloping towards the end of the cliff. Berel panicked and forgot the phrase to stop the horse, it looked as if he was about to fall, he shouted out of fear: "Please Hashem” the horse stopped.

Berel, being relieved, said "Baruch Hashem”

 Thank you, student loans, for helping me get through college. I don't think I can ever repay you.

 "No thanks. I am a vegetarian." is a fun thing to say when someone hands you a baby.

 "Thank you for calling the NSA..." "The only government organization that **actually** listens to you!"

Be thankful for Doulas. They really help people out

I want to thank everyone here for teaching me the word "Plethora" It means a lot

I'd like to thank my legs for supporting me. My arms for always being by my side and my fingers... I could always count on them.

I once thanked a French guy to death It was a merci killing

 Thank you weight loss surgeons. What you do takes guts

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The answer to this week”s question is C– Wow! It never fails to amaze me how much information that I never need still is implanted in my brain. I thought for sure I got this one wrong and probably would’ve skipped it had I been taking the exam. But whadaya know… I got it right. I forgot the whole Christianity religion and gospel stuff, and to be honest really never paid much attention to it in  my course, as bubbeh mayseh- particularly from a religion that killed so many of us in the name of their false Messiah savior- was not something I ever thought I would need and certainly not guide. Yet, I remembered Hadrian’s famous Arch in the Old city on the Via Deloraosa- which is similar to the famous Titus Arch which was a victory Arch, as opposed to one that served a function as entrance to city wall. See the Roman’s didn’t have walls around the city. We shouldn’t either by the way. We as they did should just make it too scary for anyone to even think of attacking or invading us. Well it turns out that arch is also known as the Ecco Homo arch where Yoshka was shown before he was crucified and a whole derasha was given there.

 As far as part 2 I definitely didn’t have a clue about the pools but guessed Shepherds pool because I remembered something about some fake news “miracle” where Yoshka healed someone on Shabbos by bathing there and the Jews made a whole protest and it was a shepherds pool and I was right!  So both right this week again making the latest score is Rabbi Schwartz at 17.5 point and the MOT having 5.5 point on this latest Ministry of Tourism exam.

 

Yoni's Temple- Parshat Teruma 5779 / 2019

Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land
from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

February 8^th 2019 -Volume 9 Issue 19-3^rd of Adar I 5779

Parshat Terumah

Yoni’s Temple

Yoni’s an interesting guy. I like interesting guys. Many of us have dreams in life. I dream of having a car that doesn’t require me to spend half of today at the mechanic with. I have tourists that really dream of moving to Israel…one day. My wife dreamed of having 15 children, preferably boys with long curly chasidish payos. My kids dream that I won’t spend another whole week at home without tours, like this past one… Getting on their nerves. I call it parenting. But I think they believe I should leave that to their Mom. I don’t know all the rules and protocols. They’re probably right. Yoni however is not just a dreamer. Unlike all of the above. Yoni is actually doing something to fulfill his dream. He’s building the Beis HaMikdash.

OK let me back up a bit. He’s not really building the Temple in Yerushalayim. He doesn’t even in live in Yerushalayim. But he’s doing pretty much everything that needs to be done so that the second that shofar blast comes he will be already to get everything together to make it happen. His home, Beit HaMokeid, in Mitzpe Yericho is the training ground for his work and it is truly mind-blowing.
 On my most recent visit there with some of my tourists Yoni showed us his different centers. He first showed us the different shofars he has acquired. There are some for the Levi’im, some that are straight and some curved as well as some that would be trumpets. He’s got us covered. He showed us different spices he put together that are identified in the ketores/incense that would be used in the Temple. He spent years researching them. We even got to burn some. {There is a prohibition to make ketores for your own personal use but that is only with the precise measurements, Yoni assured us. And he knows…}.

He showed us the techelet that he discovered, which he believes is different than the ones that they sell in the stores. Don’t ask him why… It’s a really long conversation… He went scuba diving for these sea horses and is positive that they meet all the criteria described by our sages. He even gave us a glass of wine that he is positive is the only wine that can be used in the Beit Hamikdash. Because as he pointed out all of the wines in Israel today come from vines from France, Italy and California. Cabernets Bordeaux’s and Merlots. Beit HaMikdash wine has to come from vines that are indigenous to Israel. So he went digging for ancient vines after he met with all the top viticulturists (I googled that word) and archeologists in Israel. He then planted the vines and he just got the first batch of the fifth year vintage (you have to wait until the fifth year crop till you can drink it). He wasn’t sharing any. He says we may need it any day.

We walked around his yard. He is raising native Israel origin sheep and goats that are blemish free. None of those mixed breeds from other countries. He wants the ones that Avraham and Yaakov most likely shepherded and that were used in ancient time. He actually regularly shechts some as he has “sacrifice workshops” he runs for Kohanim. I’m not making this up.

He showed us where he hopes to get a martial arts expert to train little Kohen kids and adults how to grind wheat with their hand, which seems to be the law. I trust him on that and we tried it and it is not easy. Also he pointed out the Kohanim have to walk around barefoot and so their feet need to be really strong. Lots of running. I’m a first-born and supposedly the service is supposed to return to us. But I didn’t say anything, to him. I just might have to be the Kohen that sticks with BBQing the meat. I’m good at that.

Yoni is certainly a dreamer. But he’s not sitting back waiting for it to happen. More than anyone I know he is living and breathing daily the redemption. And I am too every time I visit him.
This week’s Torah portion begins the next phase of the Torah. Story time is over. No more plagues, no more revelations on Sinai, no more brotherly fights and Egyptian drama for a while. It’s nuts and bolts time. Building the Mishkan /Tabernacle with all its different parts and vessels. The measurements, the materials the method of building this house where the Divine presence would dwell are not the most fascinating part of the Torah to me. I can barely figure out how to put schach on my permanent sukkah. But after visiting Yoni, I decided to give it another peek.
The portion begins with the Hashem commanding Moshe to take up a collection from everyone who’s hearts are inspired to bring all the necessary materials to build the Mishkan. After all this  He commands

V’Asu li Mikdash V’Shachanti B’Sochum- And you shall make me a Mikdash-Temple and I will dwell amongst you.

It then continues and says

All that I show you the construction of the Mishkan and the construction of its vessels and so shall you do.

The strange thing that jumped out at me is that in the first verse it is called a Mikdash and then it is referred to as the building of the Mishkan. The mikdash/temple is a long way off. The temporary Tabernacle is seemingly what they were building.  Rashi therefore seemingly troubled by this notes, that the first verse is not referring to ‘the’ Temple, rather mikdash is just a term for a ‘house of holiness” that we should make for Hashem’s name. Only at the end of the second verse where it commands you “so you shall do” is the Torah referencing the Temple that will be in Jerusalem, or as Rashi puts it ‘l’doros’- for future generations.

Rav Moshe Feinstien has an incredible insight here. He asks how is it possible to make a house that is holy? Only Hashem can make a place holy. We can only make a house and hope He resides his divine presence in it. His answer is that we in fact can. If we recognize that everything we have is from Hashem, it already is holy. We merely need to give it to Him. Uplift it for Him. Holy things are built out of holy materials. Holy materials become holy when a Jew reveals the spark of holiness in it; when he brings it up to Hashem. It’s why, suggests Rav Moshe, the Torah tells us what is needed before telling us what is to be built. First we need to sanctify it all and give it with heart. Only then is it a house of holiness that can then be a place where the divine presence will rest.

This is a command, for generations. The Chasidic Rebbes note that every Jew in every generation has the command to build a “house of holiness”. How do you build that house? Ask Yoni. He would tell you that everything has to be done by the “Book”. The way the Torah tells us. No cheap French wine knockoffs. As well everything has to be done with heart. Asher yidveno libo- he whose heart inspires him. If you’re holding back, it’s because you’re having a hard time wrapping your brain around the fact that none of it is yours anyways. It’s all from Hashem. We’re just here to unveil those sparks. But perhaps most importantly we have to believe that we really could build that house. Build a house for Hashem. Hmmmmm. I can barely get my house nice enough for my Mother-in-Law (J). A house for Hashem?

That’s why you need to visit Yoni. The Sefat Emet reads the first words of our Torah portion homiletically. It begins
Vayikchu li teruma me’eis kol ish…- A person should take for Me something uplifting from every person.

We need to learn from everyone. Yoni isn’t just everyone. He’s just a Jew that doesn’t just dream or daven, but really is working to build the beis hamikdash. He knows that Hashem put him and us here for one purpose and one purpose only; to bring his presence down to this earth. And if Hashem chose us to be here, He probably knows what He was doing. So we could do it. He is doing it. And I hope to be there right there by his side…. I really want to taste that wine. It would certainly be a hit by our Purim Seuda.

Have a dreamy Shabbos!

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

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RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

“Men ken machen dem cholem grosser vi di nacht..”– You can make a dream bigger than the night..

RABBI SCHWARTZES COOL VIDEOS OF THE WEEK

https://youtu.be/GdnxER4EbPY   – For those that missed it Nachum Segals Halftime show. From what I understand the only thing worth watching at this years Superbowl

https://youtu.be/mPmR7bzw7ng  -Here’s yoni showing off the beginning of the mizabyach he is building

https://youtu.be/SEWLf673MKY  - The Crockpot show- Not Ben Shapiro-Mordechai Shapiro…. Strangest interview ever. It is painfully hilarious if you can watch it.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajpRIBwFYjU   -  Once we’re on the subject of dreams here’s Shulem Lemmer doing A Million Dreams beautiful!

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

Q The following were the first to break into the old city of Jerusalem in the Six Day War:

A. The Har’el and the Jerusalem Brigade

B. The Paratroopers and the Jerusalem Brigade

C. The tank reconnaissance and the Har’el Brigade

D. The Paratroopers and Golani Brigade

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S “LOMDUS” CONNECTION OF THE WEEK

Parshat Teruma– There’s a rule our sages tell us that divrey torah “aniyim b’makom echad v’ashirim b;makom acher”- the words of the Torah are ‘poor’ in one place and are ‘enriched’ in another. Meaning that if one place you feel that you are missing something, then look around a bit, you may find the treasure you seek someplace else. Not everyone knows that they are poor though. A lamdan, however never reads things simply. He asks questions many times that might seem obvious but that others might just move ahead with. He then looks for the treasure that will enrich the text someplace else.

In this week’s Torah portion the Torah tells us the material used in the building of the Mishkan/ Tabernacle. It lists the necessary building materials that would be used. Let’s see if you can spot which of these things are not like the other to quote Sesame Street.

Shemos (25:3) and this is the portion you shall take from them: gold, silver and copper; techelet (blue wool) purple wool and scarlet wool; and linen and goats. Red dyed ram skins and tachash skins and Shittim wood.

So which of these things are not building materials? Beehhh… you get it? Yes, goats seemingly are not things you build with. Rashi therefore notes that the goats are in fact goat’s hair. So most of us would be fine with that, but not the Brisker Rav. See when I’m in the mood steak I usually ask for some cow. I just think it’s a cute way to ask for it. But the Torah is not cute. Why say goats and not specify the hairs of goats? The next verse tells us that they took skins of rams and tachashim (a mysterious animal). So why not say hairs of goats?

Zugt the Brisker Rav, looks someplace else. In the portion of Vayakhel in the recounting of what was brought the Torah tells us

Shemos (35:25) All the women whose hearts inspired them with wisdom spun the goats.

Those of you that review the parsha each week with Rashi should already get a feeling where we are going with this. So Rashi explains over there that they would spin the fleece while it was still on the goats. (The seforno explains that goats here loses its luster each time it is handled so in order to maximize its shine they would do it on the goats). The Rav notes however the context of this verse is just a recapping of what everyone brought, the other verses don’t tell us that how they made anything; not how the wood was carved, how the wools were dyed. Why is it telling us how the goats hair was spun?

So if you put the two pieces together you have an answer. They actually brought goats as it tells us in our Torah portion. As opposed to everything else that was inanimate the goats had to be brought live. Why? So look in parshat Vayakhel where the words are enriched and the reason given is because the women needed to weave on the goats themselves. And there you have it do you feel enriched?

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

Mt. Blessing and Curse 1272 BC – At this point I am writing this column with my finger in my tanach. We’ll see what I do once we finish the tanach period. The problem however comes when you realize that Tanach is not necessarily in chronological order. Or as our sages tell us ein mukdom u’miuchar batorah- there is no earlier and later in the Torah. It’s not a history book. Was never meant to be one. So therefore when I arrived at the next story I realized that we had gone out of order. Oh well, there’s a lesson in that as well.

See the day that we crossed the Jordan River into Israel, we marched all the way up to the two mountains in the middle of the Shomron. It’s about 40 or so miles (67 KM). According to google maps only a good 15 hour journey. Not bad for a million or so people to do in one day. They brought with them the 12 stones that they hauled out of the Jordan River and then Yehoshuah wrote “the Torah” on them in 70 languages. What exactly “The Torah means is up for debate. Some see it as just the blessings and curses that were recited on the mountain to the entire nation, while half stood on one mountain and half on the other. Other sages see it as the entire Torah so that all the nations could come and read it, despite the fact that it was plastered over. And yet other commentaries believe it was merely the 10 commandments or the book of Devarim written by Moshe. Whatever it was it was certainly monumental. Literally.

So seemingly these two mountains should not be too hard to place. Some of the commentaries explain that it was particularly written not in chronological order after the story of the battle of Yericho and Ai because it was giving us the geographical “Waze” directions to get there. Pointing out the miracle that they passed all these enemy cities on that day that we came in to Israel and no one started up with us.

In fact, if you are in the Shomron near Shechem there are two mountains Mt. Gerizim is the mount of Bracha and Eival the curse. In fact, Gerizim is well preserved as the Shomronim that live there- basically these phony Jews that date themselves back to the first Temple, actually believe that Har Bracha is the Temple Mount and they offer sacrifices there. Which is certainly cool to see. It would make sense that these are the mountains as the Torah tells us they are near Elon Moreh which we know is Shechem.

But not everything is always as it seems. See the Torah tells us it is near Gilgal as well and this is not near Gilgal which is closer to Yericho. It’s also not near the Jordan River which as well is mentioned in the Torah as part of its location. Also as those who are there can see it is really quite impossible for half to be on one mountain and the other half to be on the other and for them to actually see and certainly not hear what is going on from the valley in between. Unless it was miraculous which is certainly the opinion of the Bavli it would seem.

 The Yerushalmi on the other hand quotes an opinion that it is not the mountains near Shechem rather it was too small hills they formed near Gilgal. Yeah, that’s what tour guiding in the Jewish country is like. Whenever you think you find something there will always be someone else that says it’s not for real. But that’s part of the fun of touring. You always get to learn and appreciate the texts and descriptions as something practical- as its meant to be- rather than some Tolkien map of some make believe Hobbit world.

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S DREAM JOKES  OF THE WEEK

Iranian president Rouhani calls Trump and tells him, "Donald, I had a wonderful dream last night. I could see America, the whole beautiful country, and on each house I saw a banner."

"What did it say on the banners?" Trump asks.

 Hassan replies, "UNITED STATES OF IRAN."

Trump says, "You know, Hassan, I am really happy you called, because believe it or not, last night I had a similar dream. I could see all of Tehran, and it was more beautiful than ever, and on each house flew an enormous banner."

"What did it say on the banners?" Hassan asks.

Trump replies, "I don't know. I can't read Hebrew."

 Moshe was talking to his psychiatrist. "I had a weird dream recently," he says.

 "I saw my mother but then I noticed she had your face. I found this so worrying that I immediately awoke and couldn't get back to sleep. I just stayed there thinking about it until 7am. I got up, made myself a slice of toast and some coffee and came straight here. Can you please help me explain the meaning of my dream?"
The psychiatrist kept silent for some time, then said, "One slice of toast and coffee? Do you call that a breakfast?"

A minister told his friend Rabbi Goldman, "Last night, I dreamed of the Jewish Heaven. It was a slum, and it was overflowing with people – running, playing, talking, sitting – doing all sorts of things. But the dream, and the noise, was so terrific that I woke up."

The rabbi said, "Really? Last night, I dreamed of the Protestant Heaven. It was a nice, proper suburb, with neatly trimmed lawns, and houses all neatly lined up."
"And how did the people behave?" asked the minister.
"What people?"

A woman woke up one morning and told her husband, “I just dreamed that you gave me a pearl necklace for Valentine’s Day. What do you think it means?”

Her husband replied, “You’ll know tonight!”

His wife was ecstatic. Her heart melted in romance as she anticipated her husband’s gift.

That evening the man came home with a small package and gave it to his wife.

Excited and delighted, she opened it and found inside a book entitled: “The Meaning of Dreams.”

And while we’re on the subject..

Yankel was in trouble. He forgot his wedding anniversary. His wife was really upset.
She told him "Tomorrow morning, I expect to find a gift in the driveway that goes from 0 to 200 in 6 seconds AND IT BETTER BE THERE !!"
The next morning Yankel got up early and left for work. When his wife woke up, she looked out the window and sure enough there was a box gift-wrapped in the middle of the driveway.
Confused, the wife put on her robe and ran out to the driveway, brought the box back in the house.
She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale.
Yankel has been missing since Friday.

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Answer is B–  I love multiple choice questions particularly these when you have two factors in every question because then you can really narrow it down. Truth is I wasn’t sure if it was Jerusalem brigade or Harel brigade, but I definitely knew that it was the Paratroopers. So it was easy to then narrow it down, because it certainly wasn’t the Golani and so I continue with the  score is Schwartz 15 and 1 for MOT (Ministry of Tourism) on this exam so far.