Insights and Inspiration
from the
Holy Land
from
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
***************************
RABBI SCHWARTZ COOL VIDEO CLIPS OF THE WEEK
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
- Israel will provide Jordan with
water
- Israelis will be allowed to
cross into Jordan on the Allenby Bridge
- 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.
**************
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.
