Death and Life- Parshat Vayechi 2023 5784

 Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land

from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

December 29^th 2023 -Volume 13 Issue 12 17^th of Tevet 5784

 

Parshat Vayechi

 Death and Life

 

Spoiler Alert- You’re brain will explode at the end of this E-Mail and you will cry and be moved as I am.

We sat with Avi and cried with him as he told us the story of his son Naor. We looked at his picture, at his glowing beautiful face filled with so much light, with such a smile. It was just a few months the picture was taken at his brother’s wedding. He was with his girlfriend of 6 years, Sivan, who during shiva their Rabbi who came to visit them told them had met with the two of them to discuss getting married. They were so beautiful together. They had a life planned, a family to build, and on October 7^th all of that came to an end as they were in the first home in Kfar Azza to be attacked and massacred by these Hamas monsters who terrorized them for hours, before brutally killing them.

 

It took three days until Avi got word that their bodies were found. 8 days until Sivan’s body was positively identified and 10 until Naor’s was. I didn’t ask why it took so long to identify the bodies. The pictures of what the bullet ridden, burnt small apartment they were staying in that Shabbos that Sivan’s parents arranged for them told me more than I ever wanted to know. Moshe and Baruch who had come in, as many good people are from America the past few weeks to visit and give chizuk to families whose lives have been shattered by this terrible tzara and war we are going through recited Kel Malei Rachamim- memorial prayer for Na’or and Sivan and we lit a candle for their souls. We sang Ani Maamin. We hugged and we kissed, and we cried together. And on my way out I gave them a small little flower pot with a poem on it from the Chesed Shel Emet organization that I’ve been working with along with a short poem, a list of contact information for all of the Organizations and Government rights and support that they may have and can access, as well as a thousand shekel gift card to stores that they can shop in.

 

I left the house and sat down on the bench and cried. It’s so hard. There’s so much pain. So much death that we are surrounded by these days. Every morning we wake up another 3-6 pictures of soldiers that were killed. Young boys, fathers, husbands, brothers, sisters. So many shivas, so many funerals. Ad Masai- how much more, Hashem? How much must your nation suffer? Later that evening we went to an exhibit in the Tel Aviv Expo of a recreation of the Nova festival. It was Aushwitz in Israel. Tables and tables of shoes, sneakers, sandals. There were boxes of glasses, of toys, knapsacks. There were tents with sleeping bags, racks and racks of clothing. It looked like Walmart, but each of the belonged to someone. They were all what was gathered from the 3000 people that were at the festival in which hundreds were killed and kidnapped from. They recreated the bar with the environmentally correct cups that they would give you a free chaser or bottle of water if you returned, rather than threw out, because for most of the people that were attending the festival the worst thing that they thought could happen in the world was that the planet would melt from global warming. Little did they know the real threat was the Satanic animals that were plotting the genocide of our nation a few miles away.

 

I looked at the burnt cars there, shot up and set on fire with their fleeing passengers inside. The seats had all been taken out and buried. The ashes gathered as well. And then I just walked through picture after picture of everyone that was there, the videos taken from phones of them dancing, living, singing just hours before. And now all there is left is an exhibition. Sadness. Pain…

 

Yet in all of this there is something else going on as well. There is life. There is light. There is hope. Am Yisrael Chai, is the song that is on everyone’s lips. We are alive. We are living. We are eternal. Before October 7^th I don’t think many saw it that way. There was so much division, fighting, politics. The doomsayers spoke of civil war. Of the destruction of democracy. And yet divinely ironically when the worst moment that no one ever foresaw actually came. We shined life again. In the death and destruction we rose and continue rising like a phoenix from a fire. Am Yisrael Chai.

 

This week’s parsha, the last of the book of Bereishis before we begin Sefer Shemot that our sages refer to as the book of Redemption, is named Vayechi- and Yaakov lived. Yet, the parsha in fact is one that discusses his death. Life and death. Yet, there’s a fascinating Talmud that Rashi quotes on the verse that describes the death of Yaakov. The Pasuk tells us.

 

And Yaakov concluded commanding his sons, and he drew his legs [up] into the bed, and expired and was brought into his people.

 

Rashi notes that the Torah doesn’t specifically use the word “death” in regards to Yaakov’s passing

 

“… and our Rabbis of blessed memory said: Our father Yaakov did not die.”

 

The Talmud in Taanis tells us that there were two Rabbis Rebbi Nachman and Rebbi Yitzchak were eating, and Rebbi Yitzchak who had come to visit from Israel to Bavel and during the meal they were sharing he said over this teaching about Yaakov that he had heard from his Rebbi, Rebbi Yochanan. There as well Rashi even takes it a step further and says

“Elah hu chai l’olam -He is not dead- but rather he lives forever”

 

 Rebbi Nachman turned to him incredulously and asked.

 

“And then was it for nothing that the eulogizers eulogized him and the embalmers embalmed him and the buriers buried him?

 

Rebbi Yitzchak responds that this idea is in fact derived from a verse

“… as it is stated: “Therefore do not fear, Yaakov My servant, says Hashem, neither be dismayed, Yisrael, for I will save you from afar, and your seed from the land of their captivity” (Jeremiah 30:10).

 

This verse juxtaposes Yaakov to his seed: Just as his seed is alive when redeemed, so too, Yaakov himself is alive.

 

It’s a strange Talmud and back and forth. Seemingly Rebbi Nachman and Rashi understand that Rebbi Yitzchak is not merely talking metaphorically. Otherwise he wouldn’t have asked his question. We all know that there is eternal life. In many places our sages tell us that the righteous are called living even in their death.  The truth is even in the beginning of the parsha and many places Rashi mentions Yaakov’s death and his passing. So did he die or didn’t he? As well what is answer of Rebbi Yitzchak to the question about Yaakov being buried and embalmed? What is the verse about the children of Israel being redeemed eventually have to do with Yaakov physically dying or not?

 

The answer though really is to understand the word Chayim- life in Jewish thought. Being alive in Judaism means being connected to the function of our existence. An animal is called a chaya- because its mere existence fulfills it’s purpose. Its job is to breathe. As long as it does so it alive. A human though has chayim- life, only as long he is perpetuating what he is here to do. In Jewish life that is to reveal the light of Hashem in the world. When one dies, he can’t do that anymore. He is meis- dead. Interestingly enough the word for death meis are the last two letters of the word emes- truth. They’re just missing the alef- which represents the number One. Hashem. One is meis- dead when they are disconnected from Hashem Echad- the Oneness of the our Creator, what the Kabbalists call the Aleph of the world.

 

Our sages tell us that someone that doesn’t have children, is like a dead person. This is not just someone who doesn’t have physical children, but also someone who doesn’t leave a perpetuating legacy after themselves. Which incidentally someone who never merited to marry or have descendants can still do through creating eternal legacies in the acts that they do. Many great Rabbis never had children, but adopted children, founded organizations, created Torah works, institutions, had students all which continue to perpetuate and reveal the light of Hashem even after their passing. Death only occurs, when ones light is extinguished. But as long as the flame is still burning, that person is still chai. They are still alive.

 

Parshat Vayechi, is not the story of the death of Yaakov. It is the story of how he is still alive. The parsha tells us the story of his blessings to his children and grandchildren. How he lit that torch in each of them, before his passing. How he gave each one of them the strength and the power to move forward and keep his flame alive. The Torah doesn’t use the word death when it comes to Yaakov, because he is still chai. He is eternal because we his children are still here.

 

Rebbi Nachman understands this concept as well, he asks though but isn’t there something to be said for the fact that they eulogized him, they embalmed him, they buried him. Isn’t there a point to mourning? Isn’t there some form of closure that is necessary? To move on. To get back to normal. There are so many today that are undergoing this terrible situation that they don’t even have a body to bury. They have children captured in Gaza, that may be dead. That Hamas may be holding their bodies. Isn’t there something to be said to be focused on that?

 

Vechi b’kdi sapdu oso- is it for nothing that they did that?

 

His question comes after the destruction of the 2^nd Temple. When we lost it all. When we were exiled. When so many murdered and were killed. Isn’t there something to be said for a holocaust museum. A monument? To embalm and preserve the dead body a bit? The tragedy, the horror..?

To that Rebbi Yitzchak who had come from Israel told him that Rabbi Yochanan told him that there isn’t. Just as when we were exiled after the second temple Yirmiyahu prophecizes and takes out his harps by the river of Babylon and sings Am Yisrael Chai, the children of Israel are still alive. We aren’t dead. So too Yaakov is not dead.

 

This morning I got a phone call from Avi, Naor’s father. His voice was trembling. He wanted to thank me and he had something special that he had to tell me. I broke down as well. I asked him to put into writing and this is what he sent me.

 

“Dear Rabbi Schwartz,

I wanted to tell you that yesterday was one of the most moving days of our lives. It was my dear wife Galit’s birthday yesterday. We sat all day in the house depressed and broken. We couldn’t find it in ourselves to celebrate. Our dear son Naor was not with us. Naor was murdered on October 7^th on Kiddush Hashem. At around 12:00 you arrived with your friends from America to hear about our dear son. We spoke with you about what a giving boy he was with boundless love and respect for everyone. We looked at pictures. We told you how close he was with his mother and how hard it is for us that he is not with us. It was very emotional and meaningful to us.

 

Before you left you gave my wife a small present. That evening we opened it up and we were in shock. We were in speechless…. We felt that Naor had sent you to us. The gift was the same that he would give to his mother every year on his birthday. There was a gift card to shop for clothing in her favorite store. We felt that Naor sent angels to us on her birthday to bring her the present that he always would give her on this day. He wanted that his mother shouldn’t be sad and for her and us to understand that he is always with her and watching over her and will never forget her. And he sent angels to our house . This was very meragesh… Thank you angels for giving us this gift. We will never forget this day…

 

With love always Avi.

 

Am Yisrael Chai!

 

Have a strengthened Shabbat Chazak

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz 

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YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

“Az men ken nit iberharn dos shlechteh, ken men dos guteh nit derleben.- If you can’t endure the bad, you’ll not live to witness the good.

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

20.The Hebrew date of the declaration of the Independence of Israel is ___________.

What was determined to be the status of Jerusalem according to the partition decision of the land of

Israel in the United Nations?

A. All of Jerusalem would be under Arab control

B. All of Jerusalem would be under Jewish control

C. Jerusalem would be under international control

D. Part of Jerusalem would be under Jewish control and part under Arab control

 

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

 

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/yesimcha   - This week’s Torah Portion my magnificent Yesimcha Elokim and the blessing of children! Thank You Yitz Berry for vocals and arrangements

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcLCe5iBvVc   – The Gospel according to Berkley- Eretz nehederet’s latest Hamas spoof!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyI2GPDDLWc     – Homeland Concert Bring them Home Caesarea Amazing…

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9Ww4cDVZng   -  Anushim K’Malauchim- Men like angels Motty Illowitz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYmghzgz5qM    - Benny Friedman’s latest release Lo Lifached powerful lyrics..

 

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S PARSHA PRAYER INSPIRATION OF THE WEEK

Longing for Redemption – In the blessing of Yaakov to the tribe of Dan in this week’s parsha he concludes with three words that perhaps become the mantra of our nation and all we daven for.

L’yeshuoscha kivisi Hashem- I long for Your redemption Hashem.

No matter what we were going through, no matter how far a Jew is from their faith and observance, the words Ani Maamin that we long for Mashiach have been on our lips. It is the hope of our nation. Our national anthem in Israel of Hatikva- the Hope- is for that day to come .

In our Shemona Esrei there is a fascinating insight on that one blessing that connects directly to this longing. It’s interesting that many of the blessings conclude with the reason why we are turning to Hashem and ask Him to answer our prayers.

The first one is third blessing we recognize Hashem’s holiness because

Ki Kel Melech Gadol V’Kadosh- because You are the great and holy King

In the fifth blessing we ask Hashem for forgiveness

Ki Mochel V’Solayach Ata- because You atone and are forgiving

In the next blessing for redemption from troubled times

Re’eh Na- we conclude because You are the strong Redeemer. The same with the blessing for healing. It’s because You are the Faithful healing and merciful King. And it continues in many of the blessings.

The one exception to the rule is the blessing of Es Tzemach Dovid- the blessing for the sprouting up of the seed of Dovid. The prayer for Mashiach. There it concludes fascinatingly.

Ki li’yeshuoscha kivinu kol ha’yom- because we long for Your redemption all day.

We don’t ask Hashem to redeem us because He is the One who can bring Mashiach. Rather He should do so because we long for it to happen. Let that thought sit in your brain. It’s an amazing idea. In the same way that Hashem is the healer, the forgiver, the source of all Holiness. There is one thing though that we have. That we have the same power of Hashem to reveal. That is the coming of Mashiach. Mashiach and the redemption is waiting to happen. We just need to want it. We need to open the door.

Do you know what the bracha is really telling Hashem? It’s telling Hashem that we are coming to the doorbell that is ringing for us. We’ve been waiting for the Mashiach package to come. We’ve been waiting all day. We’ve been waiting for 2000 years. We haven’t given up hope. That is what Yaakov teaches us in this blessing. He wanted to reveal the end of days to his children and he does so in these three simple words.

L’yeshuoscha kivisi Hashem!

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

Short on Time this week… Will IYH pick this column up next week…

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S FUNNY MEMES/ JOKES OF THE WEEK

 

We’ve arrived at my favorite week of the year. Goyishe Chol Hamoed

 

Muhammed was an Ashkenazi Jew. Turning this statement into a pretty post doesn’t make it true it just spread lies that have important ramifications. Stop spreading lies.

 

For a group that inists anit-Zionism isn’t anti-semitism, the sure said the quiet part out louf when they planned a protest at a literal Holocaust Museum.

 

Gazalighting- Gaza-lighting/verb

Phsycological manipulation where one who commits atrocities uses the response to gain sympathy for their actions

Example:

Bob kidnapped a baby and chopped off his head and put it in an oven and then complained when he was arrested.

 

Harvard, UPenn, MIT… seemed to be more concerned with pronouns: He, She, They, Them,

Than verbs

Murder, Rape, Behead, Kidnap

 

2020 conversation with woke liberal

“I’m Unvaccinated”

“OMG, You’re literally trying to kill me!!”

2023 conversation with same woke liberal

“I’m literally going to kill you and commit genocide”

“Assalamu Aleikum, brother!”

  

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The answer to this week”s question is C – A no brainer. If you don’t know the answer to this don’t become a tour guide. Yom Ha’Atzmaut is Hei Iyar 1948. And Jerusalem under the partition plan was meant to be an international city… Yeah right… Thank God that didn’t happen. Actually until 1967 the old city was Judenrein and under Jordanian control. Imagine if they would’ve had the whole thing… Baruch Hashem we had the new city of Yerushalayim at least. It took us 19 years until we got back the Kotel and the Temple Mount. Now we need to finish that return to our borders with Gaza, Syria and Lebanon as well.  So this is another one right making the latest score is Rabbi Schwartz at 14.5 point and the MOT having 4.5 point on this latest Ministry of Tourism exam.

Eternal Cows, Calves and Joy- Parshat Ki Tisa- Parah 2023 5783

 

Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land

from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

March 10^th 2023 -Volume 12 Issue 21 17^th of Adar 5783

 

Parshat Ki Tisa/ Parah

Eternal Cows, Calves and Joy

I’m after-glowing. And a bit hungover to be honest. There’s nothing like Purim. It’s the highest of the high. We enter a different plane of existence. It’s pure joy, pure ecstasy. It’s dancing and singing and soaring. It’s hugging and kissing and blessing everyone and getting blessings back from them. And it’s absolutely exhausting.

It’s a remarkable and inspiring day. I’ve been watching some statuses on Whatsapp and checking out some OnlySimchai Insta and Facebook posts and I just find it so amazing. It’s almost 2500 years since this miracle and our salvation took place in Persia and yet the dancing, the costumes, the parties, the feasts, the festivities, and celebrations that go on in our communities around the entire world is as if we just averted the Holocaust yesterday. I compare the joy that I see on Purim to the celebrations and festivities that I’ve seen in black and white movies of the 5^th of Iyar 1948 when the State of Israel was declared or on ‘kaf tet” of November 1947 when the Partition Plan was announced in that historic UN vote; the first time in 2000 years that the Jews have returned and established a national Jewish homeland recognized by the world. Or alternatively the joy and euphoria on that first Yom Yerushalayim when we saw miracles like never before when Hashem saved us against all odds and we were returned to the Kotel, the Har Ha’Bayis, to Chevron and the Golan Heights and we quadrupled the size of our country. I hate to tell you this though, but guess what? Those historic days, despite them being so recent and perhaps of even greater historical significance have nothing on the types of celebration and joy that are experienced and exhibited on every Purim. Isn’t that remarkable?

I just watch the videos and see the costumes, the children, the parades, the dancing, the truly expressed Simcha exploding from the deepest, most powerful and intimate places of every single Jew and it’s so inspiring. It’s so holy. It’s almost unexplainable. I understand watching these videos why despite the hesitation after the first year of the miracle whether to establish the holiday as an eternal one in the Jewish year, that when the second year came around the Rabbis and sages at the time of Mordechai and Esther understood and felt in the air that this was something unique. That the joy of Purim will never be nullified from our nation. Not from them nor their descendants after them. It is a day that was established into the fabric of time when every year we can tap into that joy and shine it out to the world. It is something that is forever.

Fascinatingly enough, this past Purim I tapped into something holy and deep that also I believe non-coincidentally is at the opposite extreme eternal. The idea really started with last week’s E-Mail when I delved into the Yom Kippur and Purim connections. (If you missed that E-Mail here’s the link for Rabbi Schwartze’s Top Ten list right here https://holylandinsights.blogspot.com/2023/03/splenda-vs-sugar-yom-kippur-vs-purim.html . It’s worth the long Megilla read and who knows you may even be inspired to contribute to our campaign afterwards. If you’re not and or if you haven’t yet, it means that there’s still some Amalek left in you and it’s a problem...) The first item on the top ten list was that both Purim and Yom Kippur start off with a gezeiras Shmad- a threat of genocide of men, women, children- all of us. Yet whereas on Purim it was coming from Haman. By Yom Kippur that threat was coming from Hashem after the sin of the Golden Calf which we read about this week. Purim we “rested” from our enemy (nachu mikol oyveihem) whereas on Yom Kippur Hashem who had asked Moshe “hanicha li v’achalem- leave me and I will destroy them”, and Who later says that if He remains in our presence, He will destroy us ba’derech- on the road. B’rega echad- in one moment. Yet He as well, ultimately told Moshe lech nechei es ha’am- to give us rest, va’yinachem al ha’ra and he regretted the bad that He had planned for us.

If this doesn’t sound like a Purim story yet, here’s a few more clues on the verses that I just quoted you. Amalek comes ba’derech- always; when we leave Egypt, before us entering the land, in the times of Shaul before the kingship of Dovid Ha’Melech. They’re always there on that road trying to block us like those idiot protestors whom I hate like Amalek. Both Chareidi ones and secular ones. I don’t like people that block me ba’derech and it goes back to the beginning of our nation it seems.

As well the sefarim tell us that the word Rega- a moment is an acronym for RE’ishis G’oyim A’malek. Amalek is always trying to lock us into the moment and not see big picture. It’s crazy to say it, but it’s almost as if Hashem is like Amalek by the Eigel story- not that we didn’t deserve it- but on both days it was all switched and flipped. Our decree to be destroyed was averted.

I was a little bit skeptical about this, but as I continued to review the parsha of the golden calf, I found more and more hints, allusions and similarities to the Purim story. It jumps out almost every pasuk, and I’m sure if you review the parsha with this in mind you will find many similarities of your own. Let’s take it from the start.

The story starts when Moshe is delayed, and the Jews come to Aharon and asks him to make them a god because Moshe who took us up from Egypt

“Lo yada’anu me hayah lo”- we don’t know what happened to him.

It all starts with the Ad d’lo yada- the insane need and desire for the Jewish people to know. On Purim as well we don’t know the difference between Haman and Mordechai. Between being in Galus and being redeemed. We’re eating off the vessels of the Temple in galus. We want an alternate comfortable Beit Midrash or Beit Knesset in Persia. “He who lives in Chutz la’aretz is like he has no god”. We forgot that in Persia. We forget that today. We dance around golden bimas in the midbar and forget that we are ba’derch to somewhere. On Purim though, we fix it by getting rid of our da’as. Stop trying to figure it out.

As well the post golden calf epilogue is Moshe telling Hashem that I want to know you. The Jews want to know you.

“And Moshe said to Hashem See, You told me take up this nation. And yet you didn’t make known to me who You will send with me. And You said I will be known to you by name, and You have found favor in my eyes. And now if I please have found favor in Your eyes. Let me know Your ways. And I will know You. In order to find favor in Your eyes, and see that this nation is Yours.”

It’s all about knowing Hashem. Even more fascinating and you really can’t miss it. Moshe keeps repeating and making requests from Hashem- the King, repeating one caveat. “I have found favor in Your eyes”. Im Motzasi chein b’enecha Ha’Melech…. If I have found favor in Your Eyes-the King. Guess who else in the Megilla keeps saying that. That’s right none other than Esther. And just as Esther has to tell and inform the King who her nation is. Moshe as well is telling Hashem who His nation is. Who He’s “married” to…As well, just as by Moshe there is the initial conversation that convinces Hashem not to destroy us followed by a second request the next day to show how much he favors us. The Purim story as well has Esther asking for a second day to show that Achashveirosh really has favor for the Jews. Pretty amazing isn’t it?

Throw into that story as well how Esther is all nervous about whether she can see the face of the king without being called, with Mordechai not coming inside the palace of the king as he is in mourning and again, we see the Eigel connection with Moshe being sent out of the camp while, the Jews are wearing garments of mourning. It’s a Purim story.

But let’s go back to the beginning of the story as again we see many connections; some more fun than others. What does Aharon tell the Jews when they are so busy trying to activate their da’as. Pirku nizmei ha’zahav mei’aznei- remove the gold from their ears. We were too fartshtupped with gold after we left Egypt. It was coming out of our ears. Just as in Persia and in other exiles when we have too much gold- we forget we’re ba’derech to Eretz Yisrael. Remove that gold from your ears. Isn’t it cool that on Purim we eat, the ears of Haman. We remove those ears. Gives your Hamantash a whole new meaning, doesn’t it?

There’s an incredible Rashi that tells us what Aharon’s plan was, that really needs to be read a few times to appreciate what he was thinking. He tells the Jews to wait until tomorrow before they do anything. Give it a day. The Purim story as well is always about Amalek tomorrow everywhere we find a battle with Amalek it takes place machar, the next day. But Rashi tells us that Aharon told himself

“His heart was for heaven. For he was certain that Moshe would come and they would serve Hashem.”

Amazing isn’t it. Here the Jews had just killed Chur; the gadol ha’dor. They murdered him in cold blood. They were dancing and partying around and around a fake god- (yes, the dancing, singing and tzchok- levity even, is all Purim as well). There is no greater perikus ol-rebellion greater than this. Our sages tell us that it’s like a bride that sins on her way from the chupa on her wedding night. And yet, Aharon is confident that in one second, we will do teshuva. That the worst of the worst of our nation will see the light and return. He was confident that we will serve Hashem and turn it all around. For Aharon sees and understands that it is all not really us. It’s the Satan. It’s a costume. It’s the gold. But the heart of every Jew deep inside is untainted. We are His nation and He is our God. We may not be able to see His face as we learn from the aftermath of the Eigel story, but we can find Him inside of us. We can find Him eternally and reveal Him in us on Purim.

Moshe in perhaps the most dramatic part of the story smashes the Luchos that were written by Hashem. The tablets, which has Hashem’s name written all over it, again as Rashi tells us. He derives this fascinatingly enough from a kal ‘vchomer about Pesach. Rashi tells us that Moshe said that just as on Pesach

The Torah tells us that Kol Ben Neichar lo yochal bo- any son of a stranger can’t eat from it, All of the Jewish nation are sinners for sure they do not deserve the Torah.

We were like goyim. We were not deserving of the luchos written by Hashem. We derive this from the laws of the Pesach offering. On Purim however we fixed it all. Our sages tell us that we accepted the Torah once again. Unlike the first time when Hashem held the Mountain over our heads and “forced” us to take it and If we didn’t, He said we would be buried there. On Purim we did it from our own will.

Do you know how we got to that holy place? Would you believe that it was the same kal v’chomer from Pesach just reversed? The Midrash tells us that Esther decreed that the Jews should fast before she goes into the king. The day she decreed the fast, the original Taanis Esther was on none other than Pesach. That year, Esther decreed that there should not be a Pesach Seder. No Matza, No four cups, No Ma Nishtana and no singing Vehi She’amda or Dayeinu. Just fast.

The decree of Haman was 11 months away. She could’ve made the fast days after Pesach. Yet, the Midrash tells us that Esther wanted to send a message to Hashem. “Without the Jews, there is no Pesach.” We are your nation. We’re not goyim. If we aren’t here there would be no one to eat your Korban Pesach. No one to sing Your praises. No one to shine Your light out to the world. We can turn it all around. We can get those crowns back on our head. We can be your nation of Kings. Of Kohanim. Of Mordechai’s and of Esthers. We can build Your Bais Ha’Mikdash. We can be redeemed.

Finally and eternally, the story of the Golden Calf ends with Hashem telling Moshe that the memory of that sin will be eternal. U’bayom pokdi, u’fakadati aleihem chatasam- and the day that account for them, that I punish them I will pay them for this punishment as well. Rashi emphasizes this by the repetition of the word tamid.

V’tamid tamid- and always always when I account for their sins, I will account a little for this sin with all of the others. And there is no punishment that befalls on Yisrael that does not have in it punishment for the sin of the golden calf.

It is eternal. Our mitzva to wipe out Amalek is always eternal, as is Hashem and our battle against them. On that first Yom Kippur Hashem wanted to wipe us out. Moshe reunited us with Hashem by offering that he himself would be wiped out- mecheini mi’sifricha- erase me from Your book. Hashem has no other nation besides us. We are His eternally and every Purim millennia later we reveal that to Him and the world, by letting that joy explode. By dancing and singing not in front of golden calves, but in praise of Hashem. It is the Eternal sin of the eigel rectified. It is wiping out Amalek. It is revealing the pinteleh holy untainted spark that Ahraon knew would come out… tomorrow. It is today 2500 years later in every corner of the world where you might find a Jew.

This Shabbos as we get closer to Pesach, the holiday of our redemption, we read Parshat Parah of the inexplicable mitzva of the Red Heifer and it’s purity. Our sages tell us that the mother cow should come and clean up the filth of its child; the eigel. This year and most years we read this together with the story of the Eigel. We read it right after we have read the story of Purim and we have celebrated, inebriated, and brought that simcha to the world. We’re ready for the purity from Hashem now to come down with this mitzva that is above our da’as. We are ready to finally see Hashem’s face and know him as He returns to His palace as He should’ve first done when he gave us that Torah so long ago. We’ve wiped out Amalek. We have arrived at the end of the derech. May this year Pesach we merit all to be in Yerushalayim back again with our offerings and Mashiach b’simchas olam- with the eternal joy of Purim redeemed.

Have an eternally purely and parah-ly happy Shabbos!

 

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

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YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

 

““Alts iz nit puter vos kumt aroys fun der ku.”- All is not butter that comes from a cow

 

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

14) The Ceasefire Line, drawn in Jerusalem at the end of the War of Independence between the Israeli and Jordanian posts is called:

 

In the "UN Partition Plan" for Palestine of Nov. 29th, 1947, Jerusalem was intended to be:

A) a city under joint Jewish-Arab sovereignty

B) a city with a unique international status

C) a unified Arab city

D) a unified Jewish city

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY_2riUV4OU  –Ari Goldwags latest heartfelt bi Yerushalayim

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqVVjAS2Svc   -loving Shulem’s latest album…here’s a sampler

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJuCpsP1aLA   – Meilech Kohen’s Aish Tamid

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ochb_fXAQ3I     – Modzitz Shoshanas Yaakov

 

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

 

Techiyas Ha’Meisim- 690 BC- So once Geichazi fails to bring the child of the Shunamite woman to life again it’s time for the big guns. And thus Elisha shows up with the woman. He sends her out of the room and then davens and then fascinatingly enough lies himself down on top of the boy placing his body against the child and mouth to mouth resuscitates him. The boy’s body begins to get warm, Elisha walks around again and lies down and hugs the child and poof! He sneezes 7 times, opens his eyes and is alive once again. A miracle has occurred. Elisha sends for the mother hands her over her child and thus the house of the Shunamite woman until today is a place where we know this miracle took place.

 

Today as I mentioned the Shunamite’s house is in the Arab village of Sulam- which sounds like Shunam on the foothills of Mt. Tavor. It’s a place where many come to daven for children and for refu’os. I personally know of many who have personally seen great miracles occur after they came to daven here. It is the one place where both the Steipler and his son Reb Chayim Kanievsky ZT”L who’s yartzeit is today (when I’m writing this on Shushan Purim) would send people to daven.

 

Fascinatingly enough there seems to be a dispute in the gemara and later commentaries if this is even a true resurrection story. According to the opinion of Rebbi Yehoshua the child never really died but was in some suspended state. The Chasam Sofer writes this as well. As well some see in the fact that Elisha lay himself over the body of the child as being similar to Rosh Hashana when we have to do actions like the apple and honey to symbolize an act and then Hashem fulfills it. Yet, here again we find Elisha preforming miracles as did his Rebbi, Eliyahu Ha’Navi. This is the 7^th miracle that he preforms and is perhaps symbolized in the seven holy sneezes of life that the child had before awakening. Next week we move to the further adventures and miracles of Elisha Ha’Navi.  

 

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S TERRIBLE DRUNK JOKES OF THE WEEK

 

A man comes home from an exhausting day at work, plops down on the couch in front of the television, and tells his wife, "Get me a beer before it starts."

The wife sighs and gets him a beer. Fifteen minutes later, he says, "Get me another beer before it starts."

She looks annoyed, but fetches another beer and slams it down next to him. He finishes that beer and a few minutes later says "Quick, get me another beer, it's going to start any minute."

The wife is furious. She yells at him "Is that all you're going to do tonight? Drink beer and sit in front of that TV? You're nothing but a lazy, drunken, fat slob and furthermore ..."

The man sighs and says, "It's started ..."

 

The drunken wino was stumbling down the street with one foot on the curb and one foot in the gutter. A cop pulled up and said, "I've got to take you in, sir. You're obviously drunk" The wasted wino asked, "Ociffer, are ya absolutely sure I'm drunk?"

"Yeah, buddy, I'm sure," said the copper. "Let's go."

 Obviously relieved, the wino said "That's a relief - I thought I was a cripple."

 

From the state where drunk driving is considered a sport, comes this absolutely true story. Recently a routine police patrol parked outside a bar in Fort Worth, Texas. After last call the officer noticed a man leaving the bar so intoxicated that he could barely walk. The man stumbled around the parking lot for a few minutes, with the officer quietly observing. After what seemed an eternity in which he tried his keys on five different vehicles, the man managed to find his truck and trailer and fall into it. He sat there for a few minutes as a number of other patrons left the bar and drove off. Finally, he got into the car and started the engine, switched the wipers on and off....it was a fine, dry summer night, flicked the blinkers on and off a couple of times, honked the horn and then switched on the lights. He moved the vehicle forward a few inches, reversed a little and then remained still for a few more minutes as some more of the other patrons' vehicles left. Finally, when his was the only car left in the parking lot, he pulled out and drove slowly down the road. The police officer, having waited patiently all this time, now started up his patrol car, put on the flashing lights, promptly pulled the man over and administered a breathalyzer test. To his amazement, the breathalyzer indicated no evidence that the man had consumed any alcohol at all! Dumbfounded, the officer said, 'I'll have to ask you to accompany me to the police station. This breathalyzer equipment must be broken.' 'I seriously doubt it', said the truly proud Hillbilly. 'Tonight I'm the designated decoy.'

 

source: http://www.jokes4us.com/dirtyjokes/drunkjokes.html

Rabbi Epstein was a particularly tenacious clergyman and couldn't stand seeing Jewish people getting drunk. So one day he went into a particular tavern frequented by Jewish patrons.

Rabbi Epstein walks into the pub and sees Stan from shul. "Stan, do you want to go to heaven?"

The man said, "I do Rabbi."

The Rabbi said, "Then stand over there against the wall."

Then Rabbi Epstein asked another man he recognized, "Do you want to go to heaven?"

"Certainly, Rabbi," was the man's reply.

"Then stand over there against the wall," said the Rabbi. Then Rabbi Epstein walked up to Chaim Yankel Rabbinowitz and said, "Do you want to go to heaven?"

Chaim Yankel said, "No, I don't Rabbi."

The Rabbi was in disbelief, "You mean to tell me that when you die you don't want to go to heaven?"

Chaim Yankel said, "Oh, when I die, yes. I thought you were getting a group together to go right now."

 

A cop is doing standard patrol when he notices a car swerving all over the road. He quickly turns on his siren and pulls the guy over.

"Alright," says the cop, when the man gets out of the car. "Walk on the white line."

"I'd be happy to," says the drunk "just stop moving the line."

 

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, in the midst of the French Revolution, the revolting citizens lead a priest, a drunkard and an engineer to the guillotine.

They ask the priest if he wants to face up or down when he meets his fate. The priest says he would like to face up so he will be looking towards heaven when he dies. They raise the blade of the guillotine and release it. It comes speeding down and suddenly stops just inches from his neck. The authorities take this as divine intervention and release the priest.

The drunkard comes to the guillotine next. He also decides to die face up, hoping that he will be as fortunate as the priest. They raise the blade of the guillotine and release it. It comes speeding down and suddenly stops just inches from his neck. Again, the authorities take this as a sign of divine intervention, and they release the drunkard as well.

Next is the engineer. He, too, decides to die facing up. As they slowly raise the blade of the guillotine, the engineer suddenly says, "Hey, I see what your problem is ..."

 

A California state trooper pulls over a car and walks over to the driver. “Today’s your lucky day.” he says. “We have a program to promote seatbelt use. I pulled you over because you were wearing your seatbelt. You will receive a reward of $5,000. So, what are you going to do with the money?

The man thinks for a moment and answers, “I think the first thing I will do is go out and get a drivers license.”

His wife in the front passenger seat screams out, “Oh for goodness sake, officer don’t listen to him, he always talks nonsense when he’s drunk.”

The commotion wakes up their friend in the back seat. He sees the officer and screams to the couple, “I told you we wouldn’t get far in a stolen car.”

And then there is a banging from the trunk followed by a voice, “Ay amigos, did we cross the border yet?

"

Maurice and Isaac found themselves sitting next to each other in a New York bar. After a while, Maurice looks at Isaac and says, "I can't help but think, from listening to you, that you're from Israel."

Isaac responds proudly, "I am!"

Maurice says, "So am I! And where might you be from?"

Isaac answers, "I'm from Jerusalem."

Maurice responds, "So am I! And where did you live?"

Isaac says, "A lovely little area two miles east of King David's Hotel. Not too far from the old city"

Maurice says, "Unbelievable! What school did you attend?"

Isaac answers, "Well, I attended Yeshiva University." Maurice gets really excited, and says, "And so did I. Tell me, what year did you graduate?"

Isaac answers, "I graduated in 1984."

Maurice exclaims, "Amazing! This is Berschert. Hashem wanted us to meet! I can hardly believe our good luck at winding up in the same bar tonight. Can you believe it, I graduated from Yeshiva University in 1984 also."

About this time, Moishe enters the bar, sits down, and orders a beer. The bartender walks over to him shaking his head & mutters, "It's going to be a long night tonight, the Goldberg twins are drunk again."

 

A man goes into a pub, takes a seat at the bar, and orders five shots. The bartender gives him an odd look since he’s all by himself, but he serves up the five shots and lines them up on the bar.

The man downs them all quickly. He finishes the last one and calls out, "Four shots, please!"

The bartender serves up four shots and lines them on the bar. The man downs them all. Then he belches loudly, sways slightly on the stool, and orders three. And one after the other, he knocks them back. "Two shots!" he calls, and the bartender places two shots in front of him. Down they go. As the man slams the last one down on the bar, he says, "One shot bartender."

So the bartender fills the glass. The man sits there, staring at it for a moment, trying to focus. Then he looks at the barman and says, "You know, it's a funny thing, but the less I drink, the drunker I get."

 

What did they call the arab dairy farmer who became the chief? A milk sheikh

Who is the strongest Arab in the world? The Protein Sheikh

 

A golfer is walking down the road carrying his clubs when he sees an Arab being held up at gunpoint. He pulls out a wedge and smashes it over the back of the robber's head, knocking him unconscious.

"You probably saved my life," says the grateful Arab. "I am a member of the Saudi Royal Family and I have the power and money to give you anything you desire as a reward."

The golfer glances at his golf bag.

"Some new golf clubs would be nice," he says.

Two weeks later, the Sheikh's secretary calls him up.

"We've got your golf clubs," she says, "but the Sheikh would like to apologise to you in advance: only three of them have swimming pools."

 

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The answer to this week”s question is B –The “Green Line is the common term for the ceasefire agreement between Israel and all of the Arab countries we fought in 1948. But its certainly mostly used in regards to those “arbitrary” borders that for some reason the world feels should have some type of significance. The status of Yerushalayim was meant to remain as an international city where all religions would be able to worship freely… that probably would happen as it is that way in most Muslim countries throughout the Middle East… Uh huh…So got this one right again and now  the score is now 11.5 for Schwartz and 2.5 for Ministry of tourism on this exam so far…