City of Brotherly Love- Vayeishev 2017 / 5777

Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land
from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

December 8^th 2017 -Volume 8 Issue 8 20^th Kislev 5778

Parshat Vayeishev

City of Brotherly Love

 

It wasn’t that much of change moving from Des Moines, Iowa to Norfolk, Virginia. Sure the weather was nicer in Virginia, We had a flayshig kosher option called the Kosher Place- although in Des Moines we had Maccabees Deli as well. There were less people in our shul driving there on Shabbos in Norfolk. But for your basic New Yorker they were both “Out of Town”. Well that’s not entirely accurate. Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago and even Baltimore are out of town. Norfolk and Des Moines are more like the midbar- the wilderness for NY’ers on the same planet as Timbuktu.

 But I’m not talking about the Jewish experience in these cities, I’m referring to the people there. See Des Moines and Norfolk are both salt-of the earth, warm, friendly and talkative people. Coming from New York it was a major adjustment. I remember the first time I came to Des Moines and was on my way home from shul and someone waved and wished me a good evening. I was taken aback. What did he want? Did I do something wrong? Was he trying to hit me up for money? I waved and walked on quickly. But he came running after me. I was getting nervous. I smiled and lowered my eyes as is the appropriate non-threatening NY greeting. But he insisted on schmoozing. How’s my family, how was my move, what did I have for dinner last night, is there something he could help me with in settling in. I just nodded no and looked at my watch. That is a polite New York gesture for ‘No thank you, I have to go. He gave me a big hug after my pretty much monosyllabic answers- which is what you’re trained to do in NY, and wished me a good night. Once again. hmmmm…. Something is strange here.

Slowly I learned that’s what people do in civilized places. People talk to one another. They greet each other and schmooze. I tacked on a few extra minutes to my schedule each day to say good morning to everyone after Shacharis and talk about the weather, my family and last night’s World News and the same for the evening after Maariv. It was nice.

Virginia was pretty much the same experience, just laced with that special southern draaawwwlll…” How y’all doin?” We were greeted with lots of home-baked apple pies, lots of friendly neighborly conversations. Even our gentile neighbors would schmooze each day as we picked up the newspaper from our front lawn. A lawn is this green stuff that grows from the ground in front of your house- for those New Yorkers that are reading right now. Y’know kind of like what you see in the park. No not Boro Park. I mean a Park-Park, where goyim walk their dogs. J.

Now Seattle was a jarring difference though. In Seattle nobody talks to anyone. They text. They message. They ignore and pretend that you don’t exist. People move to Seattle to get away from everyone else in the country and most of them really want to move to Canada. Most people work in Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing or some other hi-tech place where they don’t really have to interact with anyone that’s not on their computer. Hashem barely brings sunshine to the city because He knows that people really aren’t interested in seeing each other and it’s much easier to run past people or stay indoors all day if it’s raining outside. When I was expressing my culture shock to someone over there. He asked me if it was worse than New York. I told him that in New York people at least had the courtesy to swear at you. You existed. They had strong feelings about the way you drove, you voted, you smelled or you did business. In Seattle they didn’t even see you. He walked away from me. I don’t know if he heard me.

But the truth is, it was precisely that culture that made us successful there. We started off our first week of services in the West Seattle TLC (Torah Learning Center) after weeks of advertising and phone calls with an 11 year old boy and a goy. By the time we left 6 years later we had 30-40 coming every Shabbos ( Yes, Jews- See I know what you’re thinking, although we did have our fair share on gentiles as well). We had hundreds coming to classes and programs, we had a Monday and Thursday minyan as well. We became a family. It was wonderful.

See there’s a natural desire for human connection. It’s lonely being alone. The first statement Hashem tells Man is that it is not good for man to be alone. He gave us our wife. Her job is to make sure we never have any alone time again. And thus the quest for the ultimate man cave began. As well as the migration to Seattle.

Well it wasn’t only to Seattle that man began moving to in order to not have to talk and communicate with others. Our story of our first exile to Egypt pretty much began the same way. This week’s Torah portion tells us what happens when brothers can’t talk to one another. In fact not talking seems to be the subtle theme that follows through the entire saga. Our Parsha begins with Yosef, the favored of the 12 tribes, incurring the jealousy and ultimately the hatred of his brothers.

Bereshit (37:4) And his brothers saw that their father loved him from all his brothers, and they hated him and they could not-dabro- speak to him for peace.

Rashi seems to see in this their praise that they couldn’t speak with him “one with their mouths and one with their hearts”. They weren’t politically correct. They weren’t two faced. They were Israeli. Well almost Israeli. See Israelis, like NY’ers say what is in their hearts. They don’t pull punches. The brothers of Yosef-practiced what my mother used to tell me. If you have nothing nice to say, then don’t say anything. OK, she still tells me that… The problem with not saying anything though is that it just builds up resentment. It builds up hatred. Our souls want to connect. To be at harmony and peace within one another. With our brother. And if we don’t engage, there is that tension that is always bubbling on the surface. Yosef repeatedly tries to engage his brother in conversation. He shares with them his dreams. His vision of them uniting as sheaves of wheat, as stars, all bowing to him. It is a true dream and vision. They would ultimately do that. Yet, he doesn’t really get it. They are not interested. Their bowing is meant to come from inspiration from a realization of a shared mission and vision. That can only happen through brotherhood and communication. But as the Torah tells us in its perfect and precise language

“Vayosifu od sno oso al chalomosuv v’al devaruv- and they added on to their hatred of him on his dreams and on his-words”.

I say perfect and precise language, because those words keep coming back. Vayosifu- and they added- is the same root as Yosef-He should add. But rather than add brotherhood, they added od sno es devaruv. They added od-more hatred for his dibur; his words.

Yaakov, the father, who like all fathers wanted only one thing, for his children to unite and be one, “guarded the-davar-words”. He waited and hoped that the unspoken words between the brothers would finally come.

When the brothers leave to shepherd, Yaakov sees and hopes the opportunity has come. He sends Yosef on the mission that changed Jewish history forever. He is specific what he is seeking.

Ibid (37:14) Please go and see the peace of your brother and the peace of the sheep. And return me davar- words.

One can almost hear Yaakov talking. ‘Talk to them Yosef, work it out. Maybe talk about the sheep to get the conversation going, but talk, talk and talk. Bring me their words… Return them to brotherhood; to peace’

Yosef arrives at his brothers and the Torah tells us

Ibid (37:18) And they see him from a distance and before he came close to them and they plotted to kill him.

They saw him from a distance. They feared if he came close they might have to confront him with their feelings. They might have to talk. He might be successful in bringing those words of peace. They might have to bring up their resentments. They might have to do the painful self-reflection on their part of this dispute, this fight, this ideological battle. Better to kill him. Better to sell him down the stream. Anything but to talk.

It takes years. But the day comes. Much later on in Parshat Vayigash, decades, lifetimes, and countries apart, the brothers are all in Egypt and Yosef can hold it in no longer. He has met with them, he has schmoozed with them. He has found out about their families. About their father. That longing for family conversation has been actualizing, but it has all been a scam. They don’t know that it is Yosef. They don’t realize that it is their brother they have been talking with. Yosef was sent on a mission to bring back those brotherly words of peace and the moment has finally come to complete that mission. He sends out the Egyptians. He sends out everyone. It is him and his brothers finally alone together in a room, perhaps for the first time. Yosef begins to weep.

Ibid(45:3) And Yosef said to his brothers ‘I am Yosef Ha’od Vai Chai- is my father od- still-alive.

Remember how Vayosifu od- They added on more hatred? Can you now accept me as od Yosef. Can we talk? Can we add brotherhood? Can I bring back your words of peace to our father? It is all he was living for. Is he still alive?

And the brothers could not answer him for they were disconcerted before him

Awwwkwardd…. As my kids would say. They still couldn’t do it. What do you do when the other doesn’t want to talk? When your brother can’t and won’t speak with you?

Yosef gives us the lesson we should never forget.

Ibid (45:15) And he kissed all of his brothers and he cried on them.

Rashi tells us so beautifully and precisely

Hosif baneshika menashek v’holeich- he added kisses. He kissed and continued

Yosef, the man who had been adding words, realized that what he needed to add was kisses, hugs, tears. He was finally able to get close. He was no longer at a distance. There were no more plots. None of Yosef’s, behind their back, or theirs behind his. It was all on the table. It works.

After all these years the verse concludes

V’Acharey Kein Dibru Echov Ito- And after this the brothers spoke to him

The conversation has begun. The mission of us going down to Egypt has been accomplished.

Ibid (45:16) The voice was heard in the house of Pharaoh saying the brothers of Yosef have come. And it was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and they eyes of his slaves.

We have arrived. We can survive our 400 year exile in Egypt. We can make it through any exile that we are ever sent to. We can raise up the sparks of the entire world. We just have to connect with one another, as that is the only way that the rest of the world will ever connect to us. That they will see the good, as Pharaoh and his servants did in us. That they will connect to Hashem, as One.

I have no expectations that in Seattle people will ever talk to one another. It’s not the city that is meant to be the one of “brotherly love”. Hate to tell you, but neither is Philadelphia. There is one city whose name is an acronym of two words- They will see peace. It’s gotten a lot press this week. It is meant to be the capital of Israel. In the historic words of our President (It’s been a long time since I’ve used those two words together) it is “the capital the Jewish people established in ancient times.” We established it as our capital, not because of its strategic or central location. It really is not too strategically located and Shechem is a lot more central. Not because of its great weather, or even because of the great shwarma stores that they have there. It is located in between two tribes. Yehuda, the representative of the children of Leah and Binyamin, of Rachel. It is the place and symbol of brothers sharing. It is the place where all brothers will come and unite in prayer. It is not a place of demonstrations, divisions and strife. It is meant to be a place of extremism. Extreme love. Extreme brotherhood. Extreme peace. Yerushalayim- See its peace. That is the city of Hashem. That is our capital. United forever.

Have a historic peaceful Shabbos of the year!!

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

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RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

“Az du krigst zikh, krig zikh az du zolst zikh kenen iberbetn.” When you fight, do it in a manner that will allow you to make up.

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

Q. “Magic Carpet” is a name given to the Aliyah of Jews from:

a. Ethiopia

b. Morocco

c. Bulgaria

d. Yemen

RABBI SCHWARTZ COOL VIDEOS OF THE WEEK

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/haneiros-halalu - Rabbi Schwartz original Haneiros Halalu composition in honor of Chanukah !!

https://youtu.be/UpgMAmkxgBs   - Israel Prime Ministers on Yerushalayim

https://youtu.be/YRz7UsYhRg4   - Menachem Begin and Shlomo Carlebach Cool!

https://youtu.be/4A6JDyvhvAc  -Rabbi Shalom Gold on Yerushalayim POWERFUL!

https://youtu.be/GvEXuQvTtEM   -An Upbeat Im Eshkocheich Yerushalayim

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S HAFTORA CONNECTION OF THE WEEK

There are some Midrashim that become so famous and accepted that sometimes we mistake it for the text itself. One of the ones that I recall from my childhood days is that the brothers of Yosef sold him for a pair of shoes. It doesn’t say or even allude to this in the text as far as I am aware. However the source for this seems to be this week’s Haftora, and it just goes to show you how well versed in the Haftorah the Jewish people were that it became to be assumed that this is in the story itself.

The Haftorah begins with the with the statement

Amos (2:6) They have sold for silver a righteous one and the needy for a pair of sandals…”

Yet as we know the Haftorah choice is not just for one verse the entire reading is meant to really interpret and give us the insight of our sages into the parsha. And thus our Haftora talks about a man and his father going to a maiden and desecrating Hashem’s name. This would certainly seem to be a reference to the story in our parsha of Yehuda and his children Er and Onan who all sin with the maiden Tamar and how that was a Chilul Hashem (that ultimately was rectified with Yehuda’s confession). It can also be a reference to Yosef in Egypt being seduced by the wife of his taskmaster Potifar and ultimately he also stops as a result of the desecration of Hashem’s name.

The image that Amos gives us of

Ibid (2:8) “they recline on pawned garments beside every altar and they drink the wine of victims they penalized in the Temples of their gods.”

is not only a warning to the Jews in his era, but it is meant to bring up the memory of the brothers of Yosef who had taken away his colored coat, while he was laying in the pit that they threw him while they ate and drank.

The final part of the Haftora as well reveals to us one of the most important secrets of the Parsha. It is a series of questions Amos poses that all point us to the hand of Hashem in everything that happens in this world. Two people walk together- not by chance- but because Hashem thus decreed. This could be Yosef meeting the Butler and Baker in prison, The angel that Yosef bumps into on the way down to his brothers.

Does a lion roar if he has no captured prey, does a bird fall on a trap if it does not have a snare? Does the shofar sound in a city and the people not tremble? The Lord Hashem has spoken who will not prophesize.

Nothing is random, the Navi is telling us. Hashem sent us to Egypt. He sends us to all of our Exiles in order to hear His voice. That our souls should tremble. The Jews went down to Egypt because it was a divine decree. It was foretold to Avraham years before. It is part of the Divine plan. We need to view history in that way. That is the lesson the prophet and our parsha is teaching us.

Amos (760 BC)-  He wasn’t from a school or yeshiva of prophets. He was a simple shepherd and a dresser of sycamore trees. He lived in one of the most prosperous periods during the first temple. The two kingdoms of Israel the Northern and Southern were reconciling under Yeravam the second and Amatzia the King of Judah. And as in all times of prosperity, we Jews seem to lose our way and thnk that we have finally made it. Amos’s job was to set that notion straight. He speaks of justice, charity and decries the worship of idols and particularly the golden calves that were placed in Beit El. Yet despite all of his rebukes and prophecies of exile and punishment. He also speaks of the ultimate return to Israel that we experience today. The land flourishing once again and ruins being rebuilt.

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

Abrahamic borders of Israel 1742 BC – The first time Hashem promises Avraham the land, by the Bris Bein Habesarim-the covenant of pieces. It is a big country. One that we have never conquered and still await. You know how the arabs talk about the greater Muslim empire. Well maybe we should start talking about the greater biblical Israel. Which is incidentally probably about as large as Russia and bigger than the United States. The borders Hashem tell us are

Bereshit (15:18-21) From the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates

This would put us not only through Egypt but all the way down through the Sudan in Africa and pretty much till Ethiopia.

The Keini, Kenizi, Kadmoni, Chitti Prizi. Refaim, Emori, Canaani, Girgashi and the Yevusi

Like me you have no clue where all these place are. But one thing I can tell you is that most of them are not in modern day Israel. But Rashi and other commentaries assure us that the first three are Amon, Moav and Edom- which is pretty much Jordan and the Negev. The other countries are in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Yemen Lebanon and parts of Turkey and Syria as well.

Here’s a little map so you can appreciate it.

                                    

I like to mention this map and promise whenever I am in places where people wonder if this is really Israel or not. For example the Negev or Eilat area which are outside of the borders that Moshe is given to tell the Jewish people. Or in the Golan or even up by Rosh Hanikra which were not part of the biblical borders- although the Golan and Jordan were in fact given to the tribes of Reuvein and Gad. As well pretty much when anyone looks out from any border of Israel. Be it in the South by Eilat into Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan or in the North to Lebanon and Syria, it’s good to tell your tourists that one day all of that will be ours as well. Take that UN!

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S JEWISH  JOKES OF THE WEEK

A Hebrew School teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds.

After explaining the commandment to "honor" thy Father and thy Mother, she asked, "Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?"

Without missing a beat one little boy (the oldest of a family) answered, "Thou shall not kill."

 Shloimy and Yanky were arguing incessantly. Finally their Mom had enough. "Quiet already! You two kids are always fighting.  Why can't you agree once in a while?"
 Yanky said "We do agree, Shloimy wants the largest apple and so do I."

Having had enough she sent them outside to go sledding. Not much later she heard them fighting again. She screamed out the “Don't be selfish. Let your brother use the sled half the time.”
Shloimy shouted back “I do, Mom. I use it going down the hill and he gets to use it
coming up!”

Mom had the perfect solution. Next time Yanky came home from school and said “I hate Shloimy’s guts” She said “OK I won’t put it in your sandwiches anymore.”

Chaim was listening to his sister practice her singing. ' Rivky' he said, 'I wish you'd sing
Chanuka songs.'
'That's nice of you, Chaim' she replied. 'Why?'
'Then I'd only have to hear you once a year !'

What is your father's job?' asked the Morah on the first day of the new academic year.
'He's a magician, Ma'am,' said the Yanky.
'How interesting. What's his favorite trick?'
'He saws people in half.'
'Wow! now, next question. Any brothers or sisters?'
'One half brother and two half sisters.'

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S CHANUKAH CARTOON OF THE WEEK

  **************

Answer is D – OK I know its not easy to remember all of the different names of the aliyahs to Israel. As a tour guide we don’t neccesarily speak much about the different names or types of Jews. I find questions like this to be more like trivia then anything else. But it is certainly a legitimate question. So here we go. The Ethiopian aliyas were Operation Moses and Solomon and a little unknown one recently called Operaion Doves wings. The largesst Aliya to Israel from an arab country with close a quarter million Olim are Moroccans their Aliya is called Operation Yachin, after one of the pillars in the Temple and a lesser known operation called Mural that smuggled in children. I don’t even know any particular name for the Bulgarian Aliya, if anyone does let me know. But the Yemenite Aliya is the Magic carpet one in Hebrew though it is known as Kanfie Nesharim- or wings of eagles- a much more appropriate name if you ask me, as it refers to Hashem’s promise and return of his people back home rather than to Aladdin’s. But they never asked me. Interesting as well it was also called Operation Biat Mashiach-Mashiach is coming- now that’s a cool piece of trivia.

Conspiracies are Flying- Yom Kippur 5778/2017

Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land
from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

September 29^th 2017 -Volume 7 Issue 46 9^th of Tishrei 5778!

Yom Kippur

Conspiracies are Flying

I go flying every year. Not in a plane, not para-sailing, or wind surfing. No I mean flying like a bird, soaring into the heavens, up there with the angels, high up in the clouds, I become one with Hashem. What’s really amazing is that I do all of this without ever leaving the ground, at least my body doesn’t, my soul is way up there though. I had a great flying instructor. He was my Mashgiach-our spiritual mentor- in the yeshiva that I studied in Israel when I was a student; Reb Menashe Donut. No snide remarks about his name being the reason I liked him, OK. He was a holy man and he taught me how to fly.

The truth is I really was never that inspired by his lectures. Works of mussar and learning how to develop holy, spiritual character traits was not my thing back then. I enjoyed the give and take and intellectual challenges of Gemara/Talmud learning were much more exciting to me and that was the reason I chose the yeshiva I did. To learn at the foot of one of the great leaders of our generation who himself had sat by the great masters in Europe prior to the war. Yet when it came Elul time, I started to pay a little bit more attention to some of the words of our simple unassuming mashgiach. His lectures took on more of an intensity. The King was in the field, we would soon be declaring Hashem’s kingship on the world, Teshuva/repentance, returning to Hashem all of the traditional themes of this past month and the High Holidays were repeatedly earnestly with his eyes closed as he spoke with reverence from the pulpit. The pinnacle of course came was when he would fly.

The Rosh yeshiva, Rav Moshe Shmuel Shapiro, himself a baal menagen- a master of songs, composing and singing, would lead many of the tefilos on the Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. They were beautiful, uplifting, melodious and intense. But the final prayer at the end of Yom Kippur- Neila- the closing of the gates of heaven, that prayer was led by the Mashgiach. And it was then that I learned how to fly.

See the Mashgiach by that point of davening was already in another world. As he took his three steps forward, I can almost swear they were not touching the ground, he was floating. Every shuckle every sway that he took as he recited and sung out each piyut, each prayer, each request he literally lifted his whole body up. You could feel him going up with his prayer. King David in his psalms describes his prayer as Va’Ani Tefilati- And I am my prayer. The Mashgiach was a human embodiment of prayer. When he asked Hashem to write us in the book of life, of redemption, of merits, of healing, of forgiveness, we felt that he was jumping up to God grabbing the book out of his hand and stamping and sealing it himself. By the time he reached the final 7 times of Hashem Hu Elokim- Hashem is our God and the Shema we were all up there with him. We were one with our Creator. It was absolutely awesome. I learned how to fly.

Since then I’ve led many prayer services on the High Holidays. It’s one of the perks of having congregations where most of the shul couldn’t read Hebrew. But even here in Israel where it is not difficult to find Baaalei Teffilos and Chazan/Cantors to help out and lead the prayers. Neila- that final prayer on Yom Kippur is mine. It’s when I fly. It is my annual experience of soaring above this world and making it up to the heavens. I wouldn’t give it up for the world.

It is an incredible prayer Neila, the time of the closing of the gates of heaven. When all our prayers are done all our confessions are said already. It’s just us and Hashem. Everything is riding on this moment. Our brothers, the sefardim, start off their neila with a beautiful poem that was written in 11^th century by Rabbi Moshe Ibn Ezra it is called El Nora Alila- The God of an awesome plot. According to Wikipedia some Ashkenazim recite it as well, but that’s the Birnabaum Machzor. Artscroll doesn’t have it so it doesn’t count. The piyut is truly a beautiful one written by one of the great rishonim. The refrain is as follows

El Nora Alila,-Awesome God of plot

 Hamtzeh Lanu Mechila- Bring out for us forgiveness

 Bshaat HaNeila – during the time of the closing of the gates

Here’s a link to the song and the lyrics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Nora_Alila

The question and mystery is of course what does this mean that Hashem is the God of plots? {Wiki’s translation of the mighty God is really not an accurate translation of the word alila, which means more like cause, conspiracy or plot.} And why are we utilizing this to enter into our holiest prayer?

There is a fascinating Midrash Tanchuma in Parshat Vayeshev that discusses this verse at length and in general explains this major conspiracy of Hashem. It’s long so I’ll just paraphrase it through for you, but it’s really worthwhile to see yourself inside. The Midrash begins with Rabbi Yehoshua ben Karcha who notes that Hashem carries out circuitously in his dealing with man. For we know that the angel of Death was created on the first day of Creation as it says

“and darkness was on the face of the deep”.

Yet when Adam sinned Hashem told him that they day that he eats from the tree he shall die- as if he was the one who caused death to come to the world.

The Midrash compares it to a man who writes out a divorce document to his wife before he gets married. When they get to their house he asks her to bring him a drink. When she hands it to him, he gives her the Get. When she asks why he is giving her a Get, the man responds because she gave him a warm drink instead of a cold one. She responded however, that you must have planned to divorce me beforehand already as you had the Get already pre-written. The drink is just the excuse to carry out your previous plan. Similarly Adam told Hashem, you created the world by looking at the Torah. And in the Torah it says

“If a man shall die in a tent”

Obviously You knew that man would die. That was part of your original plan.

The Midrash gives more and more examples of this concept. Moshe who wasn’t allowed in the land points out to Hashem the same concept. Your‘re are blaming it on the fact that I hit the rock, but you already had this plan from before when you stated (after the sin of the spies) that

“No man of this evil generation shall see the good land”.

 Similarly it says by Yosef going down to Egypt that on one hand it says that the brothers sold him down to Egypt. It was Yaakov’s fault for favoring him, the brother’s for being jealous, Yosef’s for inciting them. But The Midrash tells us it was also part of this divine conspiracy. Hashem had already told Avraham that his children would descend to Egypt. So Hashem “made Yaakov love Yosef more, so that the brothers would hate him and sell him down to Egypt and ultimately Yaakov himself would have to descend to fulfill that Divine will. That is what it means when it says Hashem acts with conspiracy to his children; El Nora Alila.

The truth is the entire day of Yom Kippur and the concept of this incredible day of Teshuva is premised on this notion. Rashi teaches us that the reason Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement is because it was the day that Hashem forgave us for the sin of the Golden Calf and the second tablets were given. Now Hashem had already forgiven the Jewish people 40 days after the 17^th of Tamuz, on the first of the month of Elul. Yet that forgiveness wasn’t good enough for Moshe. Hashem said that He would not destroy us, but at the same time He would not dwell amongst us anymore. Rather an angel would lead us into Israel instead. Moshe said that’s not good enough. I want it to be back just the way it was. Even better. That was the month of Elul.  40 days later, Yom Kippur was the day when Hashem agreed, with love, that he would once again dwell within our midst.

If you think about it it’s quite chutzpahdik of Moshe. Let’s put it into modern thinking. Someone close and dear to you betrays you in the worst of ways. Or better yet, you betray someone close to you in the worst of ways. You humiliated them in the most personal and public of ways. You basically destroyed them and everything that the two of you had together. You did it maliciously and really without any reason. You messed up big time. You wake up the next morning and you realize what you had done. You regret it. You feel terrible. You can’t sleep at night because you threw away this most special relationship. You want to apologize but you don’t even know how. You think about writing a letter, because you don’t want to mess up your words. You don’t even have the courage to look them in the eye. But you know a letter is not enough. You’re gonna face the heat. You apologize, you express your heartfelt regret, you swear you’ll never betray them like that again, and you beg their forgiveness. Surprisingly it works they say they forgive you. They’re moichel you. Amazing! Miraculous.

But then you do something absolutely crazy. You ask them if they will come out to eat with you for a nice romantic dinner. If they will hang with you like before and go have a few beers and party together. Like nothing ever happened. What!?! That’s insane. It’s one thing to forgive you, imaginably the person will tell you, but wipe it away like it never happened. To be just as loving and trusting as before. No, you say. I want it even more than before. Could that ever happen? That’s essentially what Moshe was asking Hashem for. The truth is that is essentially what we are asking Hashem for. But for us it’s even worse. We keep asking forgiveness and doing it again. We’re perpetual sinners, and betrayers. Where did Moshe and where do we get the chutzpa to make that request?

The answer is Nora Alila- Hashem we tell God, we know that You were behind every sin that we did. You put us in situations where we might inevitably fall- for precisely this reason. For us to return to You. For us to raise You up from the depths that we have fallen to. It’s why Adam sinned, because You structured a world that You wanted there to be teshuva, where we would sin and return and raise it up even greater. It’s why You arranged for us to go down to Egypt. You wanted us to fall to the lowest level and then raise it back up again to the 49^th level of holiness where we would see Your presence, hear Your voice, receive Your Torah. And it’s why we fell again so fast and betrayed You. It was Your conspiracy. El Nora Alila.

And it’s why we come before you at these final moments each year on that same day to once again hear those words. Salachti Kidvarecha- You have forgiven us as You said You would. We are now naul- We are locked together the two of us. We are one. We have risen from the pits that we have fallen. We can fly. We can join you. We can bring the whole world with us. Hamtzei Lanu Mechila. Bring us once again forgiveness. Return us to You and we will return to You. It’s not chutzpa if this was the original plan. This is the day You have been awaiting for.

Are your feet lifting up from the ground yet? Do you feel yourself starting to levitate? Flying could be a scary thing. But Hashem is the wind beneath our wings. May he grant all of us a Gmar Chatima Tova- May we all be sealed and signed in the book of life and may all His wishes for us finally bring us to the ultimate fulfillment of the world, when all will see Hashem is one and His name is one.

Gmar Chatima Tova,

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

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RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

“Di vegen fun teshuveh zeinen nit vainiker farborgen vi di vegen fun zind”. The ways of repentance are as much hidden as the ways of sin.

RABBI SCHWARTZ COOL VIDEOS OF THE WEEK

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgyNrC-DzNE  - El Norah Alila

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE2VfDEmVYY   – Deaf Man in the Shteeble-most moving Kol Nidrei song ever!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUvrINuGBKc      – MBD’s new Yaaleh sung Chasidish style

https://youtu.be/LsT7r7F5jjI  – Another favorite Neila song of mine Yehi ratzon by SYR

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

Q The inspiration for the design of the dome on the Shrine of the Book was:
a. The Dome of the Rock
b. The lid of an urn
c. A dome that was located in the Temple
d. A man’s head covering (“kippa”)

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S ILLUMINATING RASHI OF THE WEEK

Yom Kippur Acharey Mos 2017- I know it’s a holiday and who has time to review the holiday readings with Rashi? Yet this with Yom Kippur falling out on Shabbos, so it becomes our Shabbos reading as well. If that’s the case then it is certainly worthwhile to review the Rashis as it can give us extra insight into our YK davening and inspiration as well.

The reading is of course about the service of the High Priest on Yom Kippur. The Torah tells us that Aharon and his descendants, the High Priest that will follow him are warned

Vayikra (16:2) And he shall not come to the Holy at all times… Because in a cloud I shall appear upon the Paroches- Ark cover.

This warning is given after the death of Aharon’s two children for doing precisely that and lighting a foreign fire. Rashi on this verse explains the raison d’etre

For I always appear there with my pillar of cloud. And because the revelation of My Shechina is there, he should take care not to come there regularly. This is the simple meaning.

Reb Chaim Shmuelevitz notes that Rashi is pointing out something incredible over here. Imagine we are speaking to Aharon ,the High Priest, we are speaking about the Holy of Holies, we are speaking about Yom Kippur the holiest day of the year and yet there is still a concern and a necessity to warn him about not coming regularly, because if he does he might forget about the sanctity of the place. This is an incredible lesson. Perhaps the greatest reason why we sin, despite our deepest inner desire to the right thing, is because we just get used to doing the same old-same old. Our mitzvos, our daily prayers, our Torah study even though we all know and are aware of the incredible significance of all it, just becomes rote. Something we take for granted. Even the holiest things in the world can become mundane if we are aware of the perils of doing something monotonously. He notes that the law is that when one would come to Temple on the Holidays would have to switch up his entrance and his exit. The people from the North must leave through the southern gate and the ones from the south would leave through the southern gate in order that they should not get used to coming and going in and out of the same place as they do in their own home. The Temple is special. Yom Kippur is special. Each day our service is special. Rashi is pointing out this is reason why Aharon couldn’t come in. And if this is true for Aharon, how much more so for us. As Rashi says… this is pretty simple.

Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz (1902-1979) – To any Mirrer when one talks about Reb Chazkel there is a sense of awe. He led the yeshiva through its stormiest years during the war years, in Shanghai where the yeshiva fled, and he planted the seeds here in Israel of what is today the largest yeshiva in the world. He was born Shmuelevitz was born on the second day of Rosh Hashana  1902 in Kovno, Lithuania, to Rabbi Refoel Alter Shmuelevitz and Ettel (née Horowitz), a daughter of Rabbi Yosef Yozel Horwitz, known as the Alter of Novhardok. The sandek at his bris milah was Rabbi Yitzchok Blazer ("Reb Itzele Peterburger"), a Torah and mussar luminary of the time, who was one of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter's greatest disciples.

In Chaim Leib's youth, his family moved to Stutchin. Until the age of 16, he was educated by his father, who was one of the leading yeshiva lecturers in Lithuania. In 1919 Rabbi Refoel Alter, who was then the rosh yeshiva of Shaarei Torah in Grodno, died suddenly. Within a very short time, his mother died too, orphaning Chaim Leib, his younger brother Shlomo, and two sisters.

Rabbi Refoel Alter's position at the yeshiva was taken up by Rabbi Shimon Shkop. Chaim Leib developed a close bond with Rabbi Shkop. At the age of 18, Chaim Leib's mentor invited him to deliver the third-level shiur in the preparatory academy at the yeshiva. He held this position for a few years before transferring to the yeshiva in Mir. Many of his students of those years later became great Torah leaders, and his own four years in Grodno with Rabbi Shkop had a profound influence on his approach to Talmudic analysis.

At the age of 22, Reb Chayim headed a group of students who transferred from Grodno to Mir. The Mirrer rosh yeshiva, Rabbi Eliezer Yehuda Finkel, set his sights on Shmuelevitz as his eventual spiritual heir. He set the seal on this future appointment by offering his student the hand of his daughter in marriage.

A scant few years later, at the relatively young age of 31, Shmuelevitz was appointed as a maggid shiur, delivering regular lectures. The hallmark of his lectures was depth combined with a fabulous breadth; it was not uncommon for him to cite 20 or 30 different sources from far-flung corners of the Talmud and its commentaries during a single shiur.

With the outbreak of World War II, Mir Yeshiva was forced into exile Rabbi Shmuelevitz's shiurim continued virtually without interruption throughout the early period of World War II, while when the yeshiva was continually in transit. In late 1940, hundreds of Mir yeshiva students obtained visas to Japan.

The yeshiva stayed in Kobe, Japan, for about six months, and then relocated to Shanghai for the next five years. Although living conditions were extremely difficult, the yeshiva prospered. Rabbi Shmuelevitz and the mashgiach, Rabbi Yechezkel Levenstein, assumed responsibility for the day-to-day running of the yeshiva.

Somehow, Rabbi Shmuelevitz became responsible for the financial needs of all Jewish learning institutions in the city, not just his own. These included contingents of the famed yeshivas of Kamenetz, Kletzk, Lubavitch, and Lublin. This was despite the fact that exchanging foreign currency in Shanghai was fraught with danger and Rabbi Shmuelevitz lived with a perpetual fear of being apprehended by the authorities.

A short while after arriving in Shanghai, Rabbi Shmuelevitz received American visas only for himself and his family. He refused them, saying that he would leave only when all the students had received their visas. This ultimately meant staying in Shanghai for five and a half years.

In 1947 the yeshiva moved again — as always, as a single unit — this time, to the United States, where Rabbi Shmuelevitz spent six months before rejoining his father-in-law, Rabbi Eliezer Yehudah Finkel, in the Mirrer Yeshiva in Jerusalem. For the next 32 years, until his death in 1978, Rabbi Shmuelevitz remained in Mir-Jerusalem, disseminating his unique wisdom and insight to thousands of disciples.

He became active in Agudath Israel in Israel, and its Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah (Council of Torah Sages) on which he served. Rabbi Shmuelevitz was well known for his ability to become totally engrossed in his Torah study for hours at a time. His ethical discourses, many of which have been published in English, are considered classics. They offer novel interpretations and reveal his penetrating insights into human nature.

His greatness in Torah was matched only by his sterling character. Possessing an all-encompassing concern for his fellow Jew, his constant preoccupation with the well-being of others was a manifestation of the love that poured forth from his great heart. 

A few days after Sukkot 1978, Rabbi Shmuelevitz was rushed to the hospital and, for the next two months, his life hung by a thread. Even during the weeks of semi-consciousness his lips moved, and from time to time he could be heard mumbling words of Torah. Jews worldwide prayed for his recovery, but it was not to be. Two months later on the third of Tevet, Rabbi Shmuelevitz died at the age of 76. Nearly 100,000 mourners attended his funeral. He is buried on Har HaMenuchot.

During his lifetime, Rabbi Shmuelevitz committed to paper his every lecture and public address, leaving behind at his death thousands of handwritten pages, including chiddushim on every tractate of the Talmud

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RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TYPES OF JEWS IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK

Kohanim – Unlike most of the other types of Jews that we have listed throughout our journey this past year in this column, the Kohanim are not identifiable by merely looking at them. They can be Ashkenaz, Sefard, Chasidic, young, old, religious or secular. They are identifiable though if you are really interested by use of a microscope though as they all share the same common DNA gene marker known as the Kohen gene. That is a fact that in the words of Dr. Karl Skorecki in the New York Times, (January 7, 1997)-

“The simplest, most straightforward explanation is that these men have the Y chromosome of Aharon. The study suggests that a 3,000-year-old tradition is correct, and has a biological counterpart.”

As well Dr. David Goldstein, Oxford notes in the Science News (October 3, 1998)

 “For more than 90 percent of the Cohens to share the same genetic markers after such a period of time is a testament to the devotion of the wives of the Cohens over the years. Even a low rate of infidelity would have dramatically lowered the percentage.”

In the times of the Temple Kohanim were the most important people of our nation as they were the serving intermediaries between Hashem and his people. They lost their way and became corrupt at the end of the second Temple, but for many of them that badge of Kehuna was kept in their family as a source of pride and tradition as they await for the day when they will be returned to their service with the building of the Beit Hamikdash.

In Israel the Kohanim play a larger more practical role than they do in America where all they do is receive the first Aliya to the Torah, as should be the case. See in Israel the custom is for the Kohen to belss the people by davening every day, unlike outside of Israel where it’s only on holidays. For the past few decades here by the Kotel the highlight for many people is to come and get blessed by the thousands of Kohanim that gather there. It is truly an awesome experience. The most common Kohen names amongst are of course Cohen, Shapiro, Katz and Rappaport, Azoulay is also a common Sefardic name. Now just because your last name is one of those that doesn’t make you a Kohen, one has to have a tradition that dates back to seal that deal. But you never know. God willing, Eliyahu Hanavi ,who will herald in Mashiach, will tell us and clarify who ultimately has that heritage. May it be this year!

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S REALLY TERRIBLE CONSPIRACY JOKES OF THE WEEK

A group of 9/11 conspiracy theorists were killed in a bad accident and they all ended up together in heaven. Once let in through the Pearly Gates they decided to try and meet with God himself believing only he could answer their big question: Who was responsible for 9/11?

God decided to meet with them. When assembled he told them they could ask him one question about 9 /11 and he would answer it truthfully having perfect knowledge of everything. So the leader of the group stood up and said, "God, I need and my fellow friends who feel the same way about 9/11 as I do would like to know if in fact 9/11 was an inside job? Can you finally tell us this truth?"

God looked at the group of conspiracy theorists and said, "I know you may not want to hear this but 9/11 was NOT an inside job...it was a terrible tragedy caused by radical and mostly Saudi Islamic fundamentalists who wanted to send a message to the United States and make you afraid of them."

The leader looked dismayed with God's answer and turned to one of his cohorts and said, "Wow, God must have been in on it too."

I, too, have a conspiracy theory. I believe that Einstein was killed by the mafia because he knew too much.

Two Jews meet on the street.

"David, how have you been?"

"N-n-not so good. I was just turned down for a j-j-job."

"Where?"

"At a r-r-radio s-s-station. Anti-S-S-Semites!!!"

Shlomo is on the train reading a newspaper, when his friend Mendel walks in. 

"Shlomo, why on earth are you reading an Arab paper?"

"When I read the Jewish papers, all I find is Jews under attack, synagogues under attack, Israel under attack. But when I read the Arab papers, what do I find? Jews control the media, Jews control the government, Jews rule the world. Mendel, the news is much better!"

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Answer is B– OK how many of you know what the shrine of the book is? I thought so… Yeah if you haven’t noticed the past few weeks questions have been architectural questions; another one of those exciting topics we have to cover in our tour guiding course. Next question is the shrine of the book Jewish, Christian, Muslim or secular? See if you knew the answer to that you might be able to answer the question. So the shrine is actually the part of the Israel Museum that hosts the Dead Sea scrolls. They say that Ben Gurion or one of the Prime Ministers once took a US president and explained him the difference between us the Jews and other countries. In the US the most important museum hosts is perhaps the Smithsonian with all types of artifacts, In France it is the Louvre with all its art. In Israel the most important museum has old scrolls and books. That is what defines us. So now that you know that what, you can easily figure out that the correct answer is of course the most unlikely one if you did not know what this was which is the shape of the lid of the urns in which they were found.