A Spin on Dreidel- Parshat Vayeishev/ Chanukah I

 Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land

from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

November 27^th 2021 -Volume 11 Issue 9 22^nd Kislev 5782

 

Parshat Vayeishev

 

A Spin on Dreidel

It's an ancient tradition that we try to observe. We light our menoras, we have Chanukah parties, we sing holiday songs, and even compose a few and of course we eat latkas and being in Israel jelly doughnuts. And there is of course dreidel. Now perhaps when we were kids this custom was fun as we sat around spun our sevivon / top and counted out pennies from the pot. The tradition has that it began when the Greeks forbade us from learning Torah, the Jews would secretly study and when the Greeks would come in they would hide their books and pretend to be playing dreidel. Although that may be the source, it seems that the custom to play is only a few hundred years old or so. But that's good enough for me.

Now pennies or even shekels and spinning tops were just not going to cut it for my chevra in yeshiva. It was too childish and no fun or challenge. So it seems the yeshiva world- although some of our Rebbeim would probably protest at us hijacking that distinguished title, came up with other alternatives to fulfill the concept. The dreidel became a deck of cards and the game was given some name that had some chassidic spiritual mystical element to it; Kvittlach. In reality I believe that it's just yeshivisheh blackjack. Poker, with some herring thrown in for good measure. It involved some money changing hands. But everyone knows that Chanukah gelt is a mitzva, right? I guess the only connection that it had with the original custom was that when the Rebbeim would walk in they would hide the cards and money and pull out a sefer and pretend to be studying. So it's almost like the real thing.

I personally was never a gambler. Probably because any gelt that I did have I used to buy sufganiyot and shwarmas. I tried learning the kvittlach game once but it was beyond me. I still have no clue what an elevaroon is. Maybe an elevated macaroon? Instead I went to visit my good friend in more of a "fun" yeshiva. Those were "my 'other' boys". My yeshiva was where I would learn. Theirs was where I would go when I needed to get away for a bit.

 It was late at night, after seder of course, when I arrived there. My buddy Yanky was sitting down with some of my friends discussing the Chanukah night activity for the evening. These were not kvittlach people. The typical card games were too lame. One of them finally came up with a great idea. Monopoly! Now I was a big board game person. Risk, Stratego, chess, games that required using our yeshivish noggin and beating someone else with our incredible strategies. Conquering the world, killing kings capturing flags. We were good at that. Monopoly is a luck and throw of the dice game. What's the kuntz?

The boys smiled at me and pulled out the game. They replaced the monopoly bills right away with shekels. Now I know that shekels are painted to look like monopoly money. I tell my tourists so that it's that they shouldn't confuse it with real money. Otherwise your typical American could get sticker shock hearing repeatedly that it's 100's of shekel for this and for that. But once you realize it's not real money, it's only shekels then it's not so bad.

But this was different. Monopoly with real money, albeit shekels is a totally different game. Do I buy this? Do I build? All of a sudden these question have real financial consequences! Hmmm. It sounded interesting. Not having any money, I sat down to watch (Ok maybe I chucked in a few shekels…Shhh…). The game became more and more intense as the night wore on. The trading got heavy, the arguments and under the table deals were heating up. And all of a sudden…Boom, the door opened.

 In front of us stood Rabbi G., the Rosh yeshiva. Now this was not my yeshiva. I wasn't too worried. But, it was still scary watching his face as he took in the scene before his eyes. He looked at Yanky with a stern glare and asked him what was going on. Without batting an eye Yanky turned to his Rosh Yeshiva and told his Rebbe,

"Can you believe this? He wants me to trade him Pacifc and Atlantic for Mediterranean and Park Place., what does Rebbe have to say about that?"

I will never forget Rabbi G.'s expression and response. He looked at Yanky. He understood his boys. He knew when to fight 'em, when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em.

"What!" Rabbi G. said, "Mediterranean?! Even Kollel guys don't live on Mediterranean…!" and with that he walked out and left as if he didn't see a thing.

Oy…. Those were the days. I think Yanky got his schmooze on the evils of gambling the next day, but in my opinion the wisdom, self-control and wit of that Rebbe, taught me an even more important lesson. One has to see the big picture of connecting with your students over losing it all over a game of monopoly. It's a lesson I will never forget.

It's Chanuka this week, My Chanuka box is out with all my Chanukah paraphernalia. Menora, silver polish, candles wicks, oils, and Happy Hanukah signs and of course dreidels. What is the deeper concept behind this dreidel? Now we know that there are four letters Nun Gimmel, Shin and Hey or Pey, which stand for Neis Gadol Haya Sham - A great miracle happened there or alternatively Po-here. The difference of course is depending on if you are playing in Israel or the Diaspora. Although I understand that Satmar and some other-shall we call them "not-pro-Zionist" of our brethren-don't use the "peh-here" ones even in Israel either. They claim it’s a Zionist invention. Although a gambling game of spin-the Jewish-top would seem like a lame place to start declaring religious indignation about foreign secular influences. But hey... I would never crash anyone's fun or party as Rabbi G taught me.



But the truth is that there is something sacred about the dreidel spinning game. There were great Rabbis like the students of the Baal Shem Tov, the Chasam Sofer, and I've been told that even (lbl'ch) Reb Chaim Kanievsky has mentioned that his father the Steipler played dreidel with them as children. It's fascinating that when they went through the concentration camps storehouses where they Nazi's kept the items they confiscated from the Jews many dreidels were found. It seems that the Jews who were limited by what they could bring with them to these camps, somehow felt the dreidel was something to bring. One can imagine the clandestine games in their barracks late at night. They may not have been able to light a menora, but at least they had something to remind them of the miracles of old and to give them faith that it could happen again.

There are many different insights about the dreidel game. The Bnai Yissachar sees it as the difference between Chanuka and Purim. Whereas on Purim we spin the gragger from bottom, Chanuka the dreidel is pun from the top (excuse the spun…oyyy). On Chanuka the miracle came openly from Hashem. It was clear that He was running the show. The Jews did not merit redemption or the miracle as most of them had assimilated. Hashem had to spin that dreidel from above. On Purim we fasted, we prayed and we repented. We were the ones turning that Divine grogger. We made the noise and Hashem in kind responded.

Rebbi Nachman of Breslav has an incredible insight into the dreidel game though. He notes that the dreidel is like life. We spin and we spin and we fall. Sometimes when we fall we are gadol- we are great we win. Other times we are Nun- nisht nothing. Sometimes we pay, sometimes we lose half, but yet we pick ourselves up and spin again. Sometimes it's our turn and the next spin it could be my neighbors and other game players turn. Life is constantly spinning and we are constantly waiting to see where it will fall. Some spins are longer and some are shorter. The one thing that unites all of the players though, is when the top is turning you can't see the letters. When it is spinning around and around they all look like one. That is the message we are meant to internalize about our lives. We are all on a dreidel and we are all part of the miracle. Today's shin could be tommorow's gimmel.

The parsha that we read this week before Chanuka Vayeishev (and you thought I'd forgotten about this part of the E-Mail…shame) is also like a dreidel and completes this message. The Rokayach notes that almost every single verse in the parsha begins with the letter vav, which translates as "and". And this… and that… and this… and he came… and he settled …and he went… It’s a parsha on the move. It's a parsha that is constantly spinning. The vav is like that little handle on the top of the dreidel that Hashem is spinning. Yosef is the favorite child. He got a colored coat. He got the first gimmel. But then he is thrown down in a pit. He falls. Shin. Yaakov is settled and happy. Gimmel. He falls in mourning for his kidnapped son. Shin Reuvein is the oldest, and he loses his position, Yehuda is the leader and he falls. Tamar is on the bottom and then she rises up. They all ultimately rise again. It's one continuation. They're all spinning. It's ironic that the parsha is called Vayeishev- and he settled because no one seems settled after the first verse. But the Torah is not ironic. It is settled like our dreidel. It falls, but then rises and spins again.

Do you know how many verses don’t start with vav in the parsha? Eight. Yup. Eight days of Chanuka. Interestingly enough there is another book that also has every verse besides eight that start with the connecting letter vav that unites it all together; that is spinning the entire story. It is the book of Ruth. There as well, people are rising and falling. Elimelech, and his two sons are the leaders and they flee Israel and ultimately intermarry and die. Naomi who was once the big Rebbetzin comes back as a pauper. Rus is a former princess and she now is begging for wheat and charity. It's an amazing story. But the end of that story is the birth of the grandfather of King David; the beginning of the messianic line.

That messianic line of King David had its start in our parsha. The beginning of the driedel game started already centuries before with Yehuda and Tamar the ancestors of Boaz. The great miracle is happening here. Do you know what the gematria of Nun Gimmel Shin and Hey is? 358. Do you know what else has that same gematria? Mashiach.

The top is spinning. This Sunday night we will light our menoras. We will sing Maoz Tzur. It's a song about all of our exiles. We start with Egypt, we go through Bavel, Chanuka and Purim. We conclude with the final exile that we are still in and ask Hashem to bring Mashiach. Then we pull out our dreidel and watch it spin in the glow of those candles. May the dreidel of Klal Yisrael finally land on that winning letter. We want the gantzeh pot. It's time for the Nes Gadol.

Have a winning Shabbos and a Happy Chanuka

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

 

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RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

 

" “Ainem’s mazel iz an anderen’s shlemazel."– One’s good luck is another’s misfortune.."

 

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

 

4) According to the resolution for the partition of the Land of Israel, Nahariya was to be in the territory of the _____ State.

The partition proposal was put to a vote at the UN following the recommendation of:

a) The Jewish Agency (ha’sochnut ha’yehudit)

b) The Arab Higher Committee

c) UNSCOP

d) Recommendation of the great powers - the Soviet Union and the USA

 

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/al-hanissim   – Chanukah is coming time to enjoy your favorite Rabbi Schwartzes Chanuka compositions here's my Al Hanissim

 

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/haneiros-halalu- And of course my haneiros halalu… we'save the chasof for next week.

https://youtu.be/NinkEVhCmc4 - Nissim Blacks latest song and video "Change" the man is mamash the holiest rap star I know

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiskf_lZXv8   – Tis the season once again traditional Chanukah acapella musical knockoffs songs this is West Side Story by Six13

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd_vS0IINIE  - "Illuminating" by Maccabeats

  

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S PARSHA/SHABBOS CONNECTION OF THE WEEK

 

The Super Power of the day- Parshat Vayeishev- This week's Torah portion introduces us to Yosef and all the ordeals and challenges that he went through, the pinnacle of which our sages tell us is that "test" that he had in avoiding the temptation and seduction of the wife of his master Potifar. The Medrash tells us that Yosef has told Hashem, that his father Yaakov underwent challenges and tests as did Avraham and he seemed to be having an easy life. As a result Hashem responded that he would give him an even greater challenge than they ever went through and thus the story begins. Lesson one. Be careful what you ask for in life.

 

What made the challenges of our ancestors so difficult the sefarim tell us is that Hashem to a large degree upped the ante of their Yetzer Harah to the point it where it really was almost unhumanly possible to resist. For example by Avraham when Hashem told him to take his child whom he loved for a sacrifice, Hashem increased Avraham's love for Yitzchak so much it was almost impossible to go through with the command. Similarly when Yosef was being seduced again and again and again by this woman, Hashem removed all his natural inhibitions and increased his desire to such a degree that it was too difficult to pass up.

 

How then did Yosef survive? So the Divrei Shmuel suggests that the Torah reveals this to us by telling us when this happened. It says Vayehi ka'hayom ha'zeh- and it was like this day, when the final temptation took place. The Midrash there says, what day was it? You guessed it/ None other than Shabbos Kodesh. Why is this so significant? Because on Shabbos, he tells us, a Jew is given extra super spiritual powers to lift themselves up from the bottom and rise to places that one could never reach during the regular weekdays. Shabbos, is when the entire world is elevated. We can make even the mundane holy and special. How? Because Shabbos possesses that super-power and energy into a Jew that connects him so close to our Creator that no forces of evil have and weight.

 

It was from Shabbos that Yosef was able to tap into and overcome his yetzer harah and run out of the house. In the same way that Hashem tells Avraham who thought he could not have children that he needs to go outside and count the stars. They are both things that happen outside. Outside of the physical world, outside of the normal constraints of nature and human capability. Leave the physical world and enter the Shabbos world. There the rules and game changes. There every Jew can rise up from the ashes. And thus each Shabbos when we sing Lecha Dodi we repeat this theme. His'naari his'o'reri- shake off the world, awaken and shine that light. It is the super power of Shabbos.

  

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

 

Unfinished Business end of Yoav- 837 BC- Shlomo Ha'Melech tried to be a nice guy when he inherited the reigns from Dovid by sparing his brother Adoniyahu, but sometimes a kings gotta do what a kings gotta do. And with Adoniyahu's attempted coup by asking Batsheva to give him Dovid's maid servant Avishag who kept him warm at night as his wife, he knew that there were still forces that unless they were taken care of would always be a thorn in his side. And thus he orders his loyal servant Benayahu ben Yehoyada to kill Adoniyahu, and he does. One down. Two more left to go in Shlomo's eyes.

 

The second person on his hit list was Aviathar the Kohen who had backed Adnoniyahu. Here unlike Adoniyahu, Shlomo had mercy. Aviathar was faithful and loyal to Dovid. As well, he was the only surviving Kohen from the city of Nov that Shaul had destroyed while he was seeking to Dovid who hid there. So Shlomo felt that to a large degree a bit of guilt over the death of their family as it was because they were seeking his father Dovid that the entire city was killed. Thus Shlomo ordered that Aviathar would be banished to his home city of Anatot. Today the city of Anatot is located off of Highway 60 near the valley that runs down to Nachal Perat. Those that do that incredible water hike can see where the arab village of Anata still stands. Incidentally that is also the city where the prophet Yirmiyahu was from.

 

Finally the last person to be dealt with was Dovid's former general and nephew, Yoav. Yoav had taken matters into his hands too many times. Killing his cousin Ammasa and Shaul's general Avner and now once again he had supported and encouraged Adoniyahu in his rebellion. Shlomo orders Benayahu to kill him, however Yoav seeing the writing on the wall runs to the Altar and grabs on to its corners and refuses to leave claiming that the Altar will protect him and not thinking that Shlomo would carry forth his decree in such a holy place. He was wrong.

 

Where was this altar and why didn't it protect him. Different midrashim suggest that it was not in the Temple, which had not been built yet obviously and it was located in either Shilo or Givon. Only the altar in the Temple had the power to afford sanctuary. The ones in the temporary location didn’t have that power. Regardless Shlomo gives the order and Yoav is killed there and his body is buried in the Midbar/ wilderness. The once proud general will not have a tomb that anyone would or could visit. Next week Shlomo' malchus really starts.

 

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S TERRIBLE DREIDEL GAMBLING JOKES OF THE WEEK

 

What did the father dreidel say to his daughter when he came home from work and found her still in the shower? What! You're still not dry and ready?

What did the dreidel tell the doctor? I've been having these dizzy spells

Q: What do you call Hanukkah gelt that you gamble with? A: Chocolate chips. 

Q: Did you hear about the two dreidels that fell in love? A: They met at a spin class. 

Q: How did the dreidel feel about calling in sick? A: He felt a little gelty.

"My son is something else," Mrs. Finkelstein told her friend. "He traveled to Las Vegas last week in a $25,000 car and returned a few days later in a $100,000 vehicle."

"Wow! He won that much money?" her friend replied. "He must really know how to gamble."

"Well, not really," said the mother. "He went in our car, but had to return by bus."

 

When Rivkah was called up for jury service, she asked the judge whether she could be excused.

"I don’t believe in capital punishment," she said, "and I wouldn’t want my views to prevent the trial from running its proper course".

The judge liked her thoughtfulness but had to tell her that she was perfectly suitable to serve on the jury.

"Madam," he explained, "This is not a murder trial, it's just a simple civil lawsuit. Mrs F is bringing this case against her husband because he gambled away the entire $25,000 he had promised her for her birthday so that she could carry out a make-over on her kitchen."

"OK," said Rivkah, "I'll join your jury - I could be wrong about capital punishment after all."

A rabbi, a minister, and a priest were playing poker when the police raided the game.

Turning to the priest, the lead police officer said, "Father Murphy, were you gambling?"

Turning his eyes to heaven, the priest whispered, "L*rd, forgive me for what I am about to do." To the police officer, he then said, "No, officer; I was not gambling."

The officer then asked the minister, "Pastor Johnson, were you gambling?"

Again, after an appeal to heaven, the minister replied, "No, officer; I was not gambling."

Turning to the rabbi, the officer again asked, "Rabbi Goldstein, were you gambling?"

Shrugging his shoulders, the rabbi replied, "With whom?

 

Moishe meets Arnold at their social club and asks how Abe’s funeral went the other day.

"It went OK, Moishe," replied Arnold, "but at the end of the Rabbi’s eulogy, I had to try and stop myself from laughing aloud."

"Why was that?" asks Moishe.

"Well," says Arnold, "throughout his marriage to Miriam, she was always telling me what a mean man he was. He never had a steady job and the money he brought home to her wasn't enough for food and clothing, let alone holidays. Yet he drank heavily and often stayed out all night gambling. Altogether, a good husband he was not. But at the funeral, the Rabbi spoke of how wonderful the deceased was - so considerate, so beloved, so thoughtful to others. Then, when the Rabbi had finished, I heard Miriam say to one of her children, "Do me a favour, David, go see whether it’s your father in the coffin."



Rabbi Bloom gets on the train and as soon as the doors close, a priest gets up, goes over to the rabbi and says, "Good morning rabbi. I have a question to ask you. Why is it that everybody thinks Jews are smarter than Gentiles?"

Rabbi Bloom, who is not up for an argument, says, "I’m sorry, but I am just a simple rabbi and I’m not really able to participate in such a discussion."

But the priest insists. "Look, no harm meant rabbi, but I have a theory and I need to test it out in the form of a bet. I’ll pay you $100 if you can ask me a question that I can't answer. But if I can ask you a question that you can't answer, you must pay me $100."

Rabbi Bloom replies, "But I’m a poor rabbi - I only have $10 on me."

The priest hesitates then says, "OK, rabbi, it’s my $100 against your $10."

Rabbi Bloom realises he can't get out of this so he agrees, but on condition that he asks the first question. The priest agrees.

"OK," says Rabbi Bloom, "what animal has scaly skin, the body of a cat, the face of a squirrel, the ears of a mouse, webbed toes and swims under water?"

Surprised, the priest admits that he doesn't know and asks the rabbi for a few more minutes to think about it. The rabbi agrees.

2 minutes later, the priest takes $100 from his wallet and gives it to the rabbi. The priest then asks the rabbi, "So what animal was it?"

Rabbi Bloom replies, "How should I know?" and gives the priest $10.

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Answer is C – So my first wrong answer on this exam. Well, no entirely wrong. I did know that UNSCOP the United Nation something Commission of (on?) Palestine were the ones that prepared the Partition Plan. But I actually thought that Nahariya was included in Israel's portions as it was a Jewish city. However had I thought about it for a few seconds I would've remembered that the top of the upper Western Galile was in Arab hands and so the original plan it was meant to be part of the Arab State. So another I guess it's 50/50 on this one leaving the score at Schwartz 3.5 and .5 for MOT (Ministry of Tourism) on this exam. .

Jews Like Us- Parshat Noach 2019/ 5780

Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land
from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

November 1^st 2019 -Volume 10 Issue 2 3^rd Cheshvan 5780

Parshat Noach

Jews Like Us

So I know when I’m asked by my American Chareidi tourists how many Jews live in a certain place, I have to rephrase the question for them to answer it properly. See, I know they are not asking me how many Jews there are. They really don’t care about the number of Jews. They want to know how many Jews like them there are; how many ‘black hatters’?

Now this is not universal. I shouldn’t stereotype. There are some chareidi Jews who are interested not only in how many houses they may feel comfortable eating in from a kosher standpoint. Not many but certainly a few of them that ask the question of “how many Jews” will include daati leumi or as perhaps they like to call them “Mizrachi” Jews as well. (I don’t think anybody else calls them Mizrachi anymore besides chareidi Jews who for some reason can’t pronounce or grasp the title ‘daati leumi’-Religious Zionist. Perhaps those two things in the same sentence is too much an oxymoron in their world-view.). This is not only because many Chareidi Jews will eat in Mizrachi homes when the going gets tough, as long as they don’t see the hashgachot in front of their faces. It’s because when they say Jews they are “liberal” and open-minded enough to understand that it means anyone that is Shabbat observant, believes in Hashem, observes mitzvos and appreciates the significance and centrality of chulent in Jewish life.

Yet, even they don’t realize that not included in their category are sefardic jews as well. See on one hand many of the Sefardim are also pretty ultra-orthodox chareidi. Although many charieidim may qualify that sentence and disagree with it. After all they may have Chammin which is like chulent with the arbis/ chickpeas which are meant to be served at a shalom zachor-not in chulent- cooked inside. Many of them eat sefardic hashgachot which is certainly not good enough for them, despite the fact that some may be even better. However, there are certainly many sefardic that are not “frum” enough for them to make it into the answer they are looking for to ‘how many Jews’ there are. As well they certainly don’t include Ethiopians or the majority of this country that is secular. When pressed of course if they want to know how many of them are as well in this city? And when they say Jews do they mean them as well. They will of course say and agree that they are also ‘Jews’. Anyone with a Jewish mother or a legitimate conversion is. They know the law. It’s just not what they are trying to find out when they ask that simple question. They mean ‘Jews like us”.

Now lest you feel I’m being too hard on them. The truth is it’s really an American thing as well. Most Americans feel that the whole world should speak English- like ‘them’. Which of course means like a New Yawker, who is the only one that knows how to speak English properly. All restaurants should make the food they are used to. They should sell sushi, pizza and falafel in the same store. Y’know, all those obviously indigenous American cuisines that only Americans know how to make. Although nowhere else in the world will you find those three in one restaurant. The cars should be just as large, the service should be just the same. There is really only one way to do things that is the way that it is done in Boro Park, Flatbush, Lakewood and for three months a year in the Catskill mountains or the ‘kuhntree’ as it should be properly be referred to. So as you see it’s important to qualify the question of your tourists so you can properly tell them, that there are really no Jews exactly like them. Some have different last names, some have different color eyes, and yes some have different first and last names. Generally, my qualification of their initial question like this, will give them something to think about. For about a minute or two… then we go to eat falafel, in the only country that really knows how to make good falafel J.

Lest you think that I’m just on a chareidi bashing mode, those that know me know that I try to be an equal opportunity offender, it is not only them. Many secular Jews don’t consider Chareidim as ‘real’ Jews either, Many Sefardim believe they are really the only ones that got it right as well. As Rav Dovid Cohen once told me, when a Jew calls someone a goy gamur- a ‘real’ goy, you know he’s Jewish.  A goy is a goy- a gentile is a gentile, only a Jew can be a ‘goy gamur’.

It is interesting to note in this week’s Torah portion which really until the end deals with the entire world and the universality of its citizens Hashem makes a covenant with humanity. Next week’s Torah portion on the other hand which is focused on our first Patriarch Avraham Avinu also concludes with a covenant. On one hand there are many similarities in the text between these two covenants or britot (bris-es for the chareidim that are still with us here in the E-Mail and haven’t jumped down to the jokes as soon as they saw the word ‘Torah portion’) that are mentioned. They are fascinating to note and they reveal I believe the essence of what our job here is all about.

The first covenant is the bris Hashem makes after the Mabul/ Flood it is the covenant of the rainbow that Hashem will never destroy the land again. The covenant next week, of course is circumcision commanded to Avraham as a covenant between us and Hashem. Let’s just compare the similarities for a minute.

Bereshit (9:11-12) V’hakimoti briti itchem… Zot ot bris asher ani nosein beini ubeineychem- and I will establish my covenant with you…It shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you

And by Avraham’s covenant it uses almost the identical words.

Bereishit (17:1) U’nimaltem es basar orlaschem, v’haya l’ot bris beini u’beineychem-And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you

Bereishit (17:10) Vahkimoti briti beini u’beienecha- And I will establish my covenant between Me and you

Both covenants are bris’es, both are called signs and are between Him and us. The difference is the first one is universal, the second is only for Avraham and his descendants.

But that’s just the tip of it. (excuse the pun...ouch!) Both bris’es are referred to as bris olam- eternal covenants, both of them are preceded by Hashem blessing them with being fruitful and multiplying; in Noach’s case this is universal, in Avraham’s case this the promise that Hashem will multiply His children like and make them very -very fruitful- me’od, meod. As well both covenants make eternal changes. By Noach it says there will never be another flood- v’lo yihiyeh od mabul. By Avraham, as well, his name is changed from Avram to Avraham, with almost the same words. V’lo yikarei od Avram.

To make this even more fun if you look you will see that both covenants mention kareis- or excision from the world. In the case of the rainbow and the flood it is that the rainbow is a sign Hashem

Lo yikareis kol basar od mi’mei ha’mabul- and no flesh will be cut off again because of the waters of the flood.

 And by Avraham’s case it says almost the opposite

V’aral zachar asher lo yimol basar orloso v’nichrasa hanefesh ha’hi mei’ameha- And non-circumcished male who does not circumcise his flesh and that soul shall be cut off from his people.

As well the word flesh and covenant just keeps repeating itself throughout both narratives. What is going here?

I believe the answer can be found in the differences between the signs. The sign of the rainbow is one of looking up to the sky and perceiving the different colors of all of us. Mankind together joined in a beautiful array of lights can all be seen as having one source. The one light from where all of these shine from. It is the sun behind the clouds. All of the wars of mankind have come from man being unable to appreciate that the differences between them really are all merely shades of a rainbow that reflect the light of Hashem. Each color is distinct, each brings something to this world and each has the potential to reveal the light of Hashem in this world. This incomprehension leads to wars, leads to crime, to hate, to conquest and ultimately to destruction. Hashem made this covenant with mankind that he will never again cut off the world from this light, as He did by the Flood, when there was no day and night, no seasons, it was only destruction. Man upon viewing this rainbow will remember this covenant and appreciate the beauty and unity we each share despite our differences. Man can then be fruitful and multiply in the world and bring that vision to His creation.

When it comes to Avraham and his children though it is precisely the opposite message. A circumcision is not a pretty process. It is something that really joins one nation together at its most basic level. It is a sign that all descendants of Avraham shall bear on their flesh. Kippa or no Kippa, Ashkenazi, Sefardi, Russian or Ethiopian. We all have the same brit; the same eternal covenant. Just as the covenant of the rainbow is there so that mankind all flesh will focus on the beauty of its differences and the one light that they all come from, by Judaism it is the exact opposite. We are meant to focus on the one common sign that we all have. We are all bound in blood and flesh to one another. The gentiles are not one. We are. We are all quite literally cut from the same Abrahamic flesh. We are all Jews and even more than that we are partners in that covenant for mankind. See, unlike the covenant of the rainbow where Hashem is the one making and placing the sign of the rainbow, by the brit mila each Jew is placing the sign. We are the ones that have to connect and unite one another and grant each other that one unifying signature. It is only when we have that sign and understanding can, and will we, be able to flourish, multiply and be truly fruitful. It is only then when we will be blessed with the land Hashem has promised us.

We live in a world of extremism. There is the extreme right there is the extreme left, there is the extremely religious and the extreme anti-religious. Fundamentalism and hatred is on the rise all over the world. The target of all of this extremism generally ends up on the Jewish people’s plate. They are the swastikas on our shuls, the beatings and vandalism in the streets, the resolutions and condemnations in the UN and the halls of congress and Parliaments. The world is going crazy. No one sees the rainbow anymore of the differences of ideas and no one certainly sees the beauty of Hashem shining through the clouds and the storms where all those lights come from. And it is all our fault- perhaps another Jewish shared trait, the guilt and understanding that it is all our responsibility.

Why is it our fault? Because if we do not keep our covenant how can we expect the world to keep theirs. If we are too busy focusing on the differences between all of us, the labels that we place upon one another, the houses I can and can’t eat in, the families whose daughters can marry my sons, then we have have forgotten the most important sign Hashem wanted us to all have. That we are one. We all have a bris that we entered in. That is how we will merit the land. Whereas the gentiles covenant was that they will not be destroyed from “the land”. Avraham is promised that his descendants will merit to inherit “the Land” he brought him to. The land where we are the fullest partner of Hashem in shining out that powerful light that powers their rainbow to the entire world. To bring out the rainbow and the era of peace and harmony which is the fulfilment of the covenant Hashem has with the flesh of all mankind on the land, the descendants of Avraham need to concentrate on the common covenant we have placed on our very flesh rather than the different streams, rays, colors and chulents that divide us. That is our bris. That is what will ultimately bring us all home.

Have a glorious Shabbos,

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

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RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

“Men antloyft fun regn, bagegnt men hogl.”– Run away from rain and you get hail.

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S COOL VIDEO  OF THE WEEK

https://youtu.be/ZdSxjSP86u4 – Parshat Noach is of course not complete without Aharon Razels Tzei Min Ha’Teiva

https://youtu.be/V3TlK9i-Y0k  –And of course for that matter Mikolot Mayim Rabim Adirim

https://youtu.be/4kI3Z7FspnU  - Xtreme Etizos with Dr. Dreizich pretty brilliant and hilarious if you get the jokes…

https://youtu.be/_rnbd6u6gPw – Top Five Floods caught on video!

https://youtu.be/y-Z2YskASiE – Here’s a Mikolot Mayim Rabim I doubt you’ve heard of Carlebach… I ‘ve never heard it…

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

Q The earliest figure among the following:
A) Rabbi Yohanan Ben Zakkai
B) HaGaon Rabbenu Eliyahu (HaGra)
C) Morenu HaGadol Rabbi Loew (Maharal)
D) Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi

New Column

Wow we have covered a lot of ways to learn the Torah over the past few years- we did the pshat of the week with Rashi, Gematria, Midrash, Haftorah, Lomdus, not bad… For this year’s challenge for this column let’s focus on one Mitzva each week from the Parsha some of its laws and ideas. We’ve improved our understanding of Torah intellectually, spiritually, mystically and prophetically Now let’s make it practical. After-all Torah is meant to bring to action, to observance. Let’s see how it goes.

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S PARSHA/MITZVA CONNECTION OF THE WEEK

Ach es dimchem b’nafshoseicem- Suicide Prohibition- Last week we spoke about the first mitzva to populate the world. The counter to that mitzva is fouidn in this week’s Torah portion. The prohibition to take one’s own life. This is a command given to Noach after the flood/ the translation of the above verse is

(Bereishit 9:5). "Your blood which belongs to your souls I will demand...".

The Talmud (Baba Kama 90b) learns from here that one may not wound his own body, and all the more so may not take his own life. It is interesting to note that this mitzva comes after the story of the flood. Noah and those on the Ark recognized that all of humanity was destroyed and they were saved by Hashem. They understood that their lives were gifts they were given and granted. It was not theirs to end. Only He who gave them life could take it. That is the underlying concept, the commentaries suggest behind this mitzva. Others suggest that in the act of taking one’s own life you are preventing your death itself in being a kapara-atonement as you are turning it into a sinful act. Along the same lines you are negating the possibility of teshuva-repentance from that act. Because the game’s pretty much over after that.

The prohibition against suicide is so severe that there are those that say that Kaddish is not recited nor is shiva sat for someone who willfully commits suicide and that although buried in a Jewish cemetery, they are distanced from righteous people. Although like most Jewish laws there are many that disagree and are more lenient, certainly when there is shame to the family as a result. Eternally as well the suicide is punished and does not find rest. It’s not a good thing.

Now although many like to paint Judaism as black and white there are all types of exceptions to the above prohibition on suicide and we even find many great Jewish leaders and martyrs that killed themselves. Perhaps the most classic would be King Shaul, the first King of Israel, who fell on his sword rather than allow the Philistines to capture him alive.  The commentaries explain that this was because he feared if he would be captured his body would be desecrated and it would be a chilul Hashem and that would weaken the Jewish people’s resolve and lives would be lost as a result in the ensuing battles.

There are other cases where we have the famous story of Chana and her 7 sons who after watching her 7 sons killed in front of her for refusing to worship idolatry, she jumps off the roof and a voice from heaven praises her. From this we derive that someone who commits suicide under extreme duress and who is not in their full mental capacity is not considered a suicide. As well we find many stories of Jewish martyrs, perhaps most notable are the hundreds of Jewish children that jumped off a boat and drowned on the way to be sold in Rome as slaves after the destruction of the Temple. They did this for fear that they would be coerced to violates sins that one is obligated to give their life for or severe torture that they could not withstand. These martyrs were used during the period of the Crusades and the Holocaust as a source for those that had committed similar acts to be considered heroes rather than sinners. And certainly Jews who we may never judge.

Our Torah and our lives are certainly gifts from God that we have no right to callously throw away. Even when one is suffering physical pain Judaism believes that life is always something to preserved. The first generation after the holocaust understood that notion. Their parents who suffered and lost and saw so many that did not have the benefit of having a good life made sure their children understood how precious of a gift it is. Unfortunately, we live in a generation where living and life is taken for granted. Perhaps that is why is so many tragically feel that it is empty and can be easily given up upon.

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

Gideon and The battle of Midian  1084 BC  - We have finally arrived at the battle. Midian is camped like locusts all through the valley by Mt. Tavor near Dovrat, the arab village of Daburiya today in the Jezre’el Valley and South of Ein Dor on the foothills of Givat Hamoreh a little south of there. Hashem told Gideon to go down to the Midianite camp the night before the battle and listen in to them. He does so with his servant and he hears one of the strong soldiers describing a dream he had of a kernel of barley rolling through the camp of the Midianites and wiping it out. His friend told him that this was a sign that Gideon and the Israelites would be successful. This dream and message were not just Hashem showing Gideon they had nothing to fear. He told him and proved him that already. Rather this was Hashem revealing to Gideon the game-plan. From this conversation Gideon understood that the Midianites were scared; not only of the Jews but particularly of Gideon. The way to win was to play on that fear.

So Gideon marshalled his 300 men that were left after the drink-off trial by water we discussed last week. These were members of the tribes of Asher, Zevulun and Naftali from the North and Menashe from the south. Gideon divided them into three camps each soldier was given a torch, a jug and a shofar. At the given signal in the middle of the night they would all light their torches and smash the jugs and blow the shofars. The first Molotov cocktails ever. They would then all scream out “For Hashem and for Gideon!”. The Midianites were terrified of Gideon’s name as he learned from the dream the night before. They would never imagine that each torch represented each soldier as usually there was one torch bearer for a whole brigade. They would assume that there were thousands of soldiers on all sides rather than the few hundred that there were. The noise and light would terrify them particularly as this came in the middle of the night when they were all sleeping and unprepared.

V’kach hava- and that’s the way it went. The Midianites awoke in terror and fled with their swords stabbing and killing hundreds of their fellow Midianites soldiers in the process. They were chased across the Jordan river South of Beit Shean and Beit Shitta and across the Jordan River to a place called Avel Mechola , a few kilometres south of Irbid the 2^nd largest city in Jordan and not far from the Jewish settlements in the Jordan valley named after it Mechola and Sdemot Mechola.

Gideon then commanded the tribe of Ephraim to chase them and take the crossing points of the Jordan. Right near the modern day former crossing point of Gesher Adam Bridge into Jordan that since the 90’s has been out of use. They capture the two generals of Midian Orev and Ze’ev—or Raven and Wolf and brought their heads back to Gideon. They were a bit annoyed that they weren’t invited to join in the original battle but Gideon reassured them that their participation at the end was just as significant.

Next we will talk about the aftermath. But an interesting epilogue in the late 1930’s the fledgling Israeli underground army, the Hagana, were actually trained by a bibliophile English General Orde Wingate to create special “Night Brigades” to defend and attack Arab insurgents in Daburiya and other areas in the Jezre’el valley. The forces numbered a 100 at their peak and they faced thousands of Arabs. However, he would teach them using the “Bible” about the strategies of Gideon and the other Tanach stories and inspire them to win wars with the same methods. Instilling fear and making the enemy believe you were larger and more powerful than you actually were. As well of course to daven to Hashem. These forces inflicted much damage upon the arab plots to attack the Jews and set the tone for the ultimate strategies that were utilized in the War of Independence.

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S RAINBOW JOKES  OF THE WEEK

I once did an exam on rainbows. I passed with flying colours.
You’re so old when you were a child rainbows were black and white
What is at the end of a rainbow? The w
I was caught stealing a rainbow once? Ended up getting thrown in prism
What do you call a rainbow without any colors? A plainbow.
How much does a Rainbow weigh? I don’t know for sure, it’s Light!

In the year 2020, the Lord came unto Noah, Who was now living in America and said:
"Once again, the earth has become wicked and over-populated, and I see the end of all flesh before me."
"Build another Ark and save 2 of every living thing along with a few good humans."
He gave Noah the blueprints, saying:
"You have 6 months to build the Ark before I will start the unending rain for 40 days and 40 nights."
Six months later, the Lord looked down and saw Noah weeping in his yard - but no Ark."Noah!," He roared, "I'm about to start the rain! Where is the Ark?"
"Forgive me, Lord," begged Noah, "but things have changed."
"I needed a Building Permit."
"I've been arguing with the Boat Inspector about the need for a sprinkler system."
"My homeowners association claim that I've violated the
Neighborhood by-laws by building the Ark in my back yard and exceeding the height limitations. We had to go to the local Planning Committee for a decision."
"Then the City Council and the Electricity Company demanded a shed load of money for the future costs of moving power lines and other overhead obstructions, to clear the passage for the Ark's move to the sea. I told them that the sea would be coming to us, but they would hear none of it."
"Getting the wood was another problem. There's a ban on cutting local trees in order to save the Greater Spotted Barn Owl."
"I tried to convince the environmentalists that I needed the wood to save the owls - but no go!"
"When I started gathering the animals, PETA took me to court. They insisted that I was confining wild animals against their will. They argued the accommodations were too restrictive and it was cruel and inhumane to put so many animals in a confined space."
"Then the Environmental Protection Agency ruled that I couldn't build the Ark until they'd conducted an environmental impact study on Your proposed flood."
"I'm still trying to resolve a complaint with the Human Rights Commission on how many minorities I'm supposed to hire for my building crew."
"The Immigration Dept. Is checking the visa status of most of the people who want to work."
"The labor unions say I can't use my sons. They insist I have to hire only union workers with ark-building experience."
"To make matters worse, the IRS seized all my assets, claiming I'm trying to leave the country illegally with endangered species."
"So, forgive me, Lord, but it would take at least 10 years for me to finish this ark."
"Suddenly the skies cleared, the sun began to shine and a rainbow stretched across the sky."
Noah looked up in wonder and asked, "You mean you're not going to destroy the world?"
"No," said the Lord. " The Government beat me to it.

Once upon a time, a King wanted to have some fun...
.... He went on a podium and said loudly: "I will give half of my fortune to anyone who manages to tell me a lie that I, myself, admit that it's a lie."
An old man walked to the King and said: "I can draw rainbows wherever I want."
The King replied: "That's true, I saw you making one yesterday and it was really pretty."
A soldier then walked to the King while everyone stared at him, and said: "Your majesty, I have a gun that shoots atomic bombs."
The King quickly said: "That's great, and by the way, good job on Hiroshima."
After hearing all that, the kingdom was discouraged to ask any further questions because it would simply end the same; the King can always find a way to dodge that lie.
Almost desperate, a young Jewish boy, named Berel approached the King holding a barrel and loudly said: "I lent you a barrel of gold last week".
The King said: "That's a lie."
Berel than replied: "Give me half of your fortune then!"
The King quickly said: "Wait, I remember, you did lend you me barrel of gold last week."
Berel shouted: "Give it back to me then."
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Answer is A–  So this is a no-brainer for any yeshiva student. Or it should be at least. I mean any yeshiva guy should know that the GRA and Maharal lived a few hundred years ago only. Far after the Tanaim Reb Yochanan Ben Zakkai and Reb Yehudah Hanasi.. ( By the way who was first the GRA or Maharal…? ) Now I don’t know why tour guides in Israel would know the Maharal at all. I don’t even know where one would talk about him. The Gra I guess we learned about, as his students made Aliyah. Now Tour guides and yeshiva Guys should know that Reb Yochanan Ben Zakkai was at the time of the churban/ destruction- after-all he pleaded before Vespasian to spare Yavneh. Rebbi Yehuda lived a hundred years later. So of course the right answer is Reb Yochanan…by the way the Gra was the most recent of all. living about a century after the Maharal did you get that one right?  The score is Schwartz 39 and 10 for MOT (Ministry of Tourism) on this exam so far