Insights and Inspiration
from the
Holy Land
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend in Karmiel"
January 7th 2022 -Volume
11 Issue 15 5th Shevat 5782
Parshat Bo
It’s a small little basement in Ashkelon;
a city where there has been a tremendous renewal in connection to the Torah and
Mitzvos in recent years. Yet this basement shteeble has turned into a beacon of
Torah and classes for many non-religious families, the large sign on the door
Midreshet Zikaron Igor standing proudly as a strong and great merit to the faithful
canine in whose memory the learning center was established. Wait… did you say
canine? As in a dog?! Yes, I did. Igor was a good dog. He was loved by his
owners and in his death he began a revolution of Torah that he will always be
remembered la’tov for.
It was in middle of the first Gaza War
and Reb Shmuel was heading over to Ashkelon to give a Torah class and visit
some people in this city that had been hit repeatedly with missiles. As he approached
the city all of a sudden an air raid siren went off. Being familiar with safety
protocols unfortunately from the many air raid sirens and wars he’d been
through since our unilateral disengagement from Gaza and the subsequent fulfillment
by Hamas of their side of the agreement which was that they would continue to
try to kill us and push us into the sea, he immediately began to pull over to
the side of the road to take cover. Yet Reb Shmuel wasn’t the only one that was
rushing to find shelter. Igor a fine Israeli collie as well was pretty scared
of Katyushas- I mean not as scared as he was of Israeli cats, those really frightening
creatures that wreak havoc on the streets and alleyways of Israels. Hmmm maybe they’re
really meant to be spelled Catyushas, you know spelling in English is never
really been a strong point for Israelis. So Igor ran to take cover under Reb
Shmuel. Little did appreciate that the car was still in motion. Oops. Bump bump.
Bye bye Igor. May his memory be blessed. Or as they say in Yiddish (k)alev ha’shalom
After the siren Shmuel saw a crowd
gathering around Igor. He quickly made his way over to the owners and
apologized profusely explaining what had happened, how Igor had just ran under
his tires and how terrible he felt. He offered to pay for the dog and wanted to
know if there was anything he could do to make them whole for their tragic
loss. They were touched by his sincerity and they even asked him if he wouldn’t
mind giving them a Torah class. One thing led to another and the class expanded
until the point where the family decided that they were going to build a Torah
study Midrasha in their basement and they wanted to name it after Igor. After
consultation with Rav Zilbershtien his Rav who found numerous sources where great
sages in the Talmud showed their appreciation to the animals that served them
well, Zikaron Igor Torah center was born. And I’m sure Igor is shepping lots of
nachas up there in dog heaven.
This story of Igor in fact has its roots
or bones in the beginning of us becoming a nation. In fact at the moment that
we became a nation on Pesach eve when the 1st borns of Egypt were
killed, ours were saved, we slaughtered the Pesach lamb, ate our 1st
Seder and had blood on our doorposts, the Torah tells us one more spectacular
fact. Whereas in Egypt the Torah tells us that their will be much crying and
wailing all night long like there never was before.
U’lchol
bnai Yisrael lo yecheratz kelev l’shono- and for all of the children of
Israel a dog will whet its tongue against either man or beast, in order that
you shall know that the Hashem will separate between the Egyptians and between
Israel.
In reward for the dogs overcoming their
natural desire to bark, particularly on the night of a full moon and when death
is lurking all over the place they were rewarded. Later on the Torah tells us
that all of animals that were not properly slaughtered should be thrown to the
dogs. As well they are given a special verse in Perek Shira to sing to Hashem.
But perhaps the most fascinating and strangest reward that not everyone knows
about is that every set of teffilin, mezuza and even Sefer Torah has it’s parchment
prepared with ummm how do I say this nicely… that stuff that people walk around
in a bag with as they walk their dogs in the morning in order that they don’t
get fined for leaving it on the floor where people can step on it. It boggles
my mind every time I see people doing this, by the way. I mean I don’t even
change diapers. But anyways that’s pretty impressive, you have to admit. All
for not barking Pesach night. The question though is why was this so important.
Does it really make a difference if they bark or not?
Perhaps even stranger is that the Torah
tells us that the reason why the dogs were not supposed to bark is so that they
should know that there’s a difference between Jews and Egyptians. Really??? What
the fact that no Jews died and all of the Egyptian first borns did isn’t enough?
We’re told that even Jews that had fully assimilated and were hanging out in
solidarity with their Egyptian buddies even if they weren’t in their houses
with the blood spattered doorposts didn’t die. In addition to that wouldn’t it
seem that after the ten plagues already the Egyptians would’ve gotten the
point? What does no dogs barking prove or teach more than has already been
shown to them? Why was this miracle so critical that they are rewarded eternally
for really just being quiet for a few short hours if even?
The answer, like most good answers can
be best understood with something my mother always used to tell me- or maybe
still does. It’s an old bit of Yiddish wisdom. She would say “when a dog barks-
you don’t bark back”. If someone is yelling at you, if someone is calls out
some names, or puts you down- don’t feel the need to respond. When a dog barks
at you, do you feel the need to bark back? I hope not. Why not? Because you
understand that he’s a dog and you’re not. Bila’am turns back and starts
yelling at his donkey. It’s funny because it makes him look like a donkey and
not the one from Shrek either. Do you know why the dogs didn’t bark that night,
in order to teach the Jewish people who had been slaves and treated like animals
for centuries, that when they achieve they’re freedom, remember there’s no need
to bark back.
If you look at most revolutions that
take place in the world. From the French Revolution, the American Revolution,
the Slave rebellion and even dare I say BLM or January 6th 2021 on who’s anniversary I’m writing this, do
you know what they all have in common? The revolutionaries became chayos ra’os-
they became wild beasts. C’mon who doesn’t remember that loser last year with
the horned hat out of some bad Flinstones cartoon on his head. They guillotined
everyone, they raped, looted, killed the people that persecuted them for so
long. They became barking dogs. They became the same as their oppressors, in
some cases even worse than them.
Hashem wanted the Jewish people to know
that their freedom from Mitzrayim was going to differentiate them from the
Egyptians. When they leave they will ask the Egyptians nicely to borrow their
clothing. What a strange commandment! It’s something Hashem repeats numerous
times, it’s almost as essential as the Pesach offering that He commands us. Not
just ask them if they could borrow it, but rather borrow it from their
neighbor, from their friend. Not just their neighbor and friend but that even
the Egyptians will look upon them with chein- with favor, with grace and with
respect. Our Exodus from Egypt will be one where there is no dogs barking. Because
if we don’t bark at them, than they will as well be transformed and reminded
that they have the spirit of Hashem in them as well. Hashem tells the dogs not
to bark so that all will know that there’s a difference between Jews and Egyptians.
We don’t bark back at them. We can lift up from the lowest of the low, from the
excrement of the dog and turn that into a sefer Torah. Into a mezuza. We can in
our silence and the holding back of our bark transform our spirit into Perek
Shira- into an eternal song for Hashem that tells the whole world that there is
holiness inside of us. That is the doggone lesson that we are meant to teach to
the world.
We are told that before Mashiach comes
the face of the generation will look like the face of a dog. There are many
explanations given in this cryptic statement. But there is lots of barking
going on in the world today. People are no longer communicating. It’s all about
what today they call having the right sound-bite but it’s really a sound-bark. Angry
blogs are angry dogs. Radio rants are just whelps of untamed hounds. There’s just
so much noise of Mitzryaim while the plague is decimating us. Their screams are
rising up to the heavens like it never did before. We just need the silence of the
dogs already too recognize that we don’t need to respond. It’s all from Hashem.
He’s getting closer and closer to redeeming us. We just have to be quiet enough
to hear our Master’s whistle calling to us to come.
Have a redemptive peaceful Shabbos,
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
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RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE YIDDISH
PROVERB OF THE WEEK
“Az men shloft mit hint, shteyt men oyf mit fley - If you sleep with dogs, you get up with
fleas.
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
answer below at end of Email
10) Next to Beit Shearim stands a monument in memory of: __________
This character is associated with:
A) Histadrut Poalei Eretz Israel
B) Palmach
C) Protection of the lands of this
country
D) Beitar
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK
https://youtu.be/emmOu6xMYp4
- Zusha’s latest song Hareini Michavein
Holy of the Holies.
https://youtu.be/VhoDe2WuZvA
– You’ve heard of SIRI but the Jewish version is
Avraham Fried- with this funny Mendy Pellin latest
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sthTxtK51Xg - Yoel Gold’s latest inspirational
story and video “Signed at Sinai”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZx_TgcAH8A – Hisyatzavu this week’s Parsha a
Fried Classic
https://youtu.be/xam01uaj6Vg
– This is the
song that the Dogs did not bark Pesach night…HA!
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S PARSHA/SHABBOS
CONNECTION OF THE WEEK
Our First Born -Parshat Va’eira- We
reach the pinnacle of our Exodus with the plague of the First Borns. Since the beginning
when Moshe tells Pharaoh that we are going to leave Egypt, he tells him that
the conclusion will be the death of the First Borns of Egypt. Yet this plague
is different than other plagues in many ways. The Jews have to put blood on
their doorpost, they are commanded to eat the Pesach lamb, they’re given the
mitzva of the sanctification of our First Borns, not only of our babies, but
even of our animals. What is the symbolism and message of all of this?
The Nesivos Sholom brings from the Slonimer
Rebbi in Toras Avos that the concept of bechor is that of oneg- the choice and
most enjoyable aspects of life. There is the Bechor of Mitzrayim and there is
the bechor that the chosen nation that dedicates in pleasures and desires to
Hashem. Redemption can only come when the Bechor of Mitzrayim is destroyed,
when we recognize that all their pleasures and enjoyments without a connection
to Hashem are meaningless; are Tamei. In Egypt they are the 49th
level of impurity as far and as dark as they could become.
Hashem lists three levels of First born
of Pharaoh.
From the first born of Pharoah who sits
upon his throne- This is the desire for honor, desires
of glory, wealth and prestige.
To the first born of the maid servant-
these are the more baser desires of the physical nature. The lusts that we have
that turn us into slaves in our pursuit of them
And all of the first borns of the cattle-
these are the lowest animalistic desires that are even outside of the scope of
human natural desires. They are the desires that debase us and that are
perversions.
When Hashem tells us that He will
destroy the First borns of Egypt He is referring to the power and connection
that we had to these desires that we were enslaved to. It was the perquisite to
our being redeemed. In order for that to happen we needed to ourselves recognize
and sanctify those drives to Hashem. We would take their “god”, that lamb and
slaughter eat and eat as commanded by Hashem; on His terms. We would put the
blood on our doorpost declaring that in our homes our physical pleasures and
enjoyment comes from Hashem and His commandment. We sanctify our First Borns of
our children and our animals as well declaring that idea that all of our
natural and even animal desires will be sanctified. We have light. We have
Shabbos.
Each Shabbos we recall this moment of
redemption by celebrating this day with all of the physical desires that are
precluded by Kiddush. By appreciation Hashem’s control of the world and the incredible
commandments He has given us to enjoy this day. It is a day each week when we
become redeemed. When we celebrate our Redemption. When we bask in the
enjoyment of Oneg Shabbos because we recognize that all the goodness comes from
Hashem and it is only truly meaningful when we enjoy them in His service.
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S ERA’S AND THEIR PLACES
AND PEOPLE IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK
Eretz
Kabul and Giving up Land- 827 BC- Not far from Karmiel where I live is an Arab
village called Kabul. Tradition has that in the village is buried the prophet
Micha as well as Reb Yehudah Ha’Levi and the Ibn Ezra. Its an
ancient Jewish city where in the times of the 2nd Beit Hamikdash
there was a Mishmaret/ family of Kohanim called Shechania that lived
there, which today has a neighboring Jewish village by that same name. As well
there were tana’aim that lived there in the period of the Mishna although the
Yerushalmi tells us it was destroyed during the period of the Bar Kochva
revolt as a result of the sin of machlokes that took place there.
But where does it get its name from?
Well, the Navi tells us that after the
building of the Temple, Hiram the king of Tzur who had donated the cedar
wood for the Beit HaMikdash came to check out the new building. Can you imagine
the entourage he might have had? We have a few stories in history of great gentile
leaders that came to Israel. Alexander the Great during the 2nd
Temple, Franz Josef and the Kaiser Willhelm during the Ottoman
Empire and of course most recently the Pope and Donald Trump
to name a few. Well, this one ranks up there. In appreciation of his
contribution Shlomo gave him 20 cities in the “land of the Kabul”.
Chiram was not that impressed with them and returned them to Shlomo who gave him
the fruit from there instead. I guess Arabs rejecting Israeli concessions of
land is not a new thing.
The question though, certainly during this
year of Shemitta where many have issue with the Heter Mechira concept of
selling the land to non-Jews in order to avoid questions of working the land
and fruits having the requirements of being treated special with the restrictions
of the sanctity of Shevi’is, certainly is a timely one. Is it permitted to sell
the land? Is such a sale or the giving of land to a gentile valid? So the
answer seems to be that it is certainly not a good thing to give Jewish land to
Arabs according to all opinions. The torah has a prohibition of lo sichaneim-
one should not give gentiles land here. So how did Shlomo do this?
There are some that take the approach that
Shlomo exchanged cities with Hiram for friendship, so he wasn’t really giving
up land. Others suggest that Shlomo never really gave him the cities but rather
the crops that grew in these cities would belong to him. Tosafos offers many
possibilities one of them being that perhaps Hiram was considered like a ger
toshav a resident alien that one can give land to. On the opposite end of
that approach the Ramban seems to hold that the prohibition is only giving
gentiles land in Israel to live here. He even writes, fascinatingly enough,
that if a Jew owns a house here but does not live here he does not fulfill his
Mitzva of settling the land. So according to that if Chiram didn’t live in these
cities and was never meant to live here there would be nothing wrong with
giving it to him.
Yet at the end of the day, Baruch Hashem,
Chiram didn’t take the cities. He didn’t like them because as he said they were
Eretz Kabul. What does that mean. Some say that it was swampy lands, and others
say that the people that lived there were “fine-shmekkers” that were too fancy
to work the land. Either way it stayed in Jewish hands. During the original
partition plan of the State of Israel, the modern-day village was meant to be
part of the Arab State. Yet history repeated itself when the local village
surrendered to the Israel army forces in 1948 and the land of Kabul once
again remains as part of the Jewish State.
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S TERRIBLE DOG JOKES OF
THE WEEK
Where do Jewish dogs go
to pray? The Synadogue
What do you give an
angry Jewish dog? A muzzle-tov!
A guy walks into a bar
with his golden retriever. He tells the bartender, “I got a Jewish dog named
Moishe. He’s so smart he actually talks. Can I get a drink on the house if my
dog talks for you?''
''Dogs can't talk,
pal,” replied the
bartender, “but if you can prove to me yours does, I'll give you a drink. If
not, well, let’s just say you don’t wanna find out.''
''Okay,'' says the guy. He turns to his dog. ''Okay,
Moishe. Tell me – what is on top of a house?''
''Roof!'' The man turns and smiles at the bartender.
''THAT ain't
talking! Any dog can bark!''
''Okay, Moishe. Tell
me – how does sandpaper feel?''
''Ruff!"
''What the heck you
tryin' to pull, mister?''
said the bartender.
''Okay, okay," says the man. "One more
question. Okay, Moishe, tell me – who is the greatest ball player who ever
lived?''
"RRRuth."
The bartender had
enough and picked up the guy and his dog and threw them onto the sidewalk
outside of the bar.
Moishe stands up and
looks at his owner. "Wow. Maybe I shoulda said DiMaggio?"
Benny’s dog has died
and he goes to see his rabbi. "Rabbi, I wonder whether you could find
the time to say a special blessing at my dog's grave?"
The rabbi replies,
"I'm afraid it isn't possible, Benny. In fact the rules don't really
make any allowance for animals."
Benny says, "But
I'm really upset, rabbi."
"So maybe you
should go to see the Reform rabbi over the road," says the rabbi.
As Benny walks away
dejectedly, he turns to the rabbi and says, "What a shame. I was
willing to donate £1,000 for such a service."
At which point the
rabbi shouts, "Come back, come back."
Benny turns round and
says, "I thought you couldn't help me."
"Ah," says the rabbi, "but you didn't
tell me your dog was Orthodox."
One early winter
morning, an old Chassid was walking beside the canal when he saw a dog in the
water trying hard to stay afloat. The old Chassid jumped in and after a
struggle managed to bring it out alive.
A passer by saw this and said, "That was so very brave of you! Are you
a vet?"
The old Chassid replied, "Of course I'm vet! I'm freezing cold as vell!"
Shmuel had a bad car
accident involving a large truck. Weeks later, in court, the trucking company's
fancy lawyer was questioning Shmuel.
"Didn't you
say, at the scene of the accident, 'I'm fine,'?" asked the lawyer.
Shmuel responded,
"Vell, I'll tell you vat happened. I just put my dog Moishele, into
the..."
"I didn't ask
for any details", the lawyer interrupted. "Just answer the
question. Did you not say, at the scene of the accident, 'I'm fine!'?"
Shmuel said, "Vell, I just got Moishele
into the car and vas driving down the road...."
The lawyer interrupted
again and said, "Judge, I am trying to establish the fact that, at the
scene of the accident, this man told the Highway Patrolman on the scene that he
was just fine. Now several weeks after the accident he is trying to sue my
client. I believe he is a fraud. Please tell him to simply answer the
question."
By this time, the Judge
was fairly interested in Shmuel's answer and said to the lawyer, "I'd
like to hear what he has to say about his dog Moishele".
Shmuel thanked the
Judge and proceeded. "Vell, like I vas saying, I just loaded Moishele,
my lovely hundteleh (dog), into the car and vas driving him down the highway
when this huge semi-truck and trailer ran the stop sign and smacked my truck
right in the side. I vas thrown into one ditch and Moishele vas thrown into the
other. I vas hurting, real bad and didn't want to move. However, I heard
Moishele moaning and groaning. I knew he vas in terrible shape just by his
groans. Den a Highway Patrolman came along. He could hear Moishele moaning and
groaning so he vent over to him. After he looked at him, and saw vat terrible
condition Moishele was in, he took out his gun and shoots him between the eyes.
Den the Patrolman comes across the road, gun still in hand, looks at me and
says, "How you feeling?"
"Nu, Judge, vat vould you say?
A little old lady get
on a plane. She's carrying a bag, a purse and a little dog in a box. She sits
down and puts the box on the seat next to her.
A stewardess approaches and says, "I'm sorry Madam, but you can't keep
the dog here. I'll have to take it and put it in baggage."
She agrees. What else can she do?
During the flight, the stewardess looks in on the little dog, and Oy Gevult,
the dog is dead. She informs the pilot who notifies airport who tells the
director who decides that they will get an other dog to replace this one. The
little old lady will never know.
When the plane lands and she goes to the baggage hall to claim her box, they
bring her a box with a new dog, an exact replica of her old dog. "This
is not my dog", she exclaims.
"Why yes it is," the captain tells her. "See, it has
the same markings."
"This is not my dog", she insists.
"How do you know this isn't your dog?" asks the captain.
"My dog is dead I was taking it to Israel to bury it."
And Adam said, "Oh
Lord, you do not visit me anymore in the garden. I am lonely here and it’s
getting hard for me to remember how much you love me."
And God said, "OK,
I will create you a companion who will be a reflection of my love for you and
you will then know that I love you at all times. Regardless of how childish,
selfish and unlovable you are, your companion will always accept and love
you."
And God created a new
animal for Adam and God was pleased. And the new animal was pleased to be with
Adam and wagged his tail.
And Adam said, "Oh
Lord, I can’t think of a name for this new animal. All the good names in the
animal kingdom have already been assigned."
And God said, "OK,
because I created this animal, his name will be a reflection of mine and you
will call him DOG."
And Dog lived with Adam
and was a good companion and loved him. And Adam was comforted. And God was pleased.
And Dog was content and wagged his tail.
Later, it came to pass
that Adam's guardian angel came to the Lord and said, "Oh Lord, Adam
now struts around like a peacock and believes he is worthy of adoration. Dog
has indeed taught him that he is loved, but no one has taught Adam
humility."
And the Lord said, "OK,
I will create another companion for Adam who will see him as he is. And this
companion will remind him of his limitations and he will soon know that he is
not worthy of adoration."
And God created CAT.
And Cat would not obey Adam. When Adam gazed into Cat's eyes, he was reminded
that he was not the supreme being. And Adam learned humility. And God was
pleased. And Adam was greatly improved. And Cat did not care one way or the
other.
Morty visits Dr. Saul,
the veterinarian, and says, "My dog has a problem."
Dr. Saul says, "So, tell me about the dog and the problem."
"It's a Jewish dog. His name is Shloimeh and he can talk,"
says Morty.
"He can talk?" the doubting doctor asks.
"Watch this!" Morty points to the dog and commands: " Shloimeh,
Fetch!"
Shloimeh the dog, begins to walk toward the door, then turns around and says,
"So why are you talking to me like that? You always order me around
like I'm nothing. And you only call me when you want something. And
then you make me sleep on the floor, with my arthritis. You give me this
fahkakta food with all the salt and fat, and you tell me it's a special diet.
It tastes like dreck! YOU should eat it yourself! And do you ever
take me for a decent walk? NO, it's out of the house, a short pish, and right
back home. Maybe if I could stretch out a little, the sciatica wouldn't
kill me so much! I should roll over and play dead for real for all you
care!"
Dr. Saul is amazed, "This is remarkable! So, what's the
problem?"
Morty says, "He has a hearing problem! I said 'Fetch,'
not 'kvetch.'"
********************************
Answer is C – I really don’t expect anyone who’s not a tour guide to get this one right; neither Part 1 or Part 2 of this question. But as tour guide that tours Beit Shearim a lot, I knew this one, no problem. Alexander Zayid was a bit of a controversial figure, he was from the founders of an organization called Bar Giora which later expanded and became the Shomer Hatzair a vigilante Jewish protection force that would watch over Jewish lands from arab vandals and thieves. He eventually broke from the over ideological issues and was later killed when he was ambushed by some arabs. He’s perhaps most famous for discovering the ancient Jewish cemetery in Beit Shearim, the central cemetery in the period of the Mishna and Talmud and where Rebbi Yehudah Ha’Nasi is buried. He’s immortalized by a big statue of him on a horse behind Beit Shearim National Park. They kind of put him there where no one really could find him or know about it because of old political rivalries. Nice… But of course it’s as well most appropriate because the incredible archeolgical park in fact one of the few in Israel recognized by UNESCO is in his honor. The answer the score is now Schwartz 7.5 and 2.5 for MOT (Ministry of Tourism) on this exam.
