Insights
and Inspiration
from the
Holy Land
from
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend in Karmiel"
September 21st 2018 -Volume 8 Issue 49 12th Tishrei 5779
Parshat Haazinu/ Sukkot
What
an amazing people we are, I thought to myself. Is there another nation in the
world that could do what we just did. Who else can sit in shul for 10-15 of the
last 24 hours pretty much straight through? Add to that, not eating, not
drinking, and pretty much not talking either. Yeah there might be some
Buddhists up in some mountain in Tibet with a few Jews spiritual seeking
Israelis or hippies that might try the whole meditating thing. But it ain’t Yom
Kippur. Not only do we do that, I thought to myself, but I actually feel
uplifted as a result of it. I looked around my shul, I thought about my yeshiva
days, I think about the different communities and strains of Jewish life I have
been exposed to and the truth is I find that most of the people in most of the
shuls and services I have attended on Yom Kippur actually feel the same way.
It’s a real high. The ultimate one perhaps.Neila, when those gates
of heavens are closing at the end of the day, there is an indescribable holy
energy that is in the synagogue. It’s truly amazing and we are amazing that we
can pull through until that point when the holiness explodes, when our bodies
are truly recognized as secondary; as mere hosts for the soul and the spark of
God that is our truest essence.
Now,
there are of course people in every shul that don’t feel that way. There are
people that are checking their watches, critiquing the cantor- wishing they
can’t- hear. There are shuls where you just don’t feel that spark. I certainly
was one of those guys in shul- many times. I’ve certainly been in shuls and
minyanim that didn’t touch me or inspire me at all. I’m sure you have as well.
Interestingly at least for me I’ve found that the shuls that have a bit of
chasidish spirit, a more alteh heim-feel, speak more to my soul.
That hasn’t happened to me though since I started my own shuls and led
services. I like the chazan there 😊. For others I’m sure they
can’t imagine not being in their more formal shuls, maybe with a choir. Maybe
with the old chazan. Maybe there are certain songs, tunes, liturgical pieces
that you need to hear, and if you don’t then your day just isn’t the same. It
doesn’t make a difference. You’re there. You’re trying. And ultimately you’re
aware that there is a part of you that is trying to move beyond this world. And
when it gets there. Its mind-blowing.
Now
there are other Jews that tragically have never had what I believe is the true
Yom Kippur experience. Some that are or were at least raised Orthodox, who just
were miserable and never moved beyond the minyan their parents
sent them to, or the one they had in yeshiva which may have never worked for
them. Others who were raised in non-orthodox homes who may have been from the
“twice-a-year” Jews and resented the hypocrisy of coming to synagogue and
asking forgiveness for sins they had no intention of feeling bad for, or
praying to a God they weren’t even sure existed. I’ve met a lot of those types
in my wanderings. Tragically I would say they are part of the rapidly
disappearing majority of our people; our brothers and sisters who have not
found anything meaningful in our 3000 year old heritage, tradition, wisdom and
Torah. It’s not a new phenomena in our people. We’ve lost way more to
assimilation then to persecution and annihilation. It’s not their fault. I
really believe that. They were brought into the wrong Judaism. Their soul never
found its path. Perhaps that wasn’t their mission this time around for their
soul. If you believe in reincarnation and that our souls can come back multiple
times to fulfill and repair different aspects of it purpose, then life or lives
might have different objectives, they might be easier, they might not include
my Yom Kippur experience. But yet those Jews as well are part of me. They are
still part of my family, my nation and ultimately I believe that they will
experience it. Every Jewish soul will. Our souls are too amazing not to.
But
what is even more amazing to me then our High Holiday fortitude is our post Yom
Kippur activities. See, we have just spent the entire day in prayer. In fact we
pretty much have spent the entire past 10 days in prayer and supplications.
Sefardim who get up early and say selichos weeks before the
Ashkenazim do and guys in yeshiva with regular Elul speeches from their mashgiachhave
been in prayer and teshuva mode for a whole month. We just
went through Rosh Hashana pretty much spending 20 out of 48 hours in shul
davening. We are on major holy Highs. We have been repeatedly asking Hashem
non-stop to “Shine His Kingdom and glory to the whole world”. We are on
the top of the world.
So
where do you go from there? What do we do the next morning, or even that night?
We are not on the top of the world but outside in the backyard on the top of a
roof banging nails together and figuring out how to make a Sukkah. We are
walking around the market place and looking at palm branches, citrons and
counting leaves on myrtle branches. Is there anyone else out there in the world
like us? We have gone from the Holy of Holies to the agriculture and construction
business and we don’t even blink an eye. We have been doing this for 3000 years
and we don’t even think twice about how bizarre it is.. We are like little kids
decorating our Sukkah. Hauling branches and making sure its shady enough.
Bringing in our fine china, our silverware and our little squeezy honey bear
for our challah (I miss those guys by the way here in Israel,
if anyone has one send me it). That’s awesome. But what is it all about?
It
struck me today that perhaps what we are doing is beginning construction on
that world that we have been asking Hashem for. That world where He will shine
out from. Yeah, He has a heavenly palace, a Temple even that will come
down and rest on the Temple Mount. First, however He wants to see us build Him
a little one in our backyard. Sukkos is the ultimate culmination of all that we
have been davening for. We’re building a home where our soul doesn’t have to
hide in the basement of our body, right under the bills, the traffic, the
noise, the blogs, the news, the carpool and yes even our Torah learning and
prayers that may be more mechanical, cultural, social and intellectual rather
than something and someplace that It would achieve its proper expression. It’s
a place where it, where the real “I” was talking and exploding about during the Neila service.
So now we build our soul, we build our truest self that home. It’s made
out of wood. Out of branches. Its not too fancy but it glows like my soul does.
I put down my smartphone, my car keys, my wallet and I pick up my Lulav and
Esrog; a little palm ,a little myrtle, some willows and a citron and I shake
them around. This is what surrounds me. This is what I need to be enveloped
with. My body is the home of the shechina. My sukka is the House
and shade of Hashem. That is where I want to dwell. That is the life I’m
looking for.
There
is an interesting custom we have on Sukkos. Every night we invite into our
Sukka the 7 heavenly shepherds; Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Moshe, Aharon, Yosef
and Dovid. We don’t do this by any other holiday. We don’t invite them to our
Pesach Seder when we have our finest china and Pesach goblets. We don’t invite
them to join us for some latkas on Chanukah even though we’ve got
plenty of nights for them to come. They’re not there for blintzes on Shavuot
when we celebrate the giving of the Torah and not even for hamantashen on Purim
and you know we try to find anyone to give those leftover poppy seed ones to.
What is about Sukkos that enjoins us to invite them and have them grace us with
their presence?
The
Shemen Hatov suggests a profound answer, he says it’s precisely because it’s
not our house that we are inviting them to that we know that
they will come. We are inviting them to Hashem’s house. To our Sukka, the tzeila
dmiheminusa- to those heavenly clouds of glory and faith. To the house that
we built for Hashem and our neshomas after finally finding our
true selves on Yom Kippur. That is where they are invited to join us. Pesach
Shavuot all the other holidays we are in homes that don’t and can’t radiate
that holiness. The ushpizin probably won’t feel too
comfortable there. They are built for our bodies, our tastes, our neighbours
tastes and they house all that is physical about us. After Yom Kippur though
our souls are beyond this world and our Sukkah is beyond this world as well. It
is our taste of Gan Eden and if we are in Gan Eden then our Patriarchs and the
holy ushpizin can certainly feel comfortable to join us. For
our souls are joined with them as they our joined with our Creator, our King,
our Heavenly Father who we have been so close to.
It
is not only the ushpizin that recall our connection to our
shepherds. Each of our 4 species as well connects to them. The three myrtle
branches are the Patriarchs, the two willows are Moshe and Aharon, the Lulav is
Yosef and the Esrog is Dovid. Just as the we shake those species around
ourselves, and many have the custom to do that in the Sukkah, we surround our
soul with the souls of our forefathers. We connect with the spheres of holiness
and gifts that they gave to us. We move beyond this world and even more
fascinating we move beyond the differences that are between each other. He
notes that the Torah tells us in the mitzva of Sukka
Vayikra (23:42)“You shall dwell in Sukkos for
7 days every native/citizen of Israel shall dwell in a Sukkos”
Seemingly
it is a repetitive verse. As well the term every ‘citizen’ or ‘native’ of
Israel is meant to dwell in the Sukka. Since when do we refer to Jews by their
citizenship? The answer our sages suggest is that we are referring to the ushpizin.
They represent the 7 days of Sukkos and they come because in our Sukka we have
all become united. We are all one soul. There are Lulavs amongst us, Esrogs,
myrtles and willows. Each one of our shepherds are there to make sure that
anyone with Jewish citizenship will be connected in that house we built for
Hashem. They may not have made it to Yom Kippur. They may not have even found
their place in Yiddishkeit. They may just be Jews by citizenship only, but the
7 days Holy ushpizin that come to dwell in our Sukkos are
coming with them as well in our Sukkos. For they are also part of our
collective Jewish soul. They are also part of revealing Hashem’s Kingdom in
this world. They are there as much as Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov are there.
Fascinatingly
he notes, that Moshe and Aharon represent the willow branches that have no
taste, no flavour. The power of Moshe’s Torah, the unconditional love of
Aharon’s clouds of glory gather in those souls as well. We may have never
invited those Jews that are not as holy as us into our homes.
But you know what? The Sukkah is not our house. It’s Hashems. The ushpizin are
there. We are all one. And aren’t we all amazing together in that Sukkah.
For
seven days we will be in those incredible clouds of glory. We will bask in that
holiness that we brought down to this world by our little man made huts. We
will shake our Lulav branches, we will sing songs with our family and we will
remember we came from and where we are meant to bring this world to. May it be
the will of Hashem that He brings every Jew into His Sukkah as well. And may
His light then finally shine out to the entire world from what will becoming His permanent dwelling place
in Yerushalayim
Have
an amazing Shabbos and a otherworldly Sukkos
Rabbi
Ephraim Schwartz
**************************************************************
The
Young Israel of Karmiel would like to invite you to join us this Shabbos for
our warm and friendly services. Our Shul is located at 24 HaChavatzelet
Street in the Dromi in the Beit Meli building/home.
SHABBOS SCHEDULE
SHABBOS PARSHAT HAAZINU
CANDLELIGHTING- 6:10 PM
MINCHA & KABBALAT
SHABBAT- 6:20 PM
SHACHARIS- 8:30 AM
MINCHA 5:50 PM
MARIV- 7:22 PM (10 minutes after tzeis)
*******************************************
SUKKOT SCHEDULE 5779
SUNDAY EVENING
CANDLE LIGHTING 6:07
PM
MINCHA-6:20 PM
FOLOWED BY MARIV
MONDAY
SHACHARIS- 8:30 AM
MINCHA 6:00 PM
MAARIV- 7:20 PM
TUESDAY-FRIDAY
SHACHARIS-8:15
PM
SHABBOS CHOL HA'MOED
CANDLELIGHTING- 6:00
PM
MINCHA/KABBALAT
SHABBAT- 6:15 PM
SHACHARIS- 8:30 AM-
MINCHA 5:45
PM
MAARIV- 7:13
PM
HOSHANA RABBA/SIMCHAT
TORAH -
SUNDAY
SHACHARIS -8:15
PM
CANDLELIGHTING-5:57 PM
MINCHA- 6:10 PM
FOLLOWED BY MARIV AND
HAKAFOT
MONDAY
SIMCHAT TORAH
SHACHARIS-8:30 AM
MINCHA AFTER HAKAFOT
AND MUSAF
MAARIV- 7:10
PM
********************************************************
RABBI
SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK
“Mit a guten gast
frait men zikh ven er kumt arein; mit a shlechten gast, ven er gait avek...”– With a good guest,
you are happy when he arrives; with a bad one, when he leaves.
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR
GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK
answer below at end of
Email
Q A kibbutz in the region of Judea
and Samaria:
A. Ofra
B. Kfar
Etzion
C. Tirzah
D. Tapuach
RABBI SCHWARTZ COOL VIDEOS OF THE WEEK
https://youtu.be/NPIPrQAtIz4- Greatest
scene from Ushpizin movie The power of prayer. Must watch (really should rent
and watch entire movie but if you don’t have time at least this scene)
https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/ushpizin-2- My
Ushpizin song composition- the nicest song you’ll hear this Yom Tov. If I had
one song I composed that I would want out there- this would be it… After all
how many times can you sing vsamachta
https://youtu.be/FNAG8nhF7vo- A movinng
Tribute to the Lion Ari Fuld who was cut down to early by an arab terrorist
this past week. May Hashem avenge His blood.
https://youtu.be/B2W-8Ea835s - Sukkas Falling? I don’t know what I
just watched hmmmmm
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S HAFTORA
CONNECTION OF THE WEEK
Parshat Haazinu – I believe that not only is the haftorah connected to each parsha
but the prophet that is chosen for that haftora as well has a connection to the
Parsha. So certainly Yeshaya and Yirmiyahu have connections to many parshiyot.
Yet when we have a prophet that doesn’t show up to often is when we can really
note that. This week our haftora to the portion of Haazinu, the “song of the
Torah” is only appropriate to be connected to the prophecy of the Noam Zemirot
of Klal Yisrael- the great singer and composer Dovid Hamelech.
The song of Haazinu is not 99 bottles of beer, or row row row
your boat or even twinkle little star. It is complex. It discusses Hashems’
kindness to us. It describes us forgetting him and the wrath Hashem pours upon
us and ultimately it describes His mercy and revelation to the world. Dovid is
a microcosm of the Jewish people. I don’t think it is a coincidence that
Haazinu is chapter 32 gematria lev- heart. .Dovid is our heart. He is our Esrog. In the prophecy
which is mostly repeated in his psalms.. he traces those themes as well.
He is purused by Shaul, he is chased by enemies from within and without,
Yet in it all he realizes
Shmuel
(22:2) God is my rock, my shelter, my refuge
Just as in our parsha Hashem tells us that He is
Devarim
(32:4) Hatzur Tamim Pa’aalo- Our Rock, perfect in his actions
The song of Haazinu describes all of the tribulations as ultimately
coming to that great revelation of Hashem telling us
Devarim
(32:40) “For I raise up My hand to heaven, and say, 'As I live forever..
Ibid
(22:47-50) “Chai Hashem UVaruch Tzuri-The Eternal lives! Praised be my Rock!
God is exalted…so I thank You, Eternal One, among the nations, and sing praises
to Your name”
The Haftorah concludes with the words that we conclude our
bentching with
Ibid
(22:51) Migdol Yeshuos malko voseh chesed lmeshicho LDovid U’Lzaro ad olam- Hashem
gives great salvation to His king, and He performs kindness to His anointed; to
David and to his seed, forevermore.
We will be reciting those words as we bentch the entire week in
our sukka. As we sit in the shade of Hashem. Let them inspire us of the
kindness that Hashem has given us the descendants of Dovid and may we merit to
see His Mashiach soon, god willing this year!
RABBI
SCHWARTZ'S ERA’S AND THEIR PLACES AND PEOPLE IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK
Clouds
of Glory and Sukkos- 960 BC 40 years is a long time to be wandering around
the wilderness. My tourists have generally had enough after an hour or two. Yet
the Jewish people, the Torah tells us had a different experience. They had
clouds of glory we are told that surrounded and protected them. They provided
protection from the arrow and spears of our enemies. They knocked out and cleared
the road of all the obstacles that stood before them. They provided the perfect
climate control AC conditions. As well it also served as the dry cleaner, as
their clothing never wore out. I have had a bunch of tourists that would have
loved to travel under those conditions. Each year we go out in our Sukkos and
we remember and commemorate the miracle and that feeling that we were driving
for forty years in that heavenly limo of the clouds of glory.
I try to connect my tourists to those
clouds of glory whenever we go hiking through the Judean Desert, or in
the Negev by Mibdar Tzin where the Jews actually wandered and I point
out to them how much nicer it would be if we had those heavenly clouds right
then. As well and perhaps even more poignantly when I drive near the borders in
the North of Israel in Galil or the Golan or even more so in the
South near Gaza, by Sderot, I talk about the miraculous clouds of
glory that surround our country. How our enemies throw missile after missile at
us and they seem for the most part to fall in empty fields. To land on arab
villages and this is even without the iron dome. Our war in Gaza in 2012 was called amud anan- the pillar of cloud
or in English Pillar of defence. Missiles in that war hit as far as Tel Aviv
for the first time from Gaza, but once again of the almost 1500 rockets that
were shot at us only one direct hit caused loss of life in Kiryat Malachi
and over 1100 fell in either Gaza or open areas. Yes, the clouds of glory are
still here today.
In regards to how we celebrate those
clouds, so there are a few places where one can really appreciate the incredible
Sukkos that we erect this holiday in commemoration of those miracles. In Neot
Kedumim they have tens of sukkos that are there that are all mentioned in
the Mishna, on a camel, a boat, double
decker on a tree. It’s very cool. In Jerusalem you have the Safra square Sukka
the largest one in Israel that has over 100,000 visitors over sukkot and is
over 1000 square meters. The Waldorf Astoria one in the lobby is also exquisite
as it seats over 250 people in the middle of the hotel dining room. Belz
has all kinds of incredible displays in
their sukkah as well from what I understand. The President of Israel
even invites children from all over the country to decorate his Sukka and thousands
visit them. It is amazing to live in this country and to walk around neighbourhood
to neighbourhood and to see each house, each shul, each nature reserve, restaurants
historical sites, each block remembers that miracle that Hashem did for us then
as he did to us today as He envelops us in His Sukkah of peace.
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S GUEST JOKES OF THE
WEEK
Rabbi Bloom was in the
park one Sunday when he meets three members of his Synagogue who have not
attended services in some time. They are a little embarrassed but he encourages
them to come to shull. Next Shabbos they make an appearance, but because they turn
up some time after service began, all the main seats are filled. Several other
latecomers were already seated on folding chairs. Rabbi Bloom calls over the Shammas. "Moishe, please get three chairs for our guests in the back."
Moishe is a bit deaf so he leans closer and says, "I beg your pardon, Rabbi?"
Rabbi Bloom again says, "Get three chairs for our guests in the back."
Moishe was puzzled but as there was a lull in the service, he goes to the front of the shull and loudly announces, "The Rabbi says, 'Give three cheers for our pests in the back!'"
A Gabbai approaches a guest in the shul and says,"I want to give you an Aliyah. What is your name?" The man answers, "Esther ben Moshe."
The Gabbai says, "No, I need your name."
"It's Esther ben Moshe," the man says.
"How can that be your name?"
The man answers,"I've been having financial problems,so everything is in my wife's name."
Rabbi Cohen was invited as one of the religious leaders of the community to be a guest at the community civic dinner. The main course much to his chagrin was baked ham with glazed sweet potatoes. Rabbi Cohen regretfully shook his head when the platter was passed to him.
"When," scolded Father Kelly, the local catholic priest playfully, "are you going to forget that silly rule of yours and eat ham like the rest of us guests here?"
Without skipping a beat, Rabbi Cohen replied "At your wedding reception, Father Kelly."
It was at a typical Jerusalem party and the hosts Moishie and Shaindy was getting worried because there were too many people and not enough refreshments. She was sure that not all of these people had been invited but didn’t know how to tell which ones were the crashers. Then Moishie got an idea….
He turned to the crowd of guests and said “Will those who are from the brides side of the family stand up please?” About twenty people stood.Then he asked ” Will those who are from the groom side of the family stand up as well?” about twenty five people stood up. Then He smiled and said
“Will all those who stood please leave, this is a birthday party”.
Berel was down on his luck, went into a the local synagogue which catered to the "bessereh mentchen- the elite of the community". Spotting the man's dirty clothes the president worried about the synagogues image, went to the man and asked him if he needed help. The man said, "I was davening and Hashem told me to come to this Shul."
The president suggested that he go pray some more and possibly he might get a different answer. The next Shabbos Berel returned. The president asked, "Did you get a different answer?"
Berel replied, "Yes I did. I told Hashem that they don't want me in that shul and Hashem said,'Don't worry about it son; I've been trying to get into that synagogue for years and haven't made it yet."
Yankel was walking down the street when he was accosted by a particularly dirty and shabby-looking homeless man who asked him for a couple of dollars for dinner. The man took out his wallet, extracted ten dollars and asked, "If I give you this money, will you buy some beer with it instead of dinner?"
"No, I had to stop drinking years ago," the homeless man replied.
"Will you use it to go fishing instead of buying food?" the man asked.
"No, I don't waste time fishing," the homeless man said. "I need to spend all my time trying to stay alive."
"Will you spend this on greens fees at a golf course instead of food?" the man asked.
"Are you NUTS!" replied the homeless man. "I haven't played golf in 20 years!"
"Well," said the man, "I'm not going to give you the money. Instead, I'm going to take you home for a terrific dinner cooked by my wife."
The homeless man was astounded. "Won't your wife be furious with you for doing that? I know I'm dirty, and I probably smell pretty disgusting."
The man replied, "That's okay. It's important for her to see what a man looks like after he has given up beer, fishing and golf,.
***********************************
Answer is B– Easy. Kfar Etzion is a kibbutz, a famous one perhaps most tragically for the massacre of its Jewish kibbutznik settlers the Friday morning the State of Israel was declared. Once I knew that it didn’t matter that I never heard of Tirtza, which is just an ancient city or Ofra or Kfar Tapuach which are both West Bank Settlements but not Kibbutzim. Although I wasn’t sure about that. Once you know the right answer no need to search for alternatives. A good and profound lesson for life.
