from the
Holy Land
from
Rabbi Ephraim
Schwartz
"Your friend in
Karmiel"
December 6th
2024 -Volume 14 Issue 6 5th of Kislev 5785
The Neg-Leg-ted Mitzva
I want to describe the most
incredible Godly Jewish feeling that I never really appreciated before. It was
this week more than ever that it hit me. It’s something that I don’t believe-
or to be more accurate, I’m pretty sure most people that I talk to in the
States don’t really get. I think it’s a real ma’aseh Satan- the work of
the Satan, perhaps his most prevalent job, in trying to prevent many from
experiencing. But that’s what I’m here to combat. It’s what I think you need to
experience to truly appreciate as well.
There are many things that I
believe that most of us yidden are longing for when we think and daven
for the Beis Ha’Mikdash. We think of the beautiful building. We think of the closeness
that we will have to Hashem. The forgiveness that we will be able to achieve.
We think of the music which will ring forth from that Temple Mount rather than
the whining hate-filled call that echoes from that minaret on the “Golden
Pimple” that is desecrating it for too long. We imagine the nations of the world-
the entire UN coming to celebrate Hashem and give praise to us His nation. We
picture an era of peace, of love, of harmony, of holiness that will rest on the
world.
One thing that I don’t think that
we really imagine or think much about- unless you’re a Kohen or Levi, is the
gifts that we have to give to them. Sure, in Israel we know that we can’t eat
our fruits or vegetables without taking off the tithes and the teruma
today. But that’s really more of a technicality, or level of kashrut for many,
as today these are not given to Kohanim, being that we’re not sure about their
lineage and a non-verified Kohen is prohibited in eating them. Certainly the
notions of giving gifts of meat and animals to the Kohanim from our first born cattle
and other meat that we eat, of which a portion is always meant to be given to
them is not something any of us really dream about or think about. Yet it’s
fascinating, how the truth is, this mitzva of giving away part of EVERY animal
to the Kohen is in fact one of those strange anomalies that seems to have disappeared
from our nation. Let me explain, and hold on to your hats, arms, legs and
steaks…
See, despite what many assume, there
is a mitzva according to the majority of the halachic authorities from the Mishna
through the Talmud including the Rambam, the Rif, and even until modern times that
the obligation that the foreleg (Ptcha,your marrow bones, petite tender, minute
steaks) the cheek (including tongue) and the stomach are all meant to be given
to the Kohen even today. Yup all tongue goes to the Kohen unless he gives it to
you.
This mitzva as well is not just an
Israel or during the Temple mitzva according to many. The Gaon of Vilna thus
ruled, as was the Chasam Sofer and pretty much most of the authorities seem to
find that to be the best and certainly most praiseworthy if not halachic
required practice even today. In the talmud’s time even in the exile that would
excommunicate people that didn’t give these gifts FROM EVERY SINGLE COW that was
slaughtered, and the custom continued through the times of the Crusades as well
in most communities when it slowly started to die out. Rabbis though and community
leaders throughout all of our generations decried this. They urged people to
keep giving these gifts. And many tried to explain or come up with loopholes to
explain why people stopped giving them.
See, unlike the tithes the mitzva
of the meat gifts to the Kohanim are really not prohibited to non-Kohanim to eat-
with the permission of the Kohen. Meaning that the gifts belong to him, but he
can share them with non-kohens. Now to eat them without his permission is
stealing and invalidating a mitzva in the Torah, but the food is not trayf.
That’s how the the loopholes, which many disagree with came about. Some suggest
and even today sell part of the cow to kohen or give some monetary compensation,
or partner and rely that they belong to a non-Jew and thus it would exempt it
from the gifts. Yet it seems that many of the authorities certainly felt that
these were loopholes or explanations why we don’t really have to fulfill the
mitzva and it’s not a sin that we’re not observing it. Yet certainly most write
that it would seem the custom and mitzva should be reinstituted. From what I
understand the OU and even the Israeli Rabbinate have tried efforts unsuccessfully
to moooove it forward… Sorry couldn’t resist. (Here’s a link to check out some
of the sources on this mitzva https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreleg,_cheeks_and_maw
– but you should at least look it up).
It’s fascinating how there are so
many chumras and concerns that people have about kashrut in the yeshivishe
velt… Chalav Yisrael, mehadrin le’mehadrin, le’mheadrin glatt with
fifty hashgachos on it and your steak is dipped in the Mikva before it
gets to your plate. Yet this very clear and simple mitzva doesn’t seem to even
make it on the plate or meat-board of the average frum consumer. It’s strange.
In the little research I’ve done online it seems that there isn’t even one
kosher organization that talks about instituting what seems to be very clear
that almost all the earlier sources would urge and promise blessings to its observers.
Great men such as the ARI’”zl even composed special prayers to recite and that most
of klal Yisrael at one point was strict about observing this even in the diaspora in our exile.
Now to be fair, this is definitely not
a cheap mitzva to fulfill. According to that wiki link above it would cost
about 85 bucks more per cow, coming to a resounding 22 million dollars per year
for the Kosher US meat industry. Yet… for the people that are already paying so
much for their prime grill and meat-boards and that sacrifice so much for every
hiddur in the book, it does seem strange that this is not even really
discussed seriously. As I said mayseh Satan, I believe. Yet with us
coming closer to the era of Mashiach perhaps Hashem is setting us straight.
This past week, more than ever, I
felt this mitzva and appreciated it. Like many of the weeks this past year I’ve
done Barbeques for our soldiers. It’s not just the BBQ’s though. I offer my
tourists, or as I like to say more accurately “war”ists, the experience of
giving chizuk to our boys in green who survive off of horrible army rations-
which usually consist of tuna fish and canned food for weeks if not months in
Gaza and Lebanon, with providing them with these “priestly gifts”. They are our
modern day Kohanim. They are doing the service of Hashem and wiping out Amalek.
They are putting their lives and giving everything up for us. For Klal Yisrael.
For Hashem. For our land. They are as close as we can get to understanding and
appreciating what a real Kohen’s job in the Temple was.
So it’s not only BBQ’s that we do
for them. This week I was with a great friend of mine Shalom, a Chabadnik who
for 20 years has been there for our soldiers, and who since the war has started
has done over 200 BBQ’s on bases with one of his more recent ventures. He has a
food truck and we drive around to bases and give out hotdogs to soldiers with
my tourists. Fascinatingly enough, although not surprising there was a longer
line for his tzitzis and tefillin stand then there was for the hot dogs. And it
wasn’t because the hot dogs weren’t good. They were. But our holy kohanim,
with their tattoos and piercings upon being inducted in the army of Hashem have
come to understand that they need the light to vanquish the darkness.
The next day I was with a yeshiva of
100 guys and we came to a base with my friend Rami. Rami, who before the war
was a venture banker, gave it all up to take care of our soldiers during this
war as a volunteer. He as well has done hundreds of BBQ’s for our boys. But he
does them next level. We had Pirchei Yerushalayim there with us. Steaks, fruit
boats, ice cream, dancing and singing to Hashem songs of praise. Songs of victory.
5 minutes drive away from the rubble of Gaza, that they had just blown up,
preparing it for our eventual return to our biblical borders the children of
Hashem who were dedicated to studying Torah grabbed hands with these holy
Kohanim and shared in our joint circles of life.
The next day I was with Pinchas and
some families from New York. Pinchas worked with Zaaka and in Shura with the
bodies and was so traumatized that he decided as well that he needed to bring
something to our Kohanim. He needs to give back. He does smaller BBQ’s where my
tourists themselves manned the grills. Yanky from Kiryat Gat drove for Hatzala
and almost lost his life and realized that this was just one day of his life of
experiencing what our soldiers do every day and he as well dedicated himself
and his Gerrer friends to do the same. I
visit with Chaim or with Malkie and we make beef Jerky we distribute other
times. As long as its meat and it lasts these guys love it.
But the best are my Breslav guys
Moshe and Dovid from Meah Shearim. They have no patience to get permits to get
into bases. They pick up hundreds of sandwiches, schnitzel, shwarma, meat
sandwiches and we drove over to the gates of Gaza yesterday with them. The soldiers
were in their jeeps, tanks and D9’s heading in and out. Some coming back after
weeks and months, others going in not knowing when, and frighteningly if, they
will come out. Sadly there’s not too many that we met that haven’t lost a
brother in arms from their unit in this terrible war. We popped open our trunk
and ran around to these holy Chayalim (and chayalot!) handing out these sandwiches.
You should’ve seen the faces on these soldiers. They couldn’t believe that we
were there. They were so grateful. They were so hungry. They couldn’t stop
thanking us. And we couldn’t stop thanking them.
That’s when it hit me. That’s what Matnas
Kehuna is really all about. It’s what we’re meant to be feeling. It’s our
appreciation for our Kohanim. It’s taking care of the ones that Hashem has
appointed to do our service for us. It felt so good to give to them. We felt so
connected. So grateful. So united. The shechina was shining down. I was
transported to the Beis Ha’Mikdash.
This week’s parsha is the story of
Yaakov going into exile. It’s the beginning of the 3500 year journey from our
land that we still haven’t seen the culmination of yet. It starts with the
dream of Yaakov, who left his yeshiva to go out there. It’s the 12 stones
fighting for him to lay his head upon them, that unite as he dreams of that
ladder that connects heaven and earth. That connection happens when the stones
are all bonded as one. It can only happen when that happens. That’s the secret
of the dream that he has. He arises and promises Hashem to give maa’ser.
To give the tithes. To dedicate his life to building that house of Hashem where
we will unite. Where we will bring our gifts.
The parsha continues with Yaakov in
exile. He meets his wife Rachel and cries when he sees her. Rashi says that it’s
because he sees she won’t be buried with him. Rashi who seemingly always
usually goes with the simple pshat, whenever it comes to the crying of
our Patriarchs and tribes always attributes the crying to something deeper. It
says Yosef cried on Binyamin’s shoulders because he is mourning the temple and Mishkan
that will be destroyed. Our Patriarchs cry because they see that the journey of
exile is so long. It won’t end fast. Yaakov upon meeting Rachel sees she won’t
be buried with him because she must stay and cry and be there for her children
in exile. That we return. That we finally build a home. That we can give the
gifts as she did selflessly to her sister.
That gift of giving her husband and beloved to
her sister is mind-blowingly the
foundation on which all of Israel is born. Only because Rachel gave Leah to
Yaakov did the tribes come into existence. They were barren. Leah would’ve
married Esau. Yet, because of Rachel’s gift the children of Leah were born.
Leah’s gift of her maidservant Zilpa to Yaakov gave birth to two other tribes. Rachel
did the same. It’s amazing. It’s unity. It’s how we were born as a nation. Our
DNA is a sense of undeserved-ness. Of gratitude. Of appreciating that only through
giving to one another can we bring the shechina into the world. Can we
have the light of Hashem come down that ladder and shine.
Think about all of the names of the
tribes. They’re all about developing that sensitivity. Reuvein- Hashem has
seen. Shimon- He has heard. Levi- my spouse will accompany me. And of course Yehuda-
gratefulness. We’re all called Yehudim because that’s our essence. The name
Yehuda has the name of Hashem yud- hei and vav hei in it. The
reason is because at our core when we show that gratitude for life for those
that bring us into the world. For those that sacrifice for us, then we are revealing
Hashem. We have connected with Him. The birth of the tribes this week conclude
with Yosef being born; the last of the tribes to be born in exile- as Binyamin
is born in Israel. He is named with Rachels’ prayer Hashem should give her
another son. Let me continue to praise You. Bring us home. Take away our shame.
Our fighting. Bring the tribes together. Bring us home.
It’s been 427 days of this war. It’s
been exhausting. Our Kohanim are still fighting. We entered the month of Kislev.
Chanuka is coming soon. Can you smell the doughnuts and Latkas. Chanuka is the
holiday when the soldiers that rededicated and purified the Temple were the
Kohanim. The priests took up swords and got on tanks and waged war. Jewish priests
don’t sit in monasteries. They fight for us. They give it all for us. 2500
years later we celebrate those Kohanim each Chanuka. We talk about the miracles
Hashem preforms through those Kohanim. Do you want those miracles again? They’re
happening. The kohanim today in green will tell you about them, when you visit
them. But you need to visit. You need to bring them gifts. You need to really
really want that Temple experience. You need to bring them steaks and gifts.
The Satan is hoping you won’t. Chamas and Iran are as well. But we know who’s
team we’re on.
It’s hard to believe that we and
you who are not priests, are not soldiers, may not even be living here can
actually do something. But it’s so not true. Your coming, your hugs, your gifts,
your donations, your letters, your love and appreciation is what binds those
rocks under their heads at night together. It’s been too long that we haven’t
had that mitzva of giving beef to our boys. The neg-LEG-ted mitzva of that cow’s
foot is back again. May we soon merit to give it to them in our Bais Hamikdash
to all of our Kohanim as well.
Have a grateful delicious Shabbos,
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
(IF YOU’D LIKE TO BE PART OF HELPING OUR SOLDIERS AND GIVING THEM THESE
GIFTS CHECK OUT BELOW OUR US TAXDEDUCTIBLE LINk…)
This week's Insights and Inspiration is dedicated by
the Shutyak family with gratitude to Hashem in honor the bris of their grandson
Yonatan Shlomo, to Chana Feiga and Moshe Horowitz and the Bar mitzva of their
son Yehuda Goel this Shabbos. May Hashem continue to bless us with only nachas
and Simchas amongst all of Klal Yisrael!
***********************
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NEW US TAX DEDUCTIBLE LINK TO HELP OUR BOYS!!
I would as
well like to personally express my appreciation and the appreciation of the
many soldiers and so many needy families whom I have been privileged to bring
food, Chizuk, supplies and of course love and Ruach to the past two weeks and
since the war has started.
As I’ve
mentioned to many that have contacted me I am not running a campaign to raise
money for this cause. I feel it is a personal privilege and the minimum I can
do help these young men that are standing on the front lines of our nation. I
however am more than happy to serve as an agent or shaliach for any of you that
feel similarly and would like to send some love to these boys as well. This is not a short war as our pundits and
generals tell us and this is not a one time partnership. It’s week after week
and really day after day that I try to do my part to visit the many bases and
posts as I can and bring them stuff.
Each week
I will post here the names of those that have participated and whom the
soldiers have asked me to express their appreciation back to for your love for
them.
This week I’d like to thank to
the Kagan Family, the Nadoff Family, The Abramchiks, The Rodins,
Yeshiva Reishit Yerushalayim, The Zuckers and Goldsteins, The Weinstocks,
Millers Tessler and Friedmans, The Chopps, Grosses, Momo!, Yaki! Meir Fogel, Orah
Rosenblatt, The Ellmans. You guys are all amazing!
You all
have no idea how much koach this gives to our chayalim! Thank you for giving me
the zechus to be part of it. And they have made me their messenger to say thank
you to you!
For
those of you that wish to have me deliver on your behalf this chizuk to our
brave chayalim and chayalot- Pizza, hot meals, Mike and Ikes ( they love
those!) Cigerrettes, Nosh, energy bars and just lots of love that I’m in the
mood to bring them. You can donate US TAX DEDUCTIBLE RIGHT HERE and HELP OUR
BOYS!!
https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=E343033&id=50
If you’d
like to watch and be part of the fun vicariously you can as well send me your
number and I’m happy to add you to my contacts and you can then have access to
my daily statuses where I post them!
*****************************************************
YOUNG ISRAEL OF KARMIEL
SHABBOS DAVENING SCHEDULE
SHABBOS VAYEITZEI
CANDLELIGHTING 4:04 PM
MINCHA KABBALAS SHABBOS-4:20 PM
SHACHARIS- 8:30 AM
Final time for Kriyat Shema- 8:59 AM
MINCHA- 3:50 PM
MARIV-5:22 PM -10 minutes after tzeitz
************************
YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK
“Laig
nit op oif morgen vos du kenst heint bazorgen.” -Don’t put off for tomorrow what you can do today.
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK
answer below at end of Email
31. Members of the Samaritan community identify the
site of the binding of Isaac at______.
During which period was the text of the Amidah Prayer
determined?
A) First
Temple
B) Second Temple
C) Mishnaic
D) Talmudic
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX_ge12oF10
– What a great new song Aharon Razel- Bo naaseh Nigun- a song
never heard…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5A9UamEl6c-
Amazing story of the Unit that Killed Sinwar!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gsv9QgP2Wms
– Amazing Duet Avraham Fried and Ishay
Ribbo- Ki Anu Amecha
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5dD5yjdbtU
–
Shulem Lemmer MaMa Ruchel
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S ERA’S AND THEIR
PLACES AND PEOPLE IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK
King Yoshiya- 621BC – In the 18th year of the reign of Yoshiyahu with the Teshuva
movement in full force and the Jewish nation getting on the right page, he
turned his eyes to the Temple. It was time to get things fixed up there. It had
been over 200 years since the last major renovation program in the times of
Yehoash. That’s a long time. As well with all of the desecration of Achaz,
Menashe and Amon and all of the lousy kings it had fallen in to deep disarray.
It was time for Shiputzim. But that’s not cheap and the kingdom was in no great
financial situation. Where will the money come from.
Fasccinatingly enough
there was money that was pretty much being untouched sitting right there in the
Temple. Yehoash, if you remember had established the first Pushka in Klal
Yisrael in the Temple where people would deposit donations, and vows that they
made over there. Some of the money was repossessed by corrupt Kohanim and
Kings, yet much of it was just sitting there. Pretty amazing. Yoshiyahu
learning of this sent a message to the High Priest Chikliya to check it out and
to start putting it to work. They hired quarrying men, woodchoppers. The whole
temple was being renovated. It was Chanuka (conceptually) and we read it about
in this month in this column… See no coincidences here.
During those renovations
they went to fix the Holy of Holies. There they found something that was
amazing. Something that they hadn’t seen for years. It’s imcomprehenisble to
us, but that amazing find was none other than a Torah scroll. Yup, a Torah
scroll that hadn’t been seen in a very long time. What was this scroll?
It seems that there is a
lot of debate about this scroll. How can it be that there was no Torah scroll
in the entire Jewish nation. That not one person should have a Torah scroll! How
can that be… Yet there are many commentaries that write that in fact all the
scrolls had been destroyed and the law and Torah had been forgotten from Israel
back in the times of King Achaz. It’s hard to wrap our brains around that, but
it seems to be the simple understanding of the text and story. This Torah
scroll was the only one that was saved because it was the original one that
Moshe had wrote. It was hidden there in the Holy of Holies. Others suggest that
perhaps this was hidden during Menashe’s reign when the Torahs were all taken
out and the name of Hashem deleted from them. Both of these opinions do state that
Torah was still being studied, yet it was the oral traditions rather then from
the written law and there was no Torah reading done at all amongst the Jewish
people.
Now not everyone takes
this approach. There are some that disagree and suggest that there were certainly
those that secretly had Torah scrolls and read from them privately. What made
this find significant was that this was the scroll of Moshe or alternatively
that it was miraculously opened to words of rebuke. Whatever way you take this.
This becomes a monumental moment for King Yoshiyahu. He hears about this find
and decides it’s time to go to the next level. What happens next? Stay tuned….
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S FUNNY TERRIBLE BBQ JOKES OF THE WEEK
You know that mouth-watering sensation you get
when you're grilling a steak on the BBQ? I wonder if vegans get that when they
mow the lawn.
What’s a librarians favorite thing to bring to
a BBQ? A shush kebab
What happened to the cannibal that showed up
late for BBQ? He got the cold shoulder.
I was at a barbecue party when a cow from a
nearby farm charged me and chased me into a corner. It was at that moment I
realized my life was at steak
Why couldn't the monkey use the barbecue? He
wasn't a grill'a
Why didn't the cannibal BBQ his victim's feet
at the picnic? He wanted to enjoy his meal without the mesquite toes
What do you call a BBQ pun? A meataphor
My friends invited me
to barbecue night yesterday. I said no but now I'm regretting it. That was a
missed steak.
Why did he skeleton go to the barbecue? To get
another rib.
What do you call a group of men waiting for a
haircut? A barbecue.
How do you know you're at a Chinese Barbeque?
The hot dogs are real.
Sometime in the 1970s,
on an absolutely freezing day, a shipment of meat arrives in a town in the
Soviet Union. The townspeople, bundled to their eyeballs, line up outside the
town store to wait to be given their rations. After about an hour, a man comes
out of the store and announces, "Comrades, I'm sorry to tell you, but
there isn't enough meat for everyone, so the Jews have to leave." The Jews
in the line leave grumbling.
About an hour later,
the man comes out of the store and announces, "Comrades, I'm sorry to tell
you this, but there isn't enough meat for everyone, so anyone who is not a
member of the Communist party will have to leave." More grumbling as the
non-Party members depart.
Another hour goes by
and the man comes out of the store again and announces, "Comrades, I'm
sorry to tell you this, but there isn't enough meat for everyone in the line,
so anyone who wasn't a member of the Party before 1956 has to leave." More
grumbling as all the younger Party members leave. A few old people remain in
the line.
Another hour goes by.
It's now getting dark and it's cold. The same man comes out of the store and
announces, "Comrades, I'm sorry to tell you this, but there isn't any
meat. Go home."
One old lady in the
line turns to her neighbor and says, "See? It's like I told you. The Jews
always get the best treatment ..."
A pig, a cow, and a chicken walk into a
barbecue. The End
And finally What do you call a Jewish clegyman
that barbecues? A Ribeye. OYYYY!***************************************
The answer to
this week”s question is C – Finally! An easy
one that I got right entirely. I really needed this one. So the first part was
easy. The Shomronim who are still on Mt. Gerizim today or as they call it Har
Bracha is where they believe the Temple Mount was and the binding of Yitzchak.
They still have a temple there today. And the second part as well was pretty
easy, although despite in this weeks parsha we discuss Yaakov who “established”
the last of the three daily prayers Mariv by his dream of the ladder. Yet, the
actual 18 blessings format we have of Shemona Esrei was established by the Men
of the Great Assembly in the Mishna period, after the firstTemple was destroyed.
During the Beis Hamikdash we had sacrifices. Our prayers are in place of that.
Hopefully we have them back soon again! So
new score is Rabbi Schwartz having 20
points and the MOT having 11 points on this latest Ministry of
Tourism exam so far…
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