Insights and Inspiration
from the
Holy Land
from
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend in Karmiel"
October 23rd 2015 -Volume 6, Issue 3 10th
Cheshvan 5776!
Parshat Lech Lecha
The Smarter Path
“The road is smarter than he who walks upon it.” I kept hearing those words again and again race
through my head. It was like one of those “ear worm” songs that you can’t seem
to get out of your mind. The words that our tour guide instructor hammered into
our brains just kept repeating themselves and I stayed the course.
So there I was all alone in the middle of Mt. Carmel. I had come
here to prepare for a tour that I was supposed to be doing the following week.
It was meant to be a two hour hike with some college students. Rule number one
for me obviously is not to take someone on a tour or hike to a place that I haven’t
been to recently. Things change, trails shift and it is a tour guides responsibility
to make sure he knows where he’s going. It was a about three years since I had
done a hike on this mountain so I went to scout it out. I brought water, my
hiking shoes and was looking forward to a nice little hike. The problem was
once I got there the information booth was closed and I wasn’t sure how to do
the hike, being that there were a few different trails some 6 hours and four
hours which weren’t circular. Meaning it wouldn’t’ bring me back to my car. The
only one that would it wasn’t clear to me where to start and end it from. So I
figured I’d try a different hike instead. Why not? Right?
So I headed down to the bottom of the mountain for a hike that
promised to be circular as well and that would stop off at a beautiful “bat”
cave. All you had to do was leave the red trail and go down to the blue trail
and it would take you to a nice spring and a straight trail back to the car. 2
hours back and forth. Not big deal. Sounds simple. But like all things in this
country nothing ever is.
My first clue should have been that I was starting from the bottom
of the mountain. Which would mean that I have to go up. OK I’m used to climbs.
But it couldn’t be that bad. Right? Wrong. It was pretty steep. Where was this
cave? So I kept going. following the red trail. It was beautiful. It would have
been nice if there was some shade along the way, but how much longer could it
be? After about an hour and a half I realized that I would be coming back a
little later than I thought I saw the cave up ahead and so I decided to call my
wife and let her know that she shouldn’t worry. I probably should have caught
my breath before I called. But I just wanted her to know I was fine. The last
thing I wanted was for her to call the search parties and helicopters. It
really wouldn’t be good for business if tomorrows headlines were “The search for
the lost Tour guide.” Of course trying to reassure my wife when I’m half out of
breath on the top of a mountain that everything was all right was about as
successful as convincing my doctor that a little bit of chulent wouldn’t be
breaking my diet. I told her that I had water and that I should hit a spring
soon and would call in about an hour and a half or so when I was done. And then
my phone died. Oops.
About 10 minutes later I arrived at the cave. It was beautiful.
But I didn’t see any blue trail. The red trail continued and whoever the
practical joker that made this trail was, thought it would be funny to see me
crawl on my belly through the dark to get to the other side of it. Of course,
it would have been helpful to have a flashlight but my phone was dead. But clearly
the red trail was going through the cave. So I got down and started crawling
when I got to the other end. Still no blue trail. I thought I saw a cement
building that might have been the spring down below. But then the words of Noam
are instructor started up. “The trail is smarter than he who walks on it.” Stay
the course. So I did. Another 10 minutes. Still no trail. Maybe if I cut across
that little hill it would lead me to the spring. “The trail is smarter”
Of course I had no watch so I couldn’t tell how much time had passed. I had
visions of my wife calling people. Should I just climb down by the cave and try
to find the spring? No. I will stay the course, but this time follow it back. I’m
a tour guide, not an adventurer. I will just follow the path back. And I did.
It took about an hour or so. I still had water and was fine.
Nothing happened, besides me deciding not to ever bring a group of students to
this hike. I got in my car. And of course did the next important thing. I
headed to the first Shwarma store and picked up the necessary nutrients in a laffa
of course with a beer. Hey, I needed to hydrateJ. Then I called my wife.
She was very relieved to hear me. She told everyone to stop saying tehillim
and then she asked me to hold a second so she could call off the park authorities
that she had already contacted when she couldn’t get through to me. Just in the
nick of time! No headlines. I was only a half hour later than I had told her. I
told her she had nothing to worry about I learned the lesson of staying the
path. It didn’t matter. She didn’t’ think that I would listen to the path. Hey,
since when have I listened to anyone? She’s right of course. I’m not
complaining. It was nice getting relieved hugs and kisses from my family when I
got home. They love me. Maybe I should do this more often.
This week’s Torah portion we are introduced to the Jewish story of
the Torah. Bereishis was creation. Noach was the world civilization post-flood.
And now the story of the Jewish people begins with out first Patriarch and
forefather, Avraham. We start our story of Avraham though a little bit late in
the game. He is already 75 years old when Hashem first appears to him. The
Midrash tells us stories and stories about little Avraham. His “origin story”.
He broke his father’s idols, he was thrown in a fiery furnace by Nimrod and
miraculously saved. He opened up school and taught humanity about Hashem. He would
give people food and teach them to thank God for it. He had thousands of
students. Yet none of this is relevant to the Torah in teaching us about
Avraham. Our story begins with the command for him to go on a journey, a long
hike. To leave behind everything and go to the land that Hashem would show him.
Our story begins with this journey.
It is interesting to note, that in truth the journey that Avraham is
being commanded had already started many years before hand. At the conclusion
of last week’s Parsha the Torah tells us that Terach began a journey to the
land of Canaan. Yet he landed in Charan and decided to call it quits there. He
left the trail. It was nice in Charan. It was perhaps an alternate place where
one can serve Hashem without going to Israel. It was fine for world that was
before Avram was meant to become Avraham. Our first story of Avraham comes when
Hashem tells him to pick up that journey. To not leave half way and find
another route. More than that some of early sages note. The Jewish story starts
with a command. A directive. A God that tells us what to do. A trail that he is
blazing for us. The story of Avraham begins not with him voluntarily and
intellectually convincing and teaching the world of the Omnipotence of its
Creator, not even with his willingness to sacrifice his life and get thrown in
a furnace for a belief that he understood from examining the world. Its
admirable to be willing to die for ones beliefs. It’s noble to dedicate one’s
life to sharing ones faith with the unknowledgeable. But that’s not what
Judaism is about. There are many people that do that daily around the world and
who dedicate themselves selflessly to causes that they believe in. Here in
Israel tragically we have a whole nation of our cousins that seem willing to do
that, daily. Judaism is about something else entirely. It’s about listening to
the command from God, perhaps even against your own “better” judgement. It’s
about taking the journey that he sent us on. And staying that path. The path
and way of Torah.
There is something though inside of each of us that wants to go
off that path. To try a different route. To cut through a few bushes and find
the short cut the way back to where we need to go. But the path is always
smarter than the person that walks upon it. It’s a divine path. It’s a journey
that our ancestors began and we are privileged to live in the generation that
will god-willing see its completion. If we stay that path Hashem promised our
first Patriarch, then he will make our names great. Those who bless us will be
blessed and those who curse us and seek to destroy us will get their just
rewards. Hold the course. The end is almost there. It’s right there in the
clearing. The path is smarter. Take it from an experienced tour guide.
Have spectacular Shabbos,
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
******************************
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S VIDEO OF THEWEEK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXhYn1lZNbI
– and the classic London Boys version I grew up
with
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k67yR0hsiwo
–Finally an adorable version of Abie Rottenbergs Mama Rochel with Shwekey
singing and a class of children performing
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE
WEEK
“Dos
lebn iz nit mer vi a Cholem, ober vekt mikh nit oif!.”- Life is
not more than a dream- but don’t wake me up…
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S JEWISH PERSONALITY AND HIS QUOTES IN HONOR OF THE
YARTZEIT OF THE WEEK
Another new feature of the week. Decided to feature not just a
quote but a important Jewish personality whose yartzeit falls out each week
.“ What
is the lesson of the Holocaust? As you know, during the Holocaust, the people
were transported in the worst possible, inhumane way by railcar. They thought
they were going to a work camp. We all know they were going to a death camp. After
hours and hours in this inhumane corral with no light, no bathroom, cold, they
arrived at the camps. The doors were swung wide open, and they were blinded by
the light. Men were separated from women, mothers from daughters, fathers from
sons. They went off to the bunkers to sleep. As they went into the area to
sleep, only one person was given a blanket for every six. The person who
received the blanket, when he went to bed, had to decide, 'Am I going to push
the blanket to the five other people who did not get one, or am I going to pull
it toward myself to stay warm?'"
"It was during this defining moment that
we learned the power of the human spirit, because we pushed the blanket to five
others. Take your blanket. Take it back to America and push it to five other
people."- Rabbi Noson Tzvi
Finkel –as told over by Howard Schultz CEO of Starbucks upon his visit with
him.
Yartzeit-11th of Cheshvan
this Shabbos
Rabbi Noson Tzvi Finkel-Rosh Yeshiva
of Mir in Jerusalem (1943-2011)- The great Rosh Yeshiva of the largest
Yeshiva in Israel who it is estimated had over 25,000 students in his lifetime
and who suffered from Parkinson’s disease for the last 20 years of his short
life stands as a symbol of greatness and inspiration to todays American Jews.
Born in Chicago and attending co-ed modern Orthodox Jewish Day Schools, Natie
Finkel, the star centerfielder of his baseball team was inspired by his trip to
Israel to meet his illustrious family there, the great Rosh Yeshivas and
leaders of the Slobodka and Hebron Yeshiva. He returned to Israel where he
studied for many years under his uncle. He eventually married his 2nd
cousin and when his father-in-law passed in 1990 he took over the
responsibility of the Yeshiva.
The Yeshiva had about 1200 students at
that time. Under his tenure the Mir Yeshiva expanded to close to 6000 yeshiva
with branches and Kollels all over Israel. Despite his sickness and weakened
state he would repeatedly travel to raise the necessary funds for the Yeshiva.
It is estimated he raised over a half billion dollars to support the Yeshiva
and through its expansion. Despite his trips and his own personal rigorous Torah
study schedule, Rav Finkel made sure to learn the names and be the father of
each student that crossed the doors of his yeshiva. He studied personally with
over 80 students a week anyone that wanted to study with him he would set up
time for. Although his disease was very painful he refused to take medications
for fear that it would stifle his learning slur his speech or cause memory loss
and jeopardize the teaching that he lessons he lived to give. Story after story
of the personal anecdotes each student had about how he cared for and inspired
them, how his classes and lessons will always serve to inspire them. Many of
the students themselves following in his path to inspire the next generation
and pass on his legacy. His funeral was attended by over 100,000 people from
all walks of Judaism and Israel. He is buried in Har Menuchos in Jerusalem. Yet
his legacy and spirit lives on in the great Yeshiva and his student that
continue to share his teachings.
RABBI
SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Answer below at end of Email
Q. A Monument
that is connected to the War of Independence is
A.
Yad
L’Yud Daled (the fourteen)
B.
The
Bell Tower by Ramat Rachel
C.
The
Negev Brigade
D.
The
Valley
(Each
year we’ve focused on a different aspect of torah two years ago we did the
gematria/remez of the week, the past year midrash. This year i decided to focus
on the simple pshat/understanding-which of course is best understood with rashi
who defines his classic commentary as “only coming to explain the simple
understanding.-pshuto shel mikra- so this year, i hope to bring you each week a
fascinating ….
RABBI
SCHWARTZ'S COOL RASHI OF THE WEEK
This week the Torah introduces us to the
journeys of Avraham-or actually Avram at that time still. After he came to
Israel he went to Shechem first. The place where the Jewish people as well
would come to and then the Torah tells us
“And Avraham journeyed on, going and traveling
to the South.”
Rashi’s comment in explaining this verse (12:9)
is that Going and Traveling- “at intervals. He would dwell here for a
month or so and then travel from there and pitch his tent in another place”
Rashi as we know is coming to explain the
simple meaning of the text- Pshat. How and why does Rashi feel it necessary
to explain that going and traveling is that he spent a month in each place, why
can’t it mean he just wandered?
The Maharal explains that Rashi si troubled by
the word “traveled” One only travels from a place that one is a resident of
that place. The Talmud tells us that the minimal amount of time for one to be considered
a resident is 30 days; a month. Thus Rashi in understanding the simple meaning
of the text is explaining that the Torah by telling us that Avraham traveled
from each place that he stopped off in, had to have been there at least a
month.
The reason and lesson of this is perhaps is
that although Avraham was heading South, he felt it important to become part of
the community that he passed through. We find a similar lesson that when
Avraham traveled once again he stayed in the same places that he previously
stayed. To show his appreciation to each place he stayed in. One that moves to
a community for how ever little he may be there, shouldn’t wait to be part of
the community. Even after one month he or she can and should be a part of contributing
to that community. As the Baal Shem Tov used to say, If Hashem brought you some
place it is for you to accomplish something there.
RABBI
SCHWARTZ'S COOL HISTORICAL EVENT THAT HAPPENED ON THIS DATE IN ISRAEL OF THE
WEEK-
Two years ago we did cool places in Israel, last year we did
cool things to do in Israel, this year we will try to cover cool things that
happened on this date in Israel.
Passing of UN Resolution 3379
“Zionism=Racism” – Yeah it wasn’t the first time
or the last time our favorite world organization passed a resolution against
the State of Israel. But it was certainly one of the most blatant and
anti-semitic resolutions ever passed. It was the period of the Cold War between
Russia and the United States and after Israels victory in the Yom Kippur War.
Victory is actually not the right word as we had close to 2000 deaths and
thousands of casualties. But we survived. The United Nations had already
welcomed Yasser Arafat and the PLO to the UN and granted them observer status
and this was the next step in delegitimizing the Jewish State.
Some of the more touching language of the
resolution included the statements that
“any doctrine of racial differentiation or
superiority is scientifically false, morally condemnable, socially unjust and
dangerous”
“that the racist regime in
occupied Palestine … have a imperialist origin, forming a whole
and having racist structure and being organically linked in their policy aimed
at repression of the dignity and integrity of the human being"
“…severely condemned zionism as a threat to world
peace and security and called upon all countries to oppose this racist and
imperialist ideology,…Determines that Zionism is a form of
racism and racial discrimination”.
The resolution sponsored by our 25 Arab neighbors
was passed with another 72 countries including Russia, China, Brazil and Mexico
with another 32 absentations which included Argentina, Greexe, Japan, Jamaica
and Venezuela.
The 35 countries that stood up for Israel were of
course the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Belgium, Sweden and others.
The Israeli Ambassador Chaim Herzog made his
powerful speech to the UN at the time condemned the council
"another manifestation of the bitter anti-Semitic,
anti-Jewish hatred which animates Arab society. Who would have believed that in
this year, 1975, the malicious falsehoods of the 'Elders of Zion' would be
distributed officially by Arab governments? Who would have believed that we
would today contemplate an Arab society which teaches the vilest anti-Jewish
hate in the kindergartens? … We are being attacked by a society which is
motivated by the most extreme form of racism known in the world today"
He then took the resolution and ripped it up making
the statement
“On this day 37 years to the day of Kristalnacht,
For us, the Jewish people, this resolution based on hatred, falsehood and
arrogance, is devoid of any moral or legal value. For us, the Jewish people,
this is no more than a piece of paper and we shall treat it as such."
It took 16 years until this resolution was
repealed and George H Bush was president and the cold war was over and the US
had just won the first Gulf War. The world had an agenda to get Israel to join
the Madrid Peace conference and we made it conditional on the repealing of the
resolution. The repeal was sponsored by 90 countries and passed with 111 the
same 25 arab countries of course opposed it.
When it was passed President Bush then made the
statement
“We should
take seriously the UN charter's pledge "to practice tolerance and live
together in peace with one another as good neighbors." UNGA Resolution 3379, the
so-called "Zionism is racism" resolution, mocks this pledge and the
principles upon which the United Nations was founded. And I call now for its
repeal. Zionism is not a policy; it is the idea that led to the creation of a
home for the Jewish people, to the State of Israel. And to equate Zionism with
the intolerable sin of racism is to twist history and forget the terrible
plight of Jews in World War II and, indeed, throughout history. To equate
Zionism with racism is to reject Israel itself, a member of good standing of
the United Nations.
This body cannot claim to seek peace and at the
same time challenge Israel's right to exist. By repealing this resolution
unconditionally, the United Nations will enhance its credibility and serve the
cause of peace.”
Too bad they have forgotten that pledge once
again.
******************
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S HIKING JOKES OF THE WEEK
I’ve actually heard
quite a few of these by my tourists on my tours. You know who you are…
You just couldn't make them up; yet, on the other hand the things that people
moan about are unbelievable.
- A
small deer came into my camp and stole my bag of pickles. Is there a
way I can get reimbursed?
- Escalators
would help on steep uphill sections.
- Trails
need to be wider so people can walk while holding hands.
- Trails
need to be reconstructed. Please avoid building trails that go uphill.
- Too
many bugs and leeches and spiders and spider webs. Please spray the
wilderness to rid the area of these pests.
- Chairlifts
need to be in some places so that we can get to wonderful views without
having to hike to them.
- The
coyotes made too much noise last night and kept me awake. Please eradicate
these annoying animals.
- A
McDonald's would be nice at the trailhead. (Kosher one of course)
- Too
many rocks in the mountains.
- The
places where trails do not exist are not well marked.
A lawyer invites his
cousin from the Czech Republic to come and stay with him in Canada. The Czech
cousin arrives, determined to enjoy himself. Soon they decide to go rambling.
They're right out in the middle of the forest when a big grizzly bear appears.
The bear hugs the poor Czech cousin to death and then eats him.
The lawyer runs to the
nearest village and tells everybody what has happened. The villagers form a
search party and return to the forest. They come across some bears and ask the
lawyer to identify the one that killed his cousin.
'It's that male bear
over there.'
They kill the bear and
rip open his stomach, but there is nothing there. They decide to kill the
female bear nearby, and when they rip open her stomach, they find the poor
Czech cousin.
So it all goes to show: 'Never trust a lawyer when he says the cheque is in the mail.
So it all goes to show: 'Never trust a lawyer when he says the cheque is in the mail.
Yankel and Ahmed were
on a camping and hiking trip.
They had gone to bed and were lying there looking up at the sky. Yankel said, "Ahmed, look up. What do you see?
"Well, I see thousands of stars."
"And what does that mean to you?"
"Well, I guess it means we will have another nice day tomorrow. What does it mean to you, Yankel?"
"To me, it means someone has stolen our tent."
They had gone to bed and were lying there looking up at the sky. Yankel said, "Ahmed, look up. What do you see?
"Well, I see thousands of stars."
"And what does that mean to you?"
"Well, I guess it means we will have another nice day tomorrow. What does it mean to you, Yankel?"
"To me, it means someone has stolen our tent."
Yankel and Ahmed, two
hikers on a trail came around the bend to find an enormous brown bear about 85
metres up the trail.
The bear spots the two hikers
and begins running towards them at a full tilt.
Yankel drops his backpack,
sits down, throws off his boots, and starts lacing up a pair of running shoes.
Ahmed says to Yankel
'What are you doing? You will never be able to outrun that bear.'
Yankel replies, 'I
don't have to outrun the bear...............................'
**********************************
Answer is C-There are
too many monuments to fallen soliders in this country. We shouldn’t have that
many fallen soldiers. But this is the fate of our tiny country surrounded by
enemies. So here we go with the monuments above. Yad LYud Daled near Nahariya
is for the 14 soldiers that died attacking the British on the “Night of the
Bridges” Where the Palmach in response to the British refusing to let the Jews
into Israel, blew up all the bridges leading in to Israel thereby preventing
them from coming is as well. This was the only place where there were losses.
Ramat Rachel Bell monument was dedicated for the soldiers that died in the 6
Day war conquering Jerusalem. The Valley monument was for the soldiers that
fell in the war of attrition to terrorists that came in from Jordan in the
early 70’s as well as for all terror victims. Which leaves the Negev Brigade in
the South not far from Be’er Sheva that remembers the battles of the Negev in
holding off Egypt in the 48 War of indepence. May all of the soldiers who gave
their lives on behalf of the land and the people- our Kedoshim/Our martyrs
memory be blessed and may Hashem avenge their blood.
