Insights and Inspiration
from the
Holy Land
from
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend in Karmiel"
November 8th 2019 -Volume 10 Issue 3 10th
Cheshvan 5780
Parshat Lech Lecha
Road Trip
I travel a lot. It’s my job after all as a tour guide. When I tour with
my tourists in the North of Eretz Yisrael, which is probably about 65% of the
time, I at least get to sleep at home. I like sleeping at home. I find that I
can stay at the best hotels in this country but unless I’m in my own bed, with
maybe a kid or two crawling in and kicking me in the head in the middle of the
night it really doesn’t work. I like eating dinner at home. I like my family.
Although I think If I’m home too many days in a row, my kids are ready to hire
someone to get me out of the house. I’m not complaining…
But much of the time I’m based out of Yerushalayim, Day tours to the
Dead Sea, Chevron and the Gush Etzion area, the coastline, the shefela and even
the Negev tours all require that I sleep over the night in Yerushalayim. Plenty
of times I even sleep over in Tel Aviv or Eilat. Even when I’m not sleeping
over I’m always on the road. I remember my 10th grade Rebbi telling
the class that when he retired he wanted to be a truck driver. I thought that
was kind of cool. I don’t remember much else that he told us but the image of
him sitting in the front of a truck yanking on the horn trekking across the
country always stayed with me.
I don’t think I ever saw myself driving a truck, but there is something
special about spending time on the road. On the road one gets to spend quality
time with one’s self first and foremost. This of course requires not giving in
and turning on the radio, which shouldn’t be that difficult as there really is
not much to listen to. Another anti or pro Trump-er tirade on the talk shows,
or pro and anti- Brexits or in Israel another failed attempt at creating a
government. Yada yada yada.. heard all that before. Music? Also besides the
Rabbi Schwartzes greatest hits CD there really isn’t anything great that has
come out lately that is worth listening to. Even those great shiurim and Torah
classes which is all commendable to listen to as you travel. After-all it’s a
fulfilment of the mitzva we recite in Shema of u’vlechtecha ba’derech-
learning Torah. But it’s still not as meaningful necessarily as just spending “Me
Time”.
This time isn’t about making my plans or itineraries, figuring out or
how I’m going to deal with different issues. It’s about making a chesbon
hanefesh. Looking out the window at the beautiful country Hashem has
blessed me and people to live in. Counting the multitudes of blessings that I
have been given. Thinking about my own spiritual goals, my family goals, the
things I want to accomplish. It’s about connecting to my soul and my
relationship with Hashem. We spend so much time coming, going, doing and
achieving and we don’t spend much time merely being. The road gives you the
chance to really do that. And the truth is it’s really how the secret of how
our nation began.
This week we begin the story of the Jewish people with the story of
Avraham, our first patriarch. Our story begins with the command for him to hit
the road. Lech lecha- go for you. The famous Rashi notes the oddity of the
grammar here and explains that Hashem is telling Him He should go l’hana’ascha
l’tovascha-for your benefit and for your good. Rebbi Nachman takes this a
step further Hashem is not merely telling Avraham to go for his own good,
rather he is telling him to delve into himself. Go find within you the source
of who you are and what you are really all about. Go to the deepest sense of
self-awareness; to the ‘lecha- the you’ within you. In his explanation
the ani- the ‘I’ is me it is my ego, it is my perceived self-image. But lecha-
that is the essence of the soul that others connect to you with it is the you
that is your true soul.
This is what Hashem,
said to Avraham, hinting to every man in the world, Lech lecha. He exhorts
a person to go to himself, for a person's essence, that which is called
"the I," is but the soul…. Similarly, when people talk to a person in
the second person and say "you" (ata) or "to you" (lekha),
the primary intention is the soul which is a person's essence, as is known.
This is what the Torah admonishes a person, Lekh lekha, go to yourself,
that is, to the source of your soul. In all of your going and traveling and all
the roads you take in this world, have in mind to go to yourself, that is, to
the source of your soul, this being the essence of the person being talked to.
(Likutei Halachot[9], Shabbat 7)
This is what happens
when you are on the road. You are removed from your home, your family, all that
connects you. It’s just you, yourself and I. And the destination is connecting
those pieces together.
Avraham’s life is one
big road trip. We are introduced to him as he begins this journey and it si
important to pay attention that when he comes to Israel he doesn’t stop
journeying. One would figure that Hashem promised him the land, He promised him
he would make him great upon finally landing on that only true spiritually ‘goldeneh
medina’, that he would set up shop. Set up his study hall. He would start
to build grow, plant, flourish. Just as the so many early chalutzim did when
they came here. They could finally settle the land, so let’s get to work. But
he doesn’t. He stays on the road. In fact, one can ask any child to describe
the house of Avraham and they will all tell you that he lived in a tent with 4
open doors to invite in guests. As a child I assumed it’s because everyone
lived in tents back then. But that’s not the case. Most normal and certainly
any successful stable person lived in a house. So why is Avraham’s lodging a
tent? I think it’s one of those questions that we are kind of trained not to
ask as children. How come he’s not in a house?
The answer is because
Avraham saw himself as a nomad even in Israel. His major fight with the
shepherds of Lot is that they assume that as a result of the promise of Hashem
that the land is theirs. It’s our promised land. We can take what we want, we
can throw out who we want. It’s ours. Yet, the Torah tells us that the Canaani
and Perizi were still in the land. The land wasn’t theirs yet. It was promised
to Avraham’s descendants ultimately but for now they are just guests and
wanderers in a tent in this land that will one day be ours.
This is why the first
few verses after Lech Lecha just continues to tell us about of Avraham’s
travels. He first goes to Shechem to Elon Moreh and Hashem tells him he will
give his descendants the land. Avraham makes an altar. From there he goes to
Beit El and Ai and builds another altar. From there he heads down to the Negev.
He’s like a tour guide. The verse tells us he was haloch v’naso’a- going
and traveling. Rashi notes- sometimes he would stay for a month or more and
then he would pitch his tent elsewhere. My mother would say it seems he has ‘ants
in his pants’. My uncle Sammy would call him a gypsy as he used to call me
whenever I would tell him about my wanderings and travels. Ultimately he goes
down to Egypt, he’s in Gaza, Beer Sheva, Chevron. Avraham is truly a road
warrior. For Avraham understands that only on the road is one constantly moving
constantly undefined by one’s surroundings, only on the road can one become
truly alone with oneself.
We live in a world
today where we are always connected. We are always engaged. We are surrounded
by information, by people, by entertainment, by everything else that seeks to
fill our limited time and energy. This not only true for those that have ‘non-kosher’
smart phones and internet access. Even in yeshiva, in beit midrash, in
our supermarkets in our own homes, works and lives. There is no quiet. There is
no alone time. There is no time to find the you, because we’ve got so many
things that we are trying to build and to accomplish. It may be our businesses,
it may be finishing shas, writing a book, bonding with your family, your
children or your spouse. That’s all important. But unless we have a strong
sense of the most important aspect of all of this. The bishvili nivra ha’olam-
Hashem created the entire world for me to connect with myself for me to lech
lecha. Then all that we do can be missing its soul.
I once saw an insight that
explained that famous dictum of Rabbi Akiva of how V’Ahavta l’rayacha
kamocha- loving your friend like yourself is a great principle in the
Torah. Simply read it is understood that one should focus on treating your
friends with as much love as you have for yourself. But this insight took the
opposite approach. The great rule in the Torah is that one needs to truly and
at all times be in touch with who they truly are. With the lecha of
yourself. If you don’t appreciate how much and how important you are and what
blessings and gifts Hashem has given to you, then you can never truly appreciate
your friend and his or her gifts. You cannot love them totally. In order to
truly be able to love everyone the way that they were meant to, perhaps it
means first getting away a bit and learning how to love and understand yourself
a little better first.
Rabbi Akiva, that holy shepherd who spent years alone
with the sheep, more than anyone understood how important that was. He understood
that he would have to leave his wife and family even for 24 years even to
achieve that lofty status. To travel to his kamocha. We don’t need 24 years to
do that. We just need one good road trip every so often. And I know just the
country you can take it in…. I can even recommend a good guide. He would love
to help you meet the real you.
Have a
monumental Shabbos,
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
*************************************************************************
Make sure to check out
my latest column in Mishpacha magazine this week right here!
Like it,
Comment on it, Share it and feel free to send a letter to them telling them how
much you like reading me in print rather than on the internet!
Previous
columns of mine can be found right here
Thanks!
********************************************************
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S
FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK
“Nit yeder iz tsufriden mit zein ponem, ober
mit zein saichel iz yeder tsufriden.”– Not everybody is content with his looks, but everyone is
content with his brains.
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK
https://youtu.be/G-HvhT8OPs0
– Just Be Yourself- Avraham Fried- If I am
I and you are you Kotzker riddle
https://youtu.be/3BZ6Oy1OPBk
– Lech Lecha Yonatan Sheinfeld song
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF
THE WEEK
answer below at end of Email
Q A Site dating from the Umayyad
period:
A) Hurvat Minim (Khirbet al-Minya)
B) The Pool of Arches (Brechat Ha’Kshatot) in Ramla
C) Horns of Hattin (Karnei Hittin)
D) Lod
A) Hurvat Minim (Khirbet al-Minya)
B) The Pool of Arches (Brechat Ha’Kshatot) in Ramla
C) Horns of Hattin (Karnei Hittin)
D) Lod
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S PARSHA/MITZVA
CONNECTION OF THE WEEK
Brit
Mila- Circumcision- Until this parsha the Torah
was talking to the world, in this week’s Torah portion we have the first mitzva
given to a Jew. Perhaps our most defining one. Hashem commands Avraham to
perform the mitzva of circumcision. This will be the sign of the covenant
between us and Hashem and it is in fact in the merit of this mitzva we are told
that we merit the land of Israel.
The
Mitzva of circumcision is of course only a mitzva for men. Although
interestingly enough the custom is that women also when we bentch- say
the blessing, after eating we mention the ‘bris that is sealed upon our
flesh’ as well and women recite that as well. The reason according to the
Beit Yosef because Adam- man was created together with woman. They were one and
then Hashem separated them. But they are still considered one. Our Bris is
their bris. On a deeper level, I once heard Reb Shmuel Eliyahu explain that
woman was really created twice once when she was with man and then a second
time when she was formed from him. Therefore, she is closer to perfection than
man. It’s also he said why women are prettier. So there! But because of their connection
they may serve as mohelim- circumcisers. And in fact the Torah tells us
that Moshe’s own child was circumcised by his wife Tzippora.
Now
the mitzva of bris is really two-fold. There is the cutting off of the foreskin
that is called mila and there is the pulling back of the skin which is
called pri’ya. The Beis Halevi explains that these two components of
Mila represent its two aspects the first is the removal of the spiritually
preventative foreskin the oral from our body and the second is revealing the
special covenant that is on our skin as a result of the bris. The Chinuch notes
that the idea behind the bris is that we remember that just as we are born
imperfect physically and we have to perfect our bodies and distinguish
ourselves from the nations of the world with our special role. As well our
souls require us to perfect ourselves and our job is to work upon achieving
spiritual perfection of well.
Brit
Mila is our covenant with Hashem and it is meant to done as an eight-day old
baby, after the child has undergone a Shabbos first which is the other special
covenant between the Jewish people and Hashem. It is interesting in the first
three portions of the Torah we have three britot. The Brit of Shabbos
which is in time, the brit of the rainbow which is over the universe or in
space and the brit of our bodies which is on each Jewish male. The fulfillment
of these britot are all connected to the promise of us inheriting the
land of Israel where we will restore the world to its glory from. May we soon see
that day.
The
Talmud (Baba Kama 90b) learns from here that one may not wound his own body,
and all the more so may not take his own life. It is interesting to note that
this mitzva comes after the story of the flood. Noah and those on the Ark recognized
that all of humanity was destroyed and they were saved by Hashem. They
understood that their lives were gifts they were given and granted. It was not
theirs to end. Only He who gave them life could take it. That is the underlying
concept, the commentaries suggest behind this mitzva. Others suggest that in
the act of taking one’s own life you are preventing your death itself in being
a kapara-atonement as you are turning it into a sinful act. Along the same
lines you are negating the possibility of teshuva-repentance from that act.
Because the game’s pretty much over after that.
The
prohibition against suicide is so severe that there are those that say that Kaddish
is not recited nor is shiva sat for someone who willfully commits suicide and
that although buried in a Jewish cemetery, they are distanced from righteous
people. Although like most Jewish laws there are many that disagree and are
more lenient, certainly when there is shame to the family as a result.
Eternally as well the suicide is punished and does not find rest. It’s not a
good thing.
Now
although many like to paint Judaism as black and white there are all types of
exceptions to the above prohibition on suicide and we even find many great
Jewish leaders and martyrs that killed themselves. Perhaps the most classic
would be King Shaul, the first King of Israel, who fell on his sword rather
than allow the Philistines to capture him alive. The commentaries explain that this was because
he feared if he would be captured his body would be desecrated and it would be
a chilul Hashem and that would weaken the Jewish people’s resolve and lives
would be lost as a result in the ensuing battles.
There
are other cases where we have the famous story of Chana and her 7 sons who
after watching her 7 sons killed in front of her for refusing to worship
idolatry, she jumps off the roof and a voice from heaven praises her. From this
we derive that someone who commits suicide under extreme duress and who is not
in their full mental capacity is not considered a suicide. As well we find many
stories of Jewish martyrs, perhaps most notable are the hundreds of Jewish
children that jumped off a boat and drowned on the way to be sold in Rome as
slaves after the destruction of the Temple. They did this for fear that they
would be coerced to violates sins that one is obligated to give their life for
or severe torture that they could not withstand. These martyrs were used during
the period of the Crusades and the Holocaust as a source for those that had
committed similar acts to be considered heroes rather than sinners. And
certainly Jews who we may never judge.
Our
Torah and our lives are certainly gifts from God that we have no right to
callously throw away. Even when one is suffering physical pain Judaism believes
that life is always something to preserved. The first generation after the
holocaust understood that notion. Their parents who suffered and lost and saw
so many that did not have the benefit of having a good life made sure their
children understood how precious of a gift it is. Unfortunately, we live in a
generation where living and life is taken for granted. Perhaps that is why is
so many tragically feel that it is empty and can be easily given up upon.
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S ERA’S
AND THEIR PLACES AND PEOPLE IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK
Gideon’s battle of
Midian Aftermath 1084 BC
- So last week we discussed the miraculous and strategic battle of Gideon
against Midian. His 300 soldiers wiped out about 120,000 Midianites. Not bad….
Now most people would be satisfied with this victory. But Gideon was on a
miraculous roll and if you start the job Hashem gave you he was going to finish
it. So He continued to chase the two remaining generals Zevach and Tzalmuna. He crossed the Jordan
River near where it meets the Yabok river which would put in near
the modern day yishuv of Naharayim. Upon crossing over the Jordan he was
entering the biblical portion of Gad, which is today occupied territory of
Biblical Israel by King Hussein and the Jordanians. May Hashem
soon return it to us… I don’t know why no one in the UN is making a stink about
that injustice. Perhaps it’s because we Jews and Israelis don’t claim it
either. Well guess what back then they didn’t either.
See, Gideon crossed into the city of Sukkot
which according to the Jerusalem Talmud was also called Diralla, which
today is in fact a ruins known there as Deir Allah. Pretty cool how it
kept the name after 3000 years. He asked the Jews there to help provide bread
for the troops that were in fact fighting off their own enemies for them; the
remainder of the Midianite army. Whadaya
know the Jews refused. They were scared Gideon would lose. They were a bunch of
liberals that felt he had no right to attack them over here as well. They were
fine living under the persecution of Midian. They weren’t the only ones. Gideon
went further and reached the city of Penuel also not far from the Yabok
river. This was in fact where Yaakov fought the angel and named the city in
honor of that miracle. Well they also refused to help Gideon. Gideon told both
places he would deal with them when he got back… and he did.
But before that he chased after the 15,000
remaining soldiers of Midian and their generals. Interestingly enough, history
repeats itself. The generals left their soldiers to be killed and they fled and
were eventually captured. Fast forward many years and a very similar situation
occurred during the 6-day war when both Egyptian and Syrian
officers left and sometimes even chained their soldiers to their bases in
order that they fight till the end, while they escaped. Gideon captures them,
shleps them back to Sukkot where he takes all the elders and in-your-faces them
a bit with these captured generals before he kills them. He actually tries to
get his son to do it first, hey nothing wrong with training the next
generation, but instead Gideon does the deed.
Finally, he takes all the elders of Sukkot
and beats them with the natural thorns and thistles that grow there
called barkan. Those are those purple thorny things you
see growing all over Israel. Then he smashed down and killed the men of Penuel
that were defending their tower that they put their faith in. The land was
quiet for 40 years after that. A job well done!
Although tananch tells us that he was
buried in Ophra, which we offered suggestions where that was a few weeks
ago. The tomb of Gideon is in the Shomron not far from the yishuv of
Ithamar on a group of hills called Reches Gideonim. I’ve never personally been there but I have
heard that it is accessible. And thus concludes our discussion of this great
Judge and warrior of Israel.
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S TERRIBLE TRAVEL JOKES OF THE
WEEK
Why are mountains the funniest place to travel? They’re Hill Areas
Where do math teachers go on vacation? Times Square
What do you drink while traveling through the desert ? Camel-mile tea
Where do sheep go on vacation? To the baaaaaahamas
I never travel to Finland, I’m afraid I’d disappear into…FinnAir!
I’d love to go to Holland one day …Wooden Shoe?
A time traveler was in a restaurant. He liked it so much …He went back four seconds.
My friends were concerned that my old car may break down during our road trip throughout Canada. I told them not to worry. I have Triple Eh.
Everyone criticizes Google Maps, but I enjoyed using it for my road trip from New York to Florida. There's a lot to do in Chicago.
I refuse to take my dog on road trips any more…He can be such a bark seat driver
A group of college buddies were about to graduate, and near the end of their exams, they decided to live it up on the weekend, so they took a little roadtrip to a resort town nearby. They laughed, drank and partied hard. They had a final exam Monday morning, so late Sunday night they packed it up and drove home.
Monday morning rolls around, and they all sleep in, and miss the exam. When they wake up, phone calls are made, and they decide that they will tell their prof. about the weekend road trip, but tell him that they got a flat on the way home on Sunday afternoon, didn't have a spare, and could not get back in time for the exam, since there were no tire shops open to fix their flat.
So, they all troop down to the prof's office, tell him their tale of woe, and ask to be allowed to write the exam the next day. The Prof agrees to let them, and they head home feeling pretty good.
Tuesday morning comes around, and the buddies show up for their exam. The prof sets them up in four separate study rooms, and gives them each a test. The first page is some pretty basic multiple choice questions, worth 10%. At the top of the second page it says:
WRITTEN RESPONSE, 90%. WHICH TIRE?
A group of hikers were being led through the wilderness by a guide. On the third day, the hikers noticed that they had been traveling in circles.
”We’re lost!” One of the hikers complained.
”And you said you were the best guide in the United States.”
”I am,” the guide answered, ” but I think we may have wandered into Canada.”
Yankel gets on a plane and sits next to the window. A few minutes later, a big, heavy, strong mean-looking, Skinhead plops down in the seat next to him and immediately falls asleep. Yankel starts to feel a little airsick, but he’s afraid to wake the big guy up to ask if he can go to the bathroom. He knows he can’t climb over him, and so Yankel’s sitting there, looking at the skinhead, trying to decide what to do. Suddenly, the plane hits an air pocket and an uncontrollable wave of nausea passes through him. He can’t hold it in any longer and he pukes all over the heavy guys chest. About five minutes later the big guy wakes up, looks down, and sees the vomit all over him. “So,” says Yankel, “are you feeling better now?”
Taxiing down the tarmac, the jetliner abruptly stopped, turned around and returned to the gate. After an hour-long wait, it finally took off. A concerned passenger asked the flight attendant, “What was the problem?” “The pilot was bothered by a noise he heard in the engine,” explained the flight attendant, “and it took us a while to find a new pilot.”
A plane was taking off from Kennedy. After it reached a comfortable cruising altitude, the captain made an announcement over the intercom, “Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Welcome to Flight number 293, non-stop from New York to Los Angeles. The weather ahead is good and therefore we should have a smooth flight, Now sit back and relax. – OH MY GOD!” Silence Then, the captain came back on the intercom and said: “Ladies and Gentlemen, I an so sorry if I scared you earlier, but while I was talking the flight attendant brought me a cup of coffee and spilled the hot coffee in my lap. You should see the front of my pants!” A passenger in Coach said: “That’s nothing. He should see the back of mine!”
***********************************
Answer is A– I barely had patience to google the answer to this for you guys. I definitely would’ve skipped it on my exam. I never cared about Ayyubi, Abbasid, Fatimim or Ummayam arabs. An arab is an arab is an arab and back then none were too good for the Jews. I used to know the era of each of these and their places but not anymore. The second I finished my exam I deleted this information from my brain. The only place above I have visited with tourists was the arch pools in Ramle. That was the capital city of the Umayids who moved it from Lod. Those are actually nice to take people boating in. That was what I guessed. But the answer was Hirbat Minim which is actually interestingly enough near Tiverya. I’ve never been there, there’s really not much to see there. An old Ummayad house. So I got it wrong The score is Schwartz 39 and 11 for MOT (Ministry of Tourism) on this exam.
AS
THERE ARE ONLY 50 QUESTIONS ON THE EXAM AND I’M ALLOWED TO SKIP 5. THIS WOULD
GIVE ME 25/29 THAT PART ONE OF THIS EXAM WOULD BE WORTH. IF THIS WERE THE
ENTIRE SCORE FOR THE EXAM (which it isn’t
there is a part B and C of the exam as well which entail writing a 2 day itinerary
for a group that you choose from and writing a full page as if you’re guiding
in a place from that itinerary)
IT
WOULD GIVE ME AN 86% AS MY FINAL GRADE.
I actually
believe I got an 88% on my actual exam so not too bad!
NEXT
WEEK- WE START A NEW EXAM THIS PAST SUMMER’S 2019 TOUR GUIDE COURSE MINISTRY OF
TOURISM TOUR GUIDE EXAM- STAY TUNED
