Insights and Inspiration
from the
Holy Land
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend in Karmiel"
March 13th 2020 -Volume 10 Issue 21 17th
Adar 5780
Parshat Ki Tisa
The Divinely News Update
Sota 49: (Reb Eliezer Hagadol) also said He also said: In the times of the approach of the
Messiah, Chutzpa will increase and high costs will pile up… And the monarchy
shall turn to heresy, and there will be no one to give reproof about this. The
meeting place of the Sages will become a place of promiscuity, and the Galilee
shall be destroyed, and the Gavlan will be desolate, and the men of the border
shall go round from city to city to seek charity, but they will find no mercy. And
the wisdom of scribes will putrefy, and people who fear sin will be held in
disgust, and the truth will be absent. The youth will shame the
face of elders, elders will stand before minors. Normal family relations will
be ruined: A son will disgrace a father; a daughter will rise up against her
mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man’s enemies will be the
members of his household. The face of the generation will be like the face of a
dog; a son will no longer be ashamed before his father. And upon what is there
for us to rely? Only upon our Father in heaven.
So how many of those above things can you find in our generation?
We definitely got chutzpa today like never before. Prices are rising despite
the fact that we have more than ever before. Promiscuity has sadly even reached
our holiest places. Sin-fearing people are held in disregard. Family relations
are breaking apart. And yup, there's no truth anymore. Welcome to the end game
boys and girls. We are at that finish line and the world is falling apart.
Although that Galile thing being destroyed is getting me really nervous. Hey if
everything else is happening Is Karmiel in the Galile next? I don't think I'm
moving anytime soon though…Done the moving thing too many times already and
we're kind of planted but yes this is pretty scary.
Now there is still one place where we have real news. The Baal
Hatanya used to say that our weekly Torah portion is like a daily newspaper. If
you want to understand what is going on in the world, don't open up the New
York Times, forget about Bloomberg News or even Fox. The Yeshiva World News,
Vos Iz Neis, Matzav and Arutz Sheva all open up with annoying pop up ads of
tzedakas and Rabbis that will pray for you if you contribute to them. I think
it's a great teaser for the authenticity of the news that is within. You wanna
give tzedaka give tzedaka, but Reb Chaim isn't running to Amuka on your behalf…
Neither is most of the stuff you read there really happening. The only place to
get the real story is from Hashem's news for us; Parshat Hashavua. That's the
only real live time blog that you should be going to. Sure it may have the same
words as the Parshat Hashavua did last year. In fact, it does. But now for the
first time you can appreciate those words that were meant for you to read
today.
Don't believe me. Let's take a look. First two verses of this
week's Parsha Ki Tisa
Shemos (30:1-2) And
Hashem spoke to Moses, saying: When you take the sum of the children of Israel
according to their numbers, let each one give to the Lord an atonement for his
soul when they are counted; then there will be no plague among
them when they are counted.
Anyone else out there have plague on their mind? OK maybe that's a
cute connection, Rabbi Schwartz. But it's only the first pasuk? Oh yeah? Let's
move to the next mitzva in the parsha and you tell me if it has any connection
to our new reality today?
Ibid (18-21) You shall make a sink of copper and its base of
copper for washing, and you shall place it between the Tent of Meeting and
the altar, and you shall put water therein. Aaron and his sons shall wash their
hands and feet from it when they enter the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash
with water so that they will not die or when they approach the altar to
serve, to make a fire offering rise up in smoke to the Lord, they shall wash their hands and feet so
that they will not die; this shall be for them a perpetual statute, for him
and for his descendants, for their generations."
Was this book written by the World Health Organization? By the way
the gematria of Purell is kind of close to l'rachatza- to wash. If you
play around with spellings a bit I'm pretty sure you can make it work. The
parsha continues with anointing vessels and with special oil that is not to be
used for people. It can kill you if you do. The incencse can kill you as well
if you make your own. Lots of things that normally wouldn't kill you, the
things you touch, that you anoint yourself with that you smell…Watch out. We're
living in new times. Oh and by the way… Violating Shabbos as well will put you
to death. I dunno all the rest of the things seem to be happening I would be
pretty careful about my Shabbos observance this week…
But the plague does not end there. The Parsha continues with the
sin of the golden calf. You know the story Moshe didn't come down the Mountain
on time. People freaked out. They made a golden calf. Hashem gets angry. Moshe
calms Him down, breaks the tablets and marshalls the tribe of Levi to kill out
the ones that were involved with the sin. Yet interestingly enough the end of
the portion tells us that Hashem as well brought a plague on the people.
Ibid (32:35) Then Hashem struck the
people with a plague, because they had made the calf that Aaron had made.
Rashi quoting the midrash notes that this was for the people that
worshipped the golden calf that were not warned or witnessed who were not of
the 3000 killed by the Levites. So yes it's another plague as well that strikes
in this parsha.
And the theme continues. Do you know what Moshe does? Does Hashem
do after this plague. They go into bidud. Yup They're in isolation.
Moshe moves the Ohel Moed-tent of assembly out of the camp. Hashem separates
from the nation. We've hit rock bottom. I have a friend of mine this week in
quarantine. He described to me how bizarre it is. He's locked in his room in
his house. He has separate bathroom from his family. They send him in food
through the window. He can't hug his wife or kids. He's separated from everyone.
No shul. No contact. Alone. That's how Hashem felt after this story. That's how
Moshe felt as well although he would come back and forth between the tent and
the people. And as the reality of this situation hit the Jewish people they
understood that as a whole they were in isolation from their God as well.
Ibid (33:8) And it would be that when Moses would go out to the
tent, all the people would rise and stand, each one at the entrance of his
tent, and they would gaze after Moses until he went into the tent.
The point of the plague and the isolation is realizing how
miserable it is when we are alone. How scary it is. How united we can become
when we all face that common threat of a plague that doesn't differentiate. The machatzit hashekel in the beginning of the parsha was meant to unite us. We were
going to build the home for Hashem together. A house for His presence and
sacrifices for the entire community. There would not be a need for a plague if
we could do that. We would have water that would purify us as one. We would
have incense that represents all of us together. And we would have a day of
Shabbos when no plague can reign it's ugly head when we are as one as Adam and
Eve on the first Shabbos of Creation.
The parsha continues with Moshe on behalf of the people asking to
see the face of Hashem. Our isolation from Him is too great. Hashem dressed up
like a shliach Tzibur- a chazzan, a cantor with a talis and
reveals to him His 13 attributes of mercy. What's with the shliach tzibur
talis. Why couldn't he just tell Moshe without that? I saw a beautiful
insight that the answer is Hashem could only be seen when He is coming on
behalf of a united community. We do not recite these 13 attributes without a minyan.
It's the only way we see Hashem.
Now of course the coolest connection is of course the epilogue of
this story. The parsha concludes with the story of Moshe coming out of the tent
with the rays of light shining from his skin. The torah keeps repeating this
phrase. Look…
Ibid 34 (29, 30, 34) And it came to pass when Moses descended
from Mount Sinai, and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses' hand when
he descended from the mountain and Moses did not know that the skin of his
face had become radiant while He had spoken with him
that Aaron and all the
children of Israel saw Moses and behold! the skin of his face had become
radiant, and they were afraid to come near him.
Then the children of Israel would see Moses' face, that the
skin of Moses' face had become radiant,
Do you know how you say skin of face in Hebrew in the Torah. Koran-ohr.
Can you say that word five times fast? Uh huh…. Weekly news here... reporting live
from Mt. Sinai. We went from plague to the shining light of Hashem through
Moshe. Through our Torah. Through the return of Hashem. Corona can become a keren
of ohr which can also be read as light;A ray of light.
This week we have an added supplementary section in our Divine
Newspaper. We read Parshat Parah. It is the parsha of the purification
of the ashes of the red heifer that atone for the sin of the golden calf and
that prepares and purifies us for the korban pesach that we will god willing
need to be bringing this year in Jerusalem. We are living in the pre-Messianic
times our sages and prophets have all foreseen. The redemption is right around
the corner. But you know how NY'ers say that right? It's right around the
corona…May this final plague lead to a redemption that will be even greater
than the ones that followed the plagues of Egypt.
Have a happy and healthy Shabbos,
Rabbi Ephraim
Schwartz
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK
“A
tsoreh kumt nit alain."
–Troubles don't come alone
RABBI
SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK
answer below at end of Email
18) The
destruction of Jerusalem during the Second Temple period was completed in the
month of:
A. Tishrei
- Av
- Tamuz
- Elul
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK
https://youtu.be/pNrpzwsEkEc
– Awesome Ari Lesser
Purim rap worth the watch…
https://youtu.be/AUL2aPNJ2Us – Aharon Razel new song Holech Lilmod will
this be a hit?
https://youtu.be/VZ4Vl8SkYys - I like this niggun! The
Baltimore Rebbe's niggun..by Motzi Shabbso Jamz a chevra in Baltimore that jam
together… The nigun is beautiful despite what sounds like a fake Chasidic name
Rebbe; Baltimore Rebbi?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDY5COg2P2c - For
those that have time this is a fascinating video of the worst plague of the
20the century the Spanish Flu of 1918. This was far worse than Corona and it is
scary to think about how bad this can become…
RABBI
SCHWARTZ'S PARSHA/MITZVA CONNECTION OF THE WEEK
Parah Aduma– Bringing a Red Heifer – This week as we get closer to Pesach we read the special
supplementary Torah portion of the mitzva of Parah Aduma. This reminds us to
start preparing to purify ourselves from the impurity (tumah) of coming
in contact with a dead person before Passover when we will have to be pure to
eat the korban pesach offering. In the times of the temple and even before and
afterwards they would fulfil this mitzva. The mitzva would be fulfilled by
taken this special formula of the red heifer ashes burnt with hyssop cedar wood
and red dyed cloth and then mixing it with pure spring water. The process must
be done by a pure Kohen, one that is himself not impure (tamey). It is
then sprinkled upon all those that had become impure due to having been in
contact with the dead. The water/ash mixture would be sprinkled on the 3rd
and 7th day from when someone came out of the Mikva and then he
would be purified.
I try to keep
this column one with practical mitzvot ba'zman ha'zeh that we can
fulfil. This seems like a biblical one. Is it possible to fulfil this mitzva
even without a temple? Interestingly enough the answer is yes. The Rosh, the 13th
century scholar, notes that the parah aduma was still in practice into
the period of the Talmud 400 years or so after the destruction of the Temple. The Ethiopian community continued this custom
until the 1970's. The Chinuch even seems to note that this mitzva to prepare
the ashes is still relevant today. Despite the fact the Rambam, almost
uncharacteristically makes a prediction that 9 red heifers have been brought
since the times of Moshe and the 10th will be when Mashiach comes.
What would be
the challenges of bringing it today? Our halachic authorities raise a few. The
first would be finding the red cow. Now red despite what they might have taught
you in kindergarten is not like that big bright red "Clifford the
dog" colored red. Rather in many places the Talmud and torah refer to a
bright brown auburn-ish color as being called red as well. The problem is that
it can't have two black hairs next to one another or six single ones total and
can't have been worked as well. There have been sightings of such cows. So
let's assume we have one then what's the next problem?
Let's say we
have a cow; the next problem would be purchasing it. Not finding the money, I'm
sure we could raise that in a NY minute. The problem is that the red heifer had
to be purchased with the money of the community that was raised with the half
shekel collection. We don't have that anymore. The red heifer isn't a one man
offering, it has to come from everyone. Yet for that as well Reb Chaim
Kanievsky rules that one person can buy it and contribute it to the community.
This seems to be the opinion of the Rambam, the Rash and the Minchat Chinuch as
well. So we're covered there as well. This law would seem to as well take care
of the problem of the requirement of a court of 71 that the Mishna mentions.
Reb Chaim notes this would be for the usage of public money only. But if one
person is donating it to the public this is not required.
Problem 3 it
seems would be finding a pure Kohen. If he was in contact with someone who was
in contact with the dead, the game is over. In olden days when they still had
ashes (they could last for centuries as just a little was mixed into water), so
they could purify any Kohen but today we need one that has never become
"contaminated" as we would have no way of purifying him. So the
Tosefta seems to discuss a process of taking Jewish women who were pregnant
with Kohanim and then having their child in a pure environment and protecting
them from any contact with anything tamey. In fact that is what the Baal
Haturim (the son of the Rosh) and 19th century commentary the
Tiferet Yisrael suggest be done to prepare these ashes.
The process of
the slaughtering and burning it took place on har hazeitim/ Mt. of
olives, but where? Again based on the description that this was opposite the
Temple mount and it was a place that had a big cavity underneath it many
archeologists and halachic authorities place it today either under the
Franciscan church of Dominus Filavit or in the Chalabim Section of the cemetery
where the old yishuv of Jerusalem buried there. Both places stand opposite the even
hashitiya/ foundation stone of the Temple Mount and are on flat rock that
are required. It would seem Rav Shteinman writes that even the fact that there
is a big golden pimple on top of the holiest site it would still be considered
that one sprinkled facing the spot of where the mizbayach once was.
So it would
seem despite the Rambam mentioning that there will be 10 and the final one will
be brought by Mashiach, it seems that there were other ones that were brought.
In fact the majority of the ones mentioned of those 8 seem to have been brought
only during the end of the second temple. Our Talmud seems to note that after
the exile Jews particularly Kohanim still used the Para Aduma to purify for
eating teruma and maaser. We are living in pretty much Messianic times these
days with all the craziness going on in the world. May our reading and study of
this essential parsha of Para Aduma bring us to its fulfillment as we prepare
for the Korban Pesach this year god willing in Jerusalem.
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S ERA’S AND THEIR PLACES AND PEOPLE IN
ISRAEL OF THE WEEK
The Pilegesh/ Concubine
of Givah 939 BC – Last week on the era's and their
places column we introduced the story a Levi who came from MT. Ephraim who had a concubine. He wasn't a great
guy. She ran away. He went over there and after and extended stay at his
father-in-laws house he took her back with him. It was late and dark and they
decided to spend the night in Givah the portion of Binyamin. And here's where
the tragedy begins.
They are met by
an old man who invites them to stay by him. He knows the chevra in his city are
not nice people. The fact the he is the only one there that invites them is
quite telling. The Navi even tells us that he is originally not from there but
rather from Ephraim himself. Well they settle in a bit and the next thing you
know a gang of ruffians are banging on the door and demanding that the man can
be thrown out so they can have some "fun" with him. They weren't
talking about a game of monopoly either. The old man tried to convince them
down. He even offered his own single daughter or even the concubine to them
instead. Bizarre as this might seem, his intention was much like Aharon trying
to minimize the sin of the people as for them to sin with a single girl (or
even an unmarried concubine) as terrible as it is not nearly as bad as the sins
that they were planning with the concubine's husband. This is not a good thing
at all.
They are not
satisfied with the offer, so our Levi just chucks the concubine out there to
the mob and goes upstairs to sleep. As I said, he was no big winner himself.
The next morning, he comes down and finds her flat and abused-maybe dead maybe
not, it's not clear from the text, on the doorstep. If this story sounds
familiar it should. It's the story of Sodom all over again. There are a few major
differences though. In Sodom it was the whole city here it was hooligans. In
Sodom the laws and way of life was one of unjust cruelty, this seems to have
been an isolated incident that was more based on an incident of mob frenzy that
was driven by desire. It was Sodom lite. And the same time it was still a
terrible story. But it gets worse.
The Levi, took
his concubine and then chopped her up into 12 pieces and sent her to the tribes
of Israel and demanded that they respond to this evil that had been
perpetrated. The tribes gathered from Dan to Beersheva and from
Gilead on the other side of the Yarden. 400,000 men. That's a real
lot. The all came to a place called Mitzpah. Modern archeologists
associate this with either Nebi Samuel or Tel el Natzba not far
from there. The tribe of Binyamin however did not show. They felt this was a
personal internal matter for them to handle and the other tribes had no right
to interfere. The tribes resolved that if they did not act on the abomination,
Hashem would hold them all culpable. The came to Givah where the tribe
of Binyamin met them with their full army and demanded the perpetrators be
handed over. Binyamin in turn marshalled their entire army of 25,000 and
refused. The guns were drawn the tempers flared each with their own religious
indignation. And the war would soon start.
We'll pick it
up next week, but one lesson I share with tourists about this story that is
still relevant today, is that more often than not it is the religious
indignation and zealotry that is the source of much of our troubles. It was
then and it sadly still is today.
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S MORE TERRIBLE CORONA JOKES OF
THE WEEK
Because of
Corona the schools have been given off until Pesach. All grandparents are now
officially on call. There is no place to
hide or run. No hotels, no flights, no plays or gatherings. No excuses…
Important Notice:
If you feel a headache shortness of breath, rapidly beating heart, digestive
problems, dysentery, like you are cut of from reality, or increased levels of
anxiety. This is a sign that you have begun to absorb that your children will be
home from school for the next foreseeable future.
Sending the
kids home from school is one way of pressuring the scientists to come up with a
vaccine within a few days.
One minute…
They are closing the schools and kindergardens? With the kids inside right?
The pathway of
Corona victim #40
Yemenite man Zecharia
Sharabi
9:15 Free drink
from the public drinking fountain in Rosh Ha'ayin
10:20 Free cookies at Cofix in Rosh Ha'ayin
12:00 Hakol Bashekel (one shekel store) in Kiryat Ekron free tastings
14:00 Half price store in Shaaria free tastings by the cheese station
19:00 Arvit in synagogue in Geulim with a free azakara meal afterwards
10:20 Free cookies at Cofix in Rosh Ha'ayin
12:00 Hakol Bashekel (one shekel store) in Kiryat Ekron free tastings
14:00 Half price store in Shaaria free tastings by the cheese station
19:00 Arvit in synagogue in Geulim with a free azakara meal afterwards
Bibi Netanyahu
in his latest sharp declaration that from now until further notice it will be
prohibited to for three judges to gather together…
Some places are
banning gatherings of 100 people or more. Joe Biden rallies have nothing to
fear.
The fastest way
to kill the Corona virus is to convince Hillary Clinton that it plans to
testify against it.
New limits are
being put on Facebook no one is allowed more than 50 friends
Berel goes to Doctor
Goldberg for blood tests. After extended testing and an agonizing wait,
he finally gets a call from the doctor to immediately come into the office and
to have as little contact with others as possible.
On arrival he is greeted by a nurse in full bio suit and whisked into a barren room.
The doctor comes in, also in full biohazard suit, and says to the man “I’m afraid the results of your blood test are in and the prognosis is dire”
At this point the man is terrified.
“What’s the prognosis doctor?”
“Well, it appears you have contracted Corona
Shaken to the core, the man stammers “what does this mean? Can we do anything?”
The doctor replies”well, we actually do have a plan for you”
Relieved the man says “what is it? When can we start?”
The doctor says”we can start immediately. Here’s the plan. We’re going to put you in an isolated room and put you on a diet of Matza”
Confused, the man says “pizza, will that help me to get better?”
“No” the doctor says “but it’s all we can fit under the door”.
On arrival he is greeted by a nurse in full bio suit and whisked into a barren room.
The doctor comes in, also in full biohazard suit, and says to the man “I’m afraid the results of your blood test are in and the prognosis is dire”
At this point the man is terrified.
“What’s the prognosis doctor?”
“Well, it appears you have contracted Corona
Shaken to the core, the man stammers “what does this mean? Can we do anything?”
The doctor replies”well, we actually do have a plan for you”
Relieved the man says “what is it? When can we start?”
The doctor says”we can start immediately. Here’s the plan. We’re going to put you in an isolated room and put you on a diet of Matza”
Confused, the man says “pizza, will that help me to get better?”
“No” the doctor says “but it’s all we can fit under the door”.
Corona wiped
out every city on earth except for Detroit...Because in Detroit everyone gets a
shot
What's it
called when two strains of a disease are identical? plague-arism
Where should
Corona infected children play? The Plague Ground…. Oy….
INTERNATIONAL
CORONA VIRUS ESCALATION MEASURES
The English are feeling the pinch in relation to
recent terrorist threats and have therefore raised their security level from
“Miffed” to “Peeved.” Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to
“Irritated” or even “A Bit Cross.” The English have not been “A Bit Cross”
since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies nearly ran out. Terrorists have
been re-categorized from “Tiresome” to “A Bloody Nuisance.” The last
time the British issued a “Bloody Nuisance” warning level was in 1588, when
threatened by the Spanish Armada.
The Scots
have raised their threat level from “Pissed Off” to “Let’s get the Bastards.”
They don’t have any other levels. This is the reason they have been used on the
front line of the British army for the last 300 years.
The French
government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level
from “Run” to “Hide.” The only two higher levels in France are “Collaborate”
and “Surrender.” The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed
France’s white flag factory, effectively paralyzing the country’s military
capability.
Italy has increased the alert level from
“Shout Loudly and Excitedly” to “Elaborate Military Posturing.” Two more levels
remain: “Ineffective Combat Operations” and “Change Sides.”
The Germans have increased their alert state from
“Disdainful Arrogance” to “Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs.” They also
have two higher levels: “Invade a Neighbor” and “Lose.”
Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday
as usual; the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of
Brussels.
The Spanish are all excited to see their new
submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms
so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy.
Americans meanwhile and as usual are carrying
out pre-emptive strikes, on all of their allies, just in case.
And in the
southern hemisphere…
New Zealand has also raised its security levels –
from “baaa” to “BAAAA!”. Due to continuing defense cutbacks (the airforce being
a squadron of spotty teenagers flying paper aeroplanes and the navy some toy
boats in the Prime Minister’s bath), New Zealand only has one more
level of escalation, which is “I hope Australia will come and rescue us”.
Australia, meanwhile, has raised its security
level from “No worries” to “She’ll be right, mate”. Three more escalation
levels remain: “Crikey!’, “I think we’ll need to cancel the barbie this
weekend” and “The barbie is cancelled”. So far no situation has ever warranted
use of the final escalation level.
**********************************
Answer is B– If you don't know the answer to
this one you shouldn't be a tour guide. Truth is nay Jew that doesn't know this
shold start taking some classes pretty quick. It's quite embarrassing even that
they put this one on the exam. Maybe its for the goyim tourguides. But then if
your touring goyim do they really care which Hebrew month it was? Anyways this
was a dead giveaway, my 2 year old grandson probably knows this. The answer is
Av and the score is Schwartz 12 and 6 for MOT (Ministry of Tourism) on
this exam.
