TMR, APH and other Frum-conyms- Beha'aloscha 2017/5777

Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land
from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

June 9^th 2017 -Volume 7 Issue 32 15^th Sivan 5777

Parshat Behaloscha

TMR, APH and other Frum-cronyms

So I'll admit I'm not up to date with all of the cool texting lingo. Just by the mere fact that I wrote the word 'lingo' just now should be sign of that. I don't think anyone says 'lingo' anymore. I know LOL and OMG of course. I'm not a Neanderthal like my parents are. I try to be 'hip' and 'with it', but once again I think using those terms again, kind of reveal that I am not. So I listen to my tourists and try to pick up the new words, phrases so that I can come off as the cool tour-guide that is 'in-the-know". And I'll even ask when I hear something I don't understand. Our sages tell us Ein Habayshan Lomeid- A shy person will not learn.  And so I overcome my naturally quiet and bashful personality and ask if I hear or catch something I'm not familiar with.  This is important of course. No one wants a tour guide, or a Rabbi for that matter, that is still talking like they did in the last millennia.

So there I was by Rosh Hanikra. One of the most beautiful and amazing sites in Israel, right there by the border of the Lebanon, magnificent grottos overlooking the magnificent coastline of Israel and the sparkling clear blue Mediterranean. I'm with Seminary girls. They are usually the best 'Rebbeim" of the newest 'catch-phrases'. They are snapping pictures right and left. And then my ears perk up There is a phrase being batted around that I have never heard before. "TMR...TMR...TMR" Huh? "It's like cool,  like check this out... TMR"   {By the way aren't you impressed that I inserted the word "like" randomly into the sentence above. I do that like when I like imitate seminary girls. They like the word "like" a lot. Why? I like will never know.} Now I am familiar with TMI- Too Much Information. That's what you say when someone writes about the after-effects of the chulent that his Rebbetzin makes has on himself. But what is "TMR"?

Now the truth is the "frum" world has its own acronymical language. Not sure it that's a word, but hey, we're creating new languages all the time it seems. I call them Frum-conyms. There are all types of abbreviations for the different types of frum (religious) Jews. There are FFB's Frum from Birth. BT's - Baal Teshuva's (those that have returned to observance. There are OTD's- off the Derech-those that have left the path. Those are pretty common ones. Then you have the ones for the more sophisticated ones. There's FFBWTO or FFBWSL- Frum from Birth with Time Out or With Some Lapses. There's FFH- Frum from habit and FFFB- farfrumt from birth.

New Yorkers have their own lingo as well. You have OT's which are out-of towners; basically anyone that lives outside of the Tri-state area, like in Chicago, Detroit, China or Venezuela. You have 5T Jews- five towns, BP and FB and WB- Boro Park, Flatbush and Williamsburgh although from what I understand if you are what is called a TB- a Tuna Biegel Jew then it is called VB- Villiamsburgh.

Now the truth is acronyms go back to ancient Jewish times. Ink was a premium back then and printing and publishing was expensive, so basic Jewish terms would always be abbreviated. Great Rabbi's names are frumcronymed; Rashi, Rambam, Ramban, Ritva and the Rashbi. Even the great Talmudic sage Abaya who was an orphan is an acronym of the verse (Hoshea 14:4) "Asher Becha Yerachem Yatom"- Which in You the orphan is granted mercy". Words that were repeated often, were often shortened. After all if you keep using the same phrase again and again why write it out? That is in fact the concept of the texting and the shortening world that we live in.  Therefore great rabbis named were followed with ShliT"A- Sheyichye LiChaim Tovim Aruchim- he should live for long good days. Dead ones were Z'TzL- Zecher Tzadik L'Vracha- A righteous person's memory should be blessed or for a blessing. If one visits Reb Chaim Kanievsky, one of the great Rabbis of our times who is engrossed in Torah study and has not time to give full blessings one would generally get a BooHa out of him. Which stands for Bracha V'Hatzlacha- blessing and success. I always said when I become a Gadol- Jewish leader I would just say Boo... 

There is as well the always common B"SD or B"H the B'Siyata Dishamaya- with the help of heaven or Baruch Hashem on the top of every page that was written to recall that Hashem was the one that helps us in all that we do. But what is TMR, I wondered? I'll let you ponder that while I get to the Dvar Torah that connects to this.

See in this week's portion there is what I believe should be a new text word; a word that according to the Shel"A Hakadosh we should all start adding to our lexicon. A frumconym if you will.

In the directions as to the traveling of the Jewish people in the wilderness the Torah tells us

Bamidbar 9:18- Al Pi Hashem yisu Bnai Yisrael V'Al Pi Hashem yachanu kol yimei asher yishkon h'anan al ha'mishkan- By the word of Hashem the Children of Israel shall travel and by the word of Hashem they shall camp., as many days as the cloud of glory rests upon the Tabernacle.

It then continues and tells us that sometimes the cloud would be there for many days and they shouldn't travel and then once again it tells us.

Bamidbar (9:20) Sometimes the Cloud would be there for a few days and then Al Pi Hashem Yisu And Al Pi Hashem Yachanu- By the word of Hashem they should travel and the word of Hashem they should camp

The verses continue and tell us that sometimes the cloud will be there for one night, sometimes it's for two days, sometimes for a month regardless they shouldn't move until the cloud goes up. And in conclusion if you didn't get the point the chapter concludes

Bamidbar (9:23) APH yachanu V'APH yisa'u es mishmeres Hashem shamaru and APH B'Yad Moshe- According to the word of Hashem they should camp and according to the word of Hashem they should travel, the charge of Hashem they should guard according to the word of Hashem through Moshe.

See what I did there? In the five verses the words Al Pi Hashem is repeated 7 times. So much easier to just write APH isn't it? Why is it so necessary to repeat that every travel, every journey that was done was based on the word of Hashem? 

The 16^th century sage  the Shl"A Hakadosh or Reb Yeshaya Halevi Horowitz- (who's called the Sh"La- which is an acronym of his work the Shnei Luchot HaBrit), writes that this is the source for Jews that no matter where they go or wherever they arrive they should always say that they have arrived with Hashem's help. This is not merely a sign of humility or recognition of Hashem, but in fact it fights off the Yetzer Harah the evil inclination's power and challenge who tries to make us forget Hashem. In our evening prayer we ask Hashem to remove the Satan from in front of us or from behind us. The Shvilei Pinchas suggests that this is the same concept. Before we start a journey, an endeavor or are faced with any challenge the Satan comes to challenge us. If it's to do a mitzva he tells us that we can't do it.  It's too hard, it's too much, we don't need to. If it's a business, a trip, a journey, he tells us that we don't need to pray, we can handle it on our own. We need to remember that we only travel APH, by the word of Hashem. It is Hashem that commands us. He gives us strength. He gives us power. It is His will we are fulfilling. Similarly when we accomplish something, when have 'arrived' when we have overcome anything that we are faced with. Fight the Satan and the urge to rank it up to our own, skills, talents, charisma or fortitude. Remember it is APH. By Hashem's will that we camp, it is because of APH that we have arrived. That we made it.

I find it to be inspiring that the Torah spends so much ink on telling us about all of the different times and lengths of stay of the Jewish people. It is an eternal message for us. Sometimes we have struggles that are short-term, sometimes they are lifelong struggles and challenges. We may think we have made it and are settled and have nothing else to worry about in life and then all of sudden something can and will change that shakes it all up. Alternatively we may feel that are lives have no stability, everything is chaos and turmoil. It feels never-ending, it seems like its non-stop. The Torah is telling us that if you have APH than you have nothing to worry about. Guard this charge. We are all here because Hashem has a path and journey that all of us are meant to take. But we're in good hands. There is a protective cloud of Glory that surrounds our boat, our wanderings and our trail. That is the message of our journey.

So what is the "TMR" that the girls were referring to as they looked out from the cliffs of Rosh Hanikra? I finally asked one of the girls. "Totally Ma Rabu" She told me. Paraphrasing the verse of King David of Ma Rabu Masecha Hashem- How wondrous are your creations Hashem. Yes the ways of Hashem are truly TMR and if we looked at all of our daily journeys with those seminary eyes of APH the IYH we will ultimately merit to see the building of the BHMK readily in our days.

Have a GS

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

This week's Insight and Inspiration is sponsored by my parents in loving memory of Saba, Eliyahu Ben Yehoshua Bergman, whose Yartzeit is today. My Saba was definitely someone who exemplified a life of APH. As a holocaust survivor his journey took him to the worst places of the world and as someone who rebuilt and started anew with nothing in early America, he lived another journey and challenge. But Eretz Yisrael was always the goal and heart of his journey. His high pointing when he ultimately was able to buy an apartment here and retire and live here for half of every year. May his neshoma have an Aliya as I am sure he sheps much nachas knowing his grandchildren and great grandchildren are living here

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

“Az mir shmirt- furt min”- When you grease (the wheels of the axle) -you can travel.

RABBI SCHWARTZ COOL VIDEOS OF THE WEEK

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiadgWV4YxI     – Gorgeous new song by my dear friend SYR and Moishe Mendlowitz and Baruch Levine too! V’Hareinu BiVinyano

https://youtu.be/cD3A2PpmC7U     - Funny Yiddish “Kosher” Samsung Smartphone ad Hebrew subtitles

 https://player.vimeo.com/video/215607007 – beautiful song wiht Abie Rottenberg and Shlomo Simcha and moving video V’Neeaman Ata Lhachayos Meisim- And Hashem is faithful to resurrect the dead

https://youtu.be/35eEljsSQfc  – UN Watch- great silencing of the Human rights Council Room by  Hillel Neuer- “Where are your Jews?”

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

 The Prime Minister of Israel during the Six Days War:
a. Levi Eshkol
b. Menachem Begin
c. Yitzhak Rabin
d. David Ben-Gurion

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S ILLUMINATING RASHI OF THE WEEK

Many times the first Rashi of the Torah portion are not only a commentary or explanation of the particular verse that he writing about. Rather it is an introduction to the Parsha itself and a theme that can be followed through the entire portion. This is particularly true when Rashi is noting the specific placement of the opening verses of the parsha.

In this week’s Torah portion Beha’aloshcha the Torah begins with the commandment to Moshe to speak to Aharon and tell him about the mitzva of lighting the Menora in the Mishkan. Rashi notes the placement of this mitzva which is seemingly out of place here following the inauguration offerings that each leader of each tribe brought at the conclusion of last week’s portion with the question.

Bamidbar (8:2) Why is this parsha put next to the parsha of the princes? Because when Aharon saw the inauguration of the princes he felt badly for neither he nor his tribe (of Levi) were with them (in offering sacrifices). Hashem said to him ‘By your life that yours is greater than theirs for you will light and prepare the Menora.

Rabbi Yissachar Frand notes that Rashi seems to be making a point of the fact that Aharon felt badly because he felt left out of the mitzva. Can we relate to that? How often to we feel badly if we feel like we were left out of a mitzva, or we missed a mitzva opportunity? Some people get upset if you missed out on a sale- you know like one of those Dan’s Deals, or if you missed out on a good stock opportunity, or  got stuck in traffic and missed the first pitch of the ball game or show you were going to. Aharon’s chalishus hada’as- his depression was because he missed out on a chance to serve Hashem. You know like if you came late to synagogue and missed the first Kaddish, or someone crossed the old lady before you could, or gave charity, or cleaned up the house before you could surprise your mother-hint hint children of mine…J

That is an incredible lesson to take heed of. In fact it continues in our Parsha with some of the Jews coming to Moshe to complain that they couldn’t bring the Pesach offering because they were impure. As well Moshe is concerned that if Yisro his father-in-law will leave then the Jewish people will miss out on the opportunity of him guiding them and that he will miss out on being part of us.

On the opposite extreme the Parsha concludes with the Jews complaining, they miss the fish and fleshpots of Egypt. Moshe feels the people are too much for him to bear alone. They are feeling bad because they don’t’ appreciate the special gifts they have. It is truly amazing if we read these first Rashi’s and the lessons that he teaches us with an eye to the entire parsha. A whole new world opens up before us. A world and idea that if we study we can truly strengthen what our priorities should be.

Rabbi Yissachar Frand (Don’t know how old he is) – There are not too many speakers that I can stand to listen to for too long. I’m kind of a speaker snob. But Rabbi Frand is one of the few that I can listen to for hours upon end. Born in Seattle Washington, Rabbi Frand currently is a Rosh Yeshiva in Ber Israel Rabbinical College in Baltimore and he is one of those Rabbis that revolutionized the Jewish world over 35 years ago with his weekly taped Torah classes that took hold of the Jewish world. With 10’s of thousands of classes Rabbi Frand inspires online and in his weekly classes tying Halacha and inspiration into each class. As well  his annual Teshuva Derasha which played via satellite to hundreds of locations is one of most inspiring in the Jewish world today.

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TYPES OF JEWS IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK

Jewish Mothers – What did you expect to find in this country? Cool young single chayelets (female soldiers) toting M16s?We have those as well, don’t worry. But the majority of the women you will bump into in this country are Jewish mothers. In fact Israel has the highest birth-rate in the developed world with an average of 3.13 as opposed to the world average of 1.7. And guess what we even offer free in vitro fertilization for up to two kids for struggling families. Israeli women are getting married on an average of 26 years old and whereas in the US, Europe and South America it ranges from 28-33 years old. Generally the Israeli women are getting married and want to have families pretty quickly. That way they can be Jewish Mothers.
Jewish Israeli mothers are different than their Anglo counterparts, although the stereotypical worrying, spoiling, shepping yiddisheh nachas and boasting about their children parts are definitely part of their DNA. But in Israel the mothers raise their children with a lot more freedom and independence I find than in other countries. It’s quite common for kids at really young ages to go shopping on their own, to go on hikes and trips with their friends and in generally they are given more responsibilities. Maybe its because they know and understand that more likely than not their children will be holding a rifle at age 18 or so and putting his life on the line for their country. Maybe it’s because after all of the serious tragedies that unfold in this country we raise our children to grow up faster and deal with the realities of life in this country at even a tender age, where in other places the Jewish mother might try to shelter their kids. There’s no sheltering in Israel, where kindergartens train you how to go in bomb shelters and use gas masks.
As well the Jewish mothers here in Israel are really everyone’s mother. It is quite normal and acceptable for one mother to come over to some father and tell him he’s not holding the baby right or their child looks a little ill or they should buy this and this and the myriads of tips and wisdom that they might share for you. For a Jewish mother cares about all Jewish children. We’re a family here in this country and there’s nothing like the Jewish mother to make you feel that.

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S  TRAVELLER JOKES OF THE WEEK

A man wrote a letter to a small hotel in a Midwest town he planned to visit on his vacation. He wrote: “I would very much like to bring my dog with me. He is well-groomed and very well behaved. Would you be willing to permit me to keep him in my room with me at night?” An immediate reply came from the hotel owner, who said, “I’ve been operating this hotel for many years. In all that time, I’ve never had a dog steal towels, bedclothes, silverware or pictures off the walls. I’ve never had to evict a dog in the middle of the night for being drunk and disorderly. And I’ve never had a dog run out on a hotel bill. Yes, indeed, your dog is welcome at my hotel. And, if your dog will vouch for you, you’re welcome to stay here, too.”

A fellow stopped at a rural gas station and, after filling his tank, he paid the bill and bought a soft drink. He stood by his car to drink his cola and he watched a couple of men working along the roadside. One man would dig a hole two or three feet deep and then move on. The other man came along behind and filled in the hole. While one was digging a new hole, the other was about 25 feet behind filling in the old. The men worked right past the fellow with the soft drink and went on down the road. “I can’t stand this,” said the man tossing the can in a trash container and heading down the road toward the men. “Hold it, hold it,” he said to the men. “Can you tell me What’s going on here with this digging?” “Well, we work for the county government,” one of the men said. “But one of you is digging a hole and the other is filling it up. You’re not accomplishing anything. Aren’t you wasting the county’s money?” “You don’t understand, mister,” one of the men said, leaning on his shovel and wiping his brow. “Normally there’s three of us–me, Rodney and Mike. I dig the hole, Rodney sticks in the tree and Mike here puts the dirt back.” “Yea,” piped up Mike. “Now just because Rodney’s sick, that don’t mean we can’t work, does it?”

The frightened tourist: “Are there any bats in this cave?” The guide: “There were, but don’t worry, the snakes ate all of them.”

The tourist: “Can you tell me why so many famous Civil War battles were fought on National Park Sites?”

Yankel comes to Israel for the first time and checks into his hotel in Jerusalem when he arrived he asked the hotel’s clerk about the time of meals. “Breakfast is served from 7 to 11, dinner from 12 to 3, and supper from 6 to 8,” explained the clerk. “Look here,” inquired Yankel in surprise, “when am I going to get time to see the city?”

**************

Answer is A – Oh, Come on! You should know this. Even if you never heard of Levi Eshkol. You heard of all the other Prime Ministers. I hope. Begin and Rabin were in the 70’s and 90’s and BG was of course the first Prime Minister. Really you should be ashamed of yourself for not knowing this one. Particularly after all the celebration of the 50 years since the 6 Day War this year just a few weeks ago and actually the English anniversary this past week. Shame!

May Showers- Bamidbar Shavuot- 2017/5777

Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land
from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

May 19^th 2017 -Volume 7 Issue 31 23^rd Iyar 5777

Parshat Bamidbar/ Shavuot

 May Showers

If April showers bring May Flowers, what do May flowers bring? Oh come on? You know this one, you are already groaning when you here this riddle. It is like the first one we ever had in when I was a kid. Mayflowers bring pilgrims, of course. Now I’m not sure if kids today still know what the Mayflower is. Sadly my younger kids probably don’t. But hey they do know about 4000 years of history which includes,Babylonians, Romans, Crusaders, Turks as well as of course the entire Jewish history of Israel, which most American who think that Hashem created the world in 1776. So I’m not complaining if they don’t know the name of the boat that brought the early Americans to this country. After this week if I asked my kids how the first Americans got there, they would probably say Air Force One. But anyways I’ve been thinking about this April showers think because, I had another question. What do May showers bring?

See I’m in the States right now and it’s raining. I was about to complain and say this is annoying because, after-all in Israel it is clear beautiful and incredible. Our rainy season ended Pesach time. Now we’re just enjoying the plentiful water that we have, as I have already done a fair amount of water hikes and even rafted down the Jordan and did not scrape my backside as I have been doing the past few years when the water level has been very low. But despite how much I enjoy kvetching and complaining and pretty much putting down the American experience whenever I come here. After-all I want ot appreciate Eretz Yisrael even more when I come back. I can’t really do that this time, or at least not about the rain. See it’s been raining in Israel in May as well. Not a lot, don’t get me wrong, but certainly quite a few very unseasonal ‘scattered showers’.

 It’s is weird seeing rain in Israel in May. Our rainy season is barely even in April. Mostly it’s in December- March at latest. You know when you guys have that white stuff called snow that falls down. In Israel snow is something we see on the top of the Chermon for a few months, and once every years it will shut down the city of Tzfat. But not in the winter. Just rain. But Rain in May? Certainly not something that happens often. In fact I tell my tourist when we are in Tzfat about the incredible miraculous rainfall that happened in 1948 in the War of Independence when the Jews shot off their loud and smoky Davidka mortar. I say loud and smoky because it didn’t really do much damage. But when you shot it off it was heard miles away and a huge mushroom cloud rose up. Because the Jews described it as their secret weapon and it started to unseasonably rain right afterwards, the Arabs fled the city assuming that it was a nuclear shower that followed an Atomic blast. See that happened because it doesn’t rain in May. The story does not go over that well though when it is raining in May outside as you are telling it. So I just did Masada instead that day. A Tour guide has to always be flexible and make things us as the circumstance present themselves. It’s our sacred duty J.

Now if Hashem is sending us rain in May then there must be some message in it for us. Obviously there has to be something there for my weekly E-Mail. It’s always about the E-mail, right? SO I opened up my Chumash and it’s a new book this week. Whadaya know? Bamidbar- the Desert or wilderness. Hmmm… That doesn’t seem like a water oriented place. In fact in my tour guiding program they taught us that in fact the defining aspect of a midbar is that it is lacking in water. Less than 200 mm a year if I recall. Not that I know how much a millimeter is yet. But it’s a little as opposed to the north which has like 800 mm’s a year. So that may not be the connection. Or maybe it is? Come to think of it, this would seem to be a strange name for a book of the Torah. I mean all of the other books really define an aspect of the Jewish people and our story. Bereshit- in the beginning. Shemot- our name, our essence, Vayikra- the personal call that Hashem has to the Moshe in each of us and Devarim- the words, perhaps the most important aspect of who and what we are, the bearers of the words of Hashem and the teachings of Moshe. But midbar? Desert? That seems to be just where we hung out for forty years. Is there something deeper perhaps?

Our sages tell us that there is no coincidence that the Torah was given to us in the midbar. In fact the Torah was specifically given in the midbar to teach us that Torah can only be acquired if one makes oneself like a midbar- a wilderness.

Midrash Rabba (1:6) Why was the Torah given in the Midbar? Our rabbis taught that the Torah was given with three things fire water and wilderness. Just as these things are free to all those that come so to Torah is free for everyone.

Now this certainly needs some explanation. For I don’t know if you saw your children’s tuition bills lately but they certainly are not free. In addition either is water or tours of the desert. At least not my tours. And why is it so important to teach us that the Torah is free. Fire is free though. That’s one thing they can’t charge you for. The Eitz Yosef explains that the things that we need for basic living Hashem gives us in abundance of and should not cost money. Fire is free we need it for cooking, we need for warmth, man can’t exist without it. Water is necessary as well and if one truly needs it they can get it for free. In the olden days everyone had a water cistern where they would collect the water, it was straight from Hashem and it didn’t cost a nickel. The wilderness/ desert is also free. Ask the Bedouins that live there. They’re not paying a nickel in property taxes and they have some of the most amazing views in the country.

But the truth is we are not Bedouins. We weren’t meant to be Bedouins. We want planting agricultural lands. We want lands that will grow, that our animals can graze, that we can build our houses, cities, shops, malls shuls and Yeshivos- not necessarily in that order. Hashem didn’t promise us a midbar, He promised us a beautiful country. But he spoke to us in the midbar to let us know that the Torah is like the midbar. To learn Torah is a basic necessity of life, it’s like water. It needs passion and fire to warm our souls, and it can be done and we can flourish in even the most simple conditions, we can take it wherever, we go, wherever we may be exiled to. It can never be taken away from us. The Kotzker Rebbe suggests on a an even deeper level, that the Torah is free because each Jew has his own specific portion of the Torah, his only letter, his own holiness, his own spark of Hashem that only he can reveal. No one else can ever infringe on that. It is his and our gift from Hashem.

There is another connection that directly connects water, the wilderness and Torah that the Baal Shem Tov shares with us. In the psalms of King David he writes

Psalms (63:1-3) A Psalm for David when he was in the Midbar Yehuda, Hashem you are my God,
    earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you in a dry and parched land
    where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.

Dovid Hamelech is in the Judean Desert. We see a barren thirsty land that looks like a desert. King David on the other hand sees a land that is turning upward to Hashem and is longing with thirst for the great flow of rain and benevolence from Hashem. That is what a midbar is. A place that is always thirsty, that is never satisfied. That is always turning to Hashem with longing. The Baal Shem Tov suggests that is the conclusion of the statement that the psalm describes. That as much as we dream about seeing the mikdash and Hashem’s presence that is best described the feeling of a parched earth waiting for Hashem. The Torah was given in the midbar to teach us that unlike anything else in Creation, this life that we have should always be filled with a longing and connection to Hashem. The Temple, the Mishkan and yes even the heart of the Jewish people was formed in the midbar. Because it was the place that we most longed and hoped for Hashem and to see and connect heaven to earth when we would arrive in the land of Israel. It is perhaps the most fitting title for a book of the Torah because it is the essence of our nation.

There are other allegories that connect Torah and water. Water flows to the lowest point, Torah flows to the most humble. The Torah was given on Mt. Sinai, a low mountain that is humble. I think about the midbar in Eretz Yisrael and how in the summer it looks desolate, hot an expanse of brown and yellow, and yet how in the winter right after it rains it is all green, flourishing and beautiful. Rain and water are similar as well. When it is raining it is wet, soggy, cloudy and dark, yet that water collects and becomes beautiful lakes, wondrous streams and waterfalls and of course it makes everything grow.

There’s a lot to be said about May showers. Particularly if it falls the week before Shavuot, the day that we remember the day we received the Torah. Our sages tell us it is the day that we are as well judged on the Torah that we will be granted for the coming year, for it is the day of judgement or Rosh Hashana for trees-{Tu Bishvat is the date that we count the year od fruit from, but Shavuot is the judgement day}. Our sages explain that man is like a tree and Shavuot our fruits, our Torah study, how much we will merit to reveal is judged. I listen to the water rushing beneath my feet in the sewers of New York and I imagine the flourishing of the trees in Eretz Yisrael. The fruits and Torah that are yet to come forth. The rain has fallen, the sky is turning blue. May the showers of May this year bring millions of ‘pilgrims’- Jewish ones of course to Eretz Yisrael may we all reveal the light and beauty of the day when the entire world will sing the songs of Hashem in the Beit Hamikdash rebuilt.

Have a bountiful Shabbos an amazing Rosh Chodesh and a Chag Shavuot Samayach,

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

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RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

“Fun ain tifeh grub hot men mer vasser vi fun tsen flacheh.”- From one deep ditch comes more water than from ten shallow ones.

RABBI SCHWARTZ COOL VIDEOS OF THE WEEK

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ugvJSYnXXI    – Shavuot shtei halechem offering reenactment

https://youtu.be/jy295taH08Q    - Gershon Veroba Let Me Be- new cool video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f50wbHmycjk – Shlomo Carlebach on the song Lord Get me High… the backstory

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il4dtzUaMwM – Ayal Golan Beautiful song about planting flowers in the Midbar- a great metaphor for Hashem and us

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

A site where a boat stands commemorating the ships of the clandestine immigration (“haapala”):
a. Atlit
b. The Caesarea Beach
c. The Kefar Vitkin Beach
d. The Palmachim Beach

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S ILLUMINATING RASHI OF THE WEEK

Always check the facts that Rashi brings down. Many times in doing so you will notice something that may not be the way you remember it. When that happens take a second look at Rashi. Read his words again. Generally if you do that then you might reveal something new, an idea he wanted to point out. Maybe even something that will inspire you.

In this weeks first Rashi of the Torah portion and the book of Bamidbar that we commence this week, the Torah begins with a recounting of the Jewish people. ‘Recounting because it seems that the Torah seems to be doing a lot of this counting us business. Rashi notes that and brings down the Midrash that describes the Torah or Hashem’s obsession with counting us.

Bamidbar (1:1) Because of their dearness before Him He counts them at all times. When they left Egypt He counted them, when they fell by the eigel-golden calf He counted them to know how many remained and when He came to rest his shechina-divine presence upon them He counted them. On the first day of Nisan the Mishkan/Tabernacle was erected and on the first of Iyar (the second month) He counted them.

So Rashi in of itself is a fantastic as is the Midrash he quotes. Hashem always counts and loves the Jewish people. When we first became a nation-when the excitement is still fresh and we are brand spanking new, He counts us. When we fall to the lowest point, Hashem is still counting us, He finds the good, what’s left of us. And finally on the day to day basis when He finally moves in and rests His presence amongst us He counts us as well.

There is one problem though if you think about it for a moment. As far as I recall the book of Shemos which concludes with the erecting of the Mishkan before the interlude of Vayikra with all of the laws of sacrifices and the Tabernacle, tell us that the cloud of glory and the Shechina descended with the erection of the Mishkan in Nisan already.

Shemos (40:35) And Moshe could not enter the Tent of Assembly because the cloud had descended upon it and the glory of Hashem filled the Mishkan.

This seems to be a little bit of a fact check on Rashi, who we know never tells us ‘fake news’. Why over here does he say it didn’t happen until the first of Iyar? Reb Chaim Kanievsky suggests taking another look at Rashi. Rashi here says that on the first of Iyar the Shechina ‘rested upon them’. Yes, it is true the Shechina came down in Nisan on the Mishkan. But it still did not fulfill ultimately the purpose of the Mishkan which is that the Shechina should reside B’Tocham- within each and every one of the people as Rashi notes in the beginning of the commandment to build it. The Shechina was in the Temple, but it wasn’t until the first of Iyar when they assembled each family according to their tribes, their families, their flags and their banners. Then the Shechina entered each and every Jew. Why did it take a month until that happened? Why only now a month later? I’m not telling you. I have some ideas. But I want you find your own pshat and inspiration. So think about it. That’s what Rashi would want you to do J.

Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky (1928-till Mashiach comes J) – I believe it is non-debatable that Reb Chaim is the unchallenged Gadol HaDor- leader of the Jewish people today. This is certainly true of the Yeshiva world, but even in Chasidic and modern orthodox world the name Reb Chaim requires no last name to identify him. It is hard to argue about a man who is literally a walking Torah scroll, who completes the entire Torah (Mishna, Talmud, Midrash and all other accompanying early works of the Oral tradition). Yet at the same time sits hours each day and greets and blesses and guides those that seek his leadership and guidance from all over the world in his tiny little apartment in Bnai Brak.

Born of an illustrious Torah home Reb Chaim Kanievsky was born in Pinskto Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky as the Steipler Gaon and Rebbitzen Miriam Karelitz, sister of Rabbi Avraham Yeshayahu Karelitz or the Chazon Ish. He married Batsheva Elyashiv, daughter of Rabbi Yosef Sholom Eliashiv (grandson of Rav Shlomo Elyashiv, also known as the Leshem) and granddaughter of Rav Aryeh Levin the "Tzaddik of Jerusalem. It doesn’t get more prestigious than that.

A fun fact that you may not have been aware of though was that during the 1948 Israeli War of Independence, Rav Kanievsky, then a student at the Lomza Yeshiva, was conscripted for temporary army service in the general mobilization. He was assigned to stand guard on a large hill near Jaffa.So one could say he was a soldier as well.

Perhaps one of the most incredible things that Rav Chaim has been pushing over the last few years, interestingly enough, I have heard from many that have visited him, is that Jews should move to Eretz Yisrael. He feels strongly that Mashiach is literally around the corner and has said as much, and feels it would be good for all of us to be here already for the time is now. May his words be readily fuflfilled.

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TYPES OF JEWS IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK

Jeep Guys – Yes this is a legitimate type of cool guy in Israel. Jeep Guys are a type. The longish hair, terrible Eengleesh, funny floppy green dirty hat and pants and usually a bit of a corny sense of humor. They are rugged, Israel’s Marlboro men. They love the outdoors and they try to share that love and passion of it with their tourists. See, there are so many magnificent places in Israel that can only be seen of-road. Viewpoints overlooks, and even holy places that are just in the middle of the mountains or hills. The jeep guy’s job is not only to give you a fun thrill ride. It’s also to share with you a part of Israel that only they can. I can’t think of any regions that one can’t do jeep riding. The hills of Eilat, the Dead Sea and Sodom Mountains, The Negev, Jerusalem and Gush Etzion/Hebron hills, The lowlands, the coastline, the Golan and the Galile. Yup. I just went through all of them in my head and have done jeeping in all of them, and each one the jeep guy is the same type of guy-although some religious and some not. But the same rugged type of guy. Unlike Americans, most Israelis serve in the army and have all driven jeeps there. Many of them have kept those habits on the  streets as well in their driving practices. But for American tourists there is certainly not a lot of things more fun than ripping around with these guys in all of the different terrains. They are the ambassadors of the off-road experience, because for them it is not just a thrill ride it is their way of sharing the beauty history and their incredible love of Eretz Yisrael with those that come to visit. I believe there is truly a special place in heaven for these amazing people, and its not just because of all the prayers to Hashem that take place in the back of their jeeps as they rip around or down the edge of cliffs and mountains just to make sure you really are connecting to Hashem.

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S  REALLY TERRIBLE RAIN JOKES OF THE WEEK

Q: When does it rain money? A: When there is "change" in the weather.

. Q: What do you call it when it rains chickens and ducks? A: Foul (fowl) weather.

 Q: What did one raindrop say to the other? A: Two's company, three's a cloud

Q: What's worse than raining buckets? A: Hailing taxis!

 Q: How can you wrap a cloud? A: with a rainbow.

Q: What goes up when the rain comes down? A: An Umbrella.

Q: What do you call two straight days of rain in Seattle? A: A weekend.

Q: What is the Mexican weather report? A: Chili today and hot tamale

 Q: What do you call a wet bear? A: A drizzly bear

Q: What does daylight-saving time mean in Seattle? A: An extra hour of rain.

Q: Why was the blonde standing outside the department store in the rain? A: She was waiting to cash her rain check

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Answer is A – Atlit is really a great and fascinating place to visit. It was a camp where the British who did not allow Jews to immigrate to Israel during the pre-State British mandate, would keep Jews that had smuggled into the country. A visit there will give you a sense of what life was like back then, how they would shower them and fumigate them when they first came- a frightening thing for a people that just were released from concetration camps. As well there is a great audio visual display there on a boat that smuggled Jews in. The Hagana led by Yitzchak Rabin ultimately stages a breakout from the camp and released the Jews. It makes you appreciate how easy it is to come to Israel today and the great sacrifices and struggles our ancestors had just to be able to step foot in Eretz Yisrael..

Jubilant Tomatoes- Behar Bechukotai/ Yom Yerushalayim 2017/5777

Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land
from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

May 19^th 2017 -Volume 7 Issue 30 23^rd Iyar 5777

Parshat Behar-Bechukotai/ Yom Yerushalayim

 Jubilant Tomatoes

It is a big week in Eretz Yisrael this week. It is the start of the 9^th Yovel. Huh? What does that mean? It’s not a Jubilee year. Yes I know the Torah portion this week, does talk about the mitzva of the 50^th year being special. The year after the 7^th cycle of 7 years is a year of redemption, of freedom throughout the land the Torah tells us, but this is not a yovel year. So what am I talking about?

Now those of you who have been on one of my tours, should already have an inkling, as I mention this quite often. But for the rest of you who have yet to have made it on a Rabbi Schwartz tour, I’ll share with you a pretty awesome idea that will give you a bit of a teaser. Now certainly all of you are aware that this week is Yom Yerushalayim, right? Yeah even you guys in Lakewood and Boro Park now that this year because you know that your President is coming to Israel for that special occasion. And if Trump is coming you know it must be a big deal. Believe me. It’s a big deal. Believe me…. But the 50 year celebration of the return to Jerusalem after 2000 years to Jewish sovereignty is not merely a 21^st century celebration. It is in fact possibly the fulfillment of an 800 year old prophecy or prediction by one of the great sages of the 13^th century, none other than Rebbe Yehudah Ben Shmuel of Regensburg or as he is more commonly known as because of his famous ethical will, Reb Yehudah HaChasid- The Pious. In his work Sefer HaGematryiot he is quotes as given a historical timeline for Eretz Yisrael in it he writes the following (or as I have seen it paraphrased to be precise-as I have not been successful finding it inside).

“When the empire of which is on the Bosporus (Ottomans (Turks) which were not yet a powerful force in the time of Judah Ben Samuel) – will rise up they will conquer Jerusalem and they will rule over Jerusalem for eight jubilees. Afterwards the Jews will begin to return to Israel en-mass, yet Jerusalem will be without owner for one jubilee, until the 9^th Jubilee when it will once again come back into the possession of the Jewish nation – which would signify the beginning of the Messianic end time which would culiminate in the 10^th Yovel.”

Now I mention this to my tourists just to give them a recap of Jewish history. From the year 1250 the Mamaluks ruled Israel having wiped out the Crusaders that were here when Rebbi Yehudah wrote what he did. They were here from the year 1250 until 1517 when the Turkish Ottaman Empire rose and conquered Israel. The Turks lasted here exactly 4 centuries- or eight yovels until the end of World War I 1917, when Israel/Palestine came under the League of Nations appointed British Mandate to maintain the country until a Jewish State as promised in the Balfour declaration would be established. Jews however returned for the first time by the thousands and tens of thousands until the establishment of the State in 1948. Yet Jerusalem remained no-man’s land until this week 1967 exactly 50 years from the fall of the “Empire of Bosphurus”. That would then make the year 2017 the tenth yovel. The one in which the Messianic Era is meant to culminate. Ummmm start packing guys.

Now whether this is authentic or not, I can’t verify, although the dates certainly are. I have seen people debunk this, and claim they can’t source it. I actually saw it mentioned on Bibi Netanyahus facebook page a few years ago, although I can’t seem to bring it up now. But the truth is I don’t believe we need Reb Yehuda HaChasid, Bibi or Trump to tell us that Mashiach is on his way. We can merely look at the words and promises in this week’s Torah portion, a few statements from some of our sages and perhaps even read a letter from a tomato (!) to let you know what we are truly, I believe on the precipice of experiencing.

Let’s start with the letter from the tomato who really says it all

“"After the destruction of the Second Temple 2000 years ago, a message came from Heaven to all the flora and fauna of Eretz Yisrael to stop growing. The word went from cedar to hyssop, to vine, to olive, to flowers, to grain, to all plant life – The Master of the World has decreed that we stop growing until we receive new instructions. We were told that only when Klal Yisrael begins to return from golus will we come back to life. We were all very sad to see our people going off into exile – but we heeded the 'Word of Hashem.'  As He said in this week’s portion Bechukotai –

 'And I will make the land desolate.'

 We were told not to respond to enemies of Israel who will enter the land, and we obeyed – Romans, Byzantines, Moslems, Crusaders, Tartars, Saracens, they all came and we did not respond to their attempts to bring us to life. We were told that we would be informed in good time before the Children of Israel begins to return so that we could wake up from our long slumber. 

During that long period there were moments at which we thought that the end of our sleep is coming. We thought that our children are coming home. In the twelfth century we heard reports that 'they are coming.' The rumor went underground from root to root, the cedar to the hyssop, the vine to the olive, the tomato to the cucumber – we heard that they are coming home. Then we learned to our utter dismay that 300 Baalei Tosafot from the Rhineland arrived but no more. 

"We had other false alarms. The Ramban in 1267, Rav Ovadiah miBartenura in 1492, Rabbi Yehuda Halevy HacChasid and his followers in 1700 (different Rabbi Yehudah than the one mentioned above), the students of the Baal Shem Tov and the students of the Vilna Gaon, but we did not receive the message from Hashem. So we waited, we hoped, we prayed. Then, toward the end of the 19th century rumors began again beneath the surface of the earth. There was a report that after Mark Twain left Emek Yizrael that there were angels telling blades of grass: 'grow, grow.' We were skeptical at first. We didn't want to be disappointed. 

But the reports became increasingly urgent. Birds flying overhead, clouds cruising the skies said, 'They are coming.' You should have seen (but of course you couldn't) what was going on beneath the surface of Eretz Yisrael. We were all cautious but excited. More and more reports of sightings were coming in. 'They are coming – they are coming home' – and then the word came directly from Hashem:

Yechezkel (36:8-12) And you, the mountains of Israel, will produce your branches, and you will bear your fruit for My people Israel because they are about to come. 9. For behold I am for you, and I shall turn to you, and you will be tilled and sown. 10. And I shall multiply men upon you, the whole house of Israel in its entirety, and the cities will be settled, and the ruins will be built up. 11. And I shall multiply upon you man and beast, and they will be fruitful and multiply, and I shall settle you as in your early days, and I shall make you better than your beginnings, and you will know that I am the Lord.

'They are finally coming home! Grow! Respond to the work of their hands! Don't check their tzitzis, it makes no difference whether they are religious or not. Grow – they are My children and they are coming home. Grow, give out your fruits. Grow.' 

"You should have seen the joy and jubilation beneath the surface. You didn't know but we knew. You should have seen how they all started waking up from the 1,900-year slumber, stretching their roots, yawning, smiling. I had not seen such activity in millennia. We were told by the Master of the World that we are commanded to turn little, dry, arid, dusty, nearly dead Eretz Yisrael into a verdant, fruitful, agricultural world super power. And we did it with joy

"I don't understand how Jews don't realize that we are the bearers of a message that G-d wants all His children home”

So there you have it a letter from a tomato-{credit to the great Rabbi Sholom Gold for passing on this letter as it was communicated to him from his tomato}. The Talmud in Sanhedrin makes it even clearer.

Sanhedrin (98) And R' Abba said There is no clearer indication of the "End" than this, as it is stated: But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and bear your fruit for My people Israel, etc.

Rashi comments that when Eretz Yisrael gives out its produce in abundance that is the greatest sign that 'the end – the keitz' is coming.

But it is deeper than that. The commentary on the Tur Shulchan Aruch, the Bach (Orach Chaim, Siman 208) says that the Shechina, the Divine Presence, enters the Jew through the produce of Eretz Yisrael. They are the conduit to bring sanctity.  Rav Kook writes that "The produce of Eretz Yisrael brings 'internal sanctity.'" Be careful, he warns, of food from out of Eretz Yisrael. If one longs for Eretz Yisrael, then even his golus-produce gains in sanctity. "It is a mitzvah to taste with one's full mouth the delight and sweetness of the brilliant and fresh sanctity of (the fruit) of Eretz Yisrael. The tomatoes are spirituality, ruchniyut, not gashmiyut -merely physical and material sustenance.

 This week’s Torah portion shares with us the incredible horrific tochacha the troubles and punishment that will be inflicted upon the Jewish people for not fulfilling the commandments while we are in Israel. We have suffered them all. Not just 75 years ago our nation was at the brink of destruction. Yet like a phoenix we have arisen from the ashes. The Beis Halevi of Brisk wrote that when all the sages saw the foxes climbing on the burning embers of the Temple in Jerusalem and were mourning Rabbi Akiva laughed because he saw that if the prophecy of its destruction will be fulfilled so will the prophecy that it will be rebuilt. He explains that the connection between the two prophecies was that the first one foretold that the land would be desolate and barren and the nations of the world would not be able to settle it. He said if that is true than it is a sign that Hashem and the land will await for the Jewish people to return. Because Eretz Yisrael is different than any other country. It will only respond to us. It will await for us. So once Rabbi Akiva saw that it remained barren and it functioned differently he knew that day of the Return would ultimately happen.

The day is soon coming. I hope it will be this week. It would be pretty neat if The Donald and his Jewish family were here to see it. If you don’t believe that its right around the corner come visit and take a walk through the Shuk/market of Machane Yehuda. Look at the stacks and stacks and shops full of the fruits of the land of Israel. Rabbi Gold’s most famous quote describes it best. “If you want to talk to God, go to the Western Wall, but if you want to see him- Go to the shuk. The yovel year is here. It’s time to start packing. But no need to pack any fruits or vegetables. We’ve got all that you need over here.

Have a bright and mystically uplifting Shabbos,

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

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RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

“Fun fartrikenteh baimer kumen kain paires nit arois..”- From a withered tree no fruits will come out

RABBI SCHWARTZ COOL VIDEOS OF THE WEEK

https://youtu.be/qunVQoSNMsY - The Battle for Jerusalem 50 years ago this week

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMXRtZsAusE – Reb Shlomo Carlebach on Yerushalayim and Reb Nachman

https://youtu.be/q7p6gpsNB4s?list=PL9w_0PxsHZzNV0oeCLVoWNfOHXCrzDZVW     –In honor of President Trumps visit-Reb Shlomo the whole world will come to Yerushalayim

https://youtu.be/51yRI9t85og   - Yerushalayim Shel Zahav- not easy finding a mens singer version and lucky me found Ari Goldwag knocking it out of the park on this one.

  

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

Q  The Sinai Campaign (war) took place in:
a. 1953
b. 1954
c. 1955
d. 1956

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S ILLUMINATING RASHI OF THE WEEK

The Torah is truly an incredible work. Any moral code developed by man doesn’t even come close to the sensitivity our Divine author has and insight into human nature that only the “discerner of all hearts and innards” truly has. Yet sometimes we don’t neccesarily notice how true that is because we miss the nuances of the text. That’s where Rashi comes in and why our sages felt it was so important to learn Rashi when one reviews the weekly portion. Because he wrote his commentary in order to point out those little, yet big things that are essential to appreciating the incredible detail of the Torah and our commandments.

In this weeks Torah portion we are told about the mitzva of giving charity. The Torah tell us

Vayikra (25:35) If your brother becomes impoverished and his hand falters with you, you shall hold on to him-(ger)-proselyte and resident- so that he can live with you.

Rashi notes the nuance of the words in the verse of him faltering and you holding on to him with a very deep insight and an incredible moral and ethical teaching

And you shall hold on to him- Don’t allow him to to decline and fall, rather strengthen him fomr the time when his hand begins to falter. What is this comparable to? To a burden on a donkey. While the donkey is still in his place one person can grab him and stand it up. Once it falls to the ground five people can’t pick it back up again.

Rav Shach notes that Rashi is pointing out that the mitzva of charity does not begin when one sees a person that is needy, hungry, has lost their job or is in some type of difficult circumstance. The essense of the Torah’s command is to assist someone before they hit rock-bottom. When they are starting to struggle. It is the perfect introduction to the laws of the prohibition to take interest that follow. One might think this guy has a business he’s struggling with some cash flow issues. But he’s not a charity case. Why can’t I charge him interest. I’ll even give him a better deal then he would get at the bank or off his credit cards. The Torah is telling us that we are then missing the point. Charity begins before the person is needy, when his hand is only beginning to falter. That’s when one has the obligation to lift him up. To give him the break or assistance that he needs. To see him and love him as you would your own brother. As you would want someone to be there for you. Rav Shach adds an even deeper idea quoting the our role model of kindness, our patriarch Abraham, who upon seeing the three men/angels standing the verse then repeats he saw them and he ran towards them. The repetition of the word “He saw them” (Bereshit:18:2) teaches us that kindness means and starts with perceiving the needs of the others. The Talmud describes one who is not charitable as someone who “hides his eyes from charity”. Not someone who closes his wallet, rather someone who doesn’t see his friend, or even the stranger as someone he is responsible for caring for before he stumbles and falls and needs charity rather than a loan. Something certainly to think about. Which is why Rashi points it out for us.

 Rabbi Eliezer Menachem Man Shach (1899-2001) – As a young yeshivas student growing up there was one name that dominated and perhaps even defined the essence of what we were meant to strive for and become and that was none other than the person that could certainly be considered the Rosh Yeshiva of our generation; Rav Shach. He lived in a small simple apartment in Bnai Brak, he studied and taught all day, yet he was the address everyone went to for any personal crisis, for advice and who ultimately became the kingmaker in Israel in various elections and who set the path for any major decision that was needed across the Jewish world.

As a young child Rav Shach was absorbed in the study of Torah day and night. He left his family at age 11 to go off to yeshiva and did not return for years. He studied in all of the great yeshivas in Europe. Ponivizh, Kletz, Solobodka, Mir and  Novardok where he developed relations with all of the great leaders of the time and earned their trust and respect. In 1940 he fled with his family to Palestine and became the head of Eitz Chaim Yeshiva and ultimately in Ponivizh in Bnai Brak where he served until his death.

Despite what would seem to be his isolation from the rest of the world outside of the pages of Talmud, Rav Shach was knowledgeable and felt a responsibility to pass down and share the world-views that he received from his teachers to the rest of the world He became the face of Torah Judaism and founded political parties that were outspoken and unabashed about the role and significance of Torah in guiding every aspect of Jewish life. At the same time he was an extremely sensitive person known to literally break down in tears over any Jewish tragedy whether it was a religious Jew or not. As well he was outspoken and controversial about many issues that he saw as being a threat to Torah life in the orthodox qorld particularly, whether it was assimilation and modernization of Torah values through the incorporation of studies that he felt were foreign. He felt that every Jewish child had the potential to be the next Jewish leader and as a result all children should be taught and raised with that ideal and goal. He opposed various Chasidic groups when he felt their customs violated Jewish law and was particularly concerned with Messianic strands of Judaism that he felt were dangerous. Yet through it all his sincerity, his complete dedication to Hashem and his Torah as well as his caring for the Jewish people shone through and made whatever statements he made to be something that needed to be reckoned with if not ultimately followed.

Rav Shach died in November of 2001 and over 200,000 people attended his funeral. Since then millions have come to his grave in Bnai Brak making it a holy site in Israel where the inspiration of this great Tzadik assists our prayers in reaching the highest heavens.

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TYPES OF JEWS IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK

Farmers – For 2000 years the land was empty and bare. Nothing grew. It’s desert. It’s hard rock. It doesn’t get much water. Only 20% of the land is naturally arable. Those that read the Torah until our century thought it was made up that this was a land flowing with milk and honey and the 7 species. And yet just as the Torah in this weeks parsha predicts as long as the Jews are gone it will be that way, but when we return it will flourish like it never has. Today agriculture is a 30 billion dollar industry. Israel grows 95 percent of all of the needs for our own country here in Israel. It serves as 3% of our GDP and 4% of our exports. How’s that for what our sages tell us will be the sign that Mashiach is on his way.

Almost ¾ of Israel’s famers live in either Moshavs or Kibbutzim, the difference between the two being the former is privately owned land with co-operative purchasing and marketing, whereas the Kibbutz everything is owned and shared jointly. Initially the vast majority of the Kibbutzim and Moshavim were secular, but in recent years more and more are becoming observant and there are not too many that don’t have Torah classes and weekly services. Because of Israel’s diverse climates and topography we are able to produce a wide array of crops. Fruit and vegetables grown include citrus, AVOCADOS (capped and underlined as an inside joke for those that have gone on tour with me), kiwifruit, guavas and mangoes, grapes from orchards located on the Mediterranean coastal plain. Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and zucchini are grown commonly throughout the country; melons are grown during winters months in the valleys. Subtropical areas in the country produce bananas and dates, while in the northern hills apples, pears and cherries are grown. Furthermore, grape vineyards are found across the country, as the country's wine industry has developed to become a world-player.

Israel has also become a world leader in agritech developing drip irrigation, alternate water resources, new types of seeds vairieties that grow crops with longer a longer shelf-life, as wells different soil conditioners that boosts local crops.

To a large degree our sages tell us that farmers are the most connected to God. They pray for rain, they see Hashem’s blessings and miracles. And certainly more than the rest of us they appreciate how amazing it is that this once barren land is now seeing the bounty that Hahsem has promised us it will produce upon our return to the land.

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S  TERRIBLE FARMER JOKES OF THE WEEK

Where does a Jewish farmer become a man? At his Barn Mitzvah

Schwartz, an elderly man, is resting peacefully on the porch of his small hotel outside Boca when he sees a cloud of dust up the road. He walks out to see who could be approaching: It is a southern farmer with a wagon.
“Good afternoon,” says Schwartz.
“Afternoon,” says the farmer.
“Where you headed?” asks Schwartz.
“Town.”
“What do you have in the wagon?”
“Manure.”
“Manure, eh? What do you do with it?”
“I spread it over the fruit.”
“Well,” says Bernstein, “you should come over here for lunch someday. We use sour cream.

In the early days of pre-State Israel there was a Kibbutznik farmer who had just come over from the old country. Walking through his hay field, he notices a man kneeling down and drinking from his farm pond. The farmer shouts,"Trink nicht die wasser. Die keyen haben gesmacht orten." (Which means: "Don't drink the water, the cows ‘made’ in it")

The kneeling man shouts back, angrily, "I'm a Muslim, I don't understand you. This is Palestine, I speak Arabic and English. If you can't speak in the Sacred tongue of Islam, speak to me in English."

The Jewish farmer replies, "Use two hands, you'll get more."

There was once a Jew who wanted to buy a horse. He went to a few dealers, but without satisfaction. Finally, he came to a farmer who said to him, "I have just the horse for you. Here, try him." The Jew mounted the horse and said "Gidiyap", but the horse didn't budge.

Said the farmer: "I told you. This is a horse for Jews. You have to say to it, Boruch HaShem." The Jew was skeptical, but when he called out "Boruch HaShem" the horse sprang into motion. "Whoa!" said the Jew, but the horse kept going.

"Hey, how do you stop this horse?" he screamed to the farmer. "Say Shma Yisroel", the farmer shouted back. "Shma Yisroel!" cried out the Jew, and sure enough, the horse stopped.

Delighted at this extraordinary find, the Jew promptly made the purchase.

A few days later, he went for a ride on his new horse. As they galloped along, the Jew suddenly realized they were headed directly toward the edge of a steep cliff. He tried to stop the horse, but in his fright, he forgot the correct words. He tugged on the reins, yelled "Whoa! Stop! Halt!", but nothing worked. Then, remembering it was a "Jewish horse," he screamed out every Hebrew phrase he could think of, but the horse kept going.

The Jew saw that he and the horse would momentarily be over the cliff. In the way that Jews have always done in their final moments, he put his hand over his eyes and shouted the great affirmation of our unique faith: "Shma Yisroel, G-d is our Lord, G-d is one."

The horse stopped right at the edge of the cliff.

"Whew," said the Jew, taking out his handkerchief and wiping his forehead, "That was a close one! Thank G-d!-Boruch HaShem!"

  

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Answer is D – This is certainly a legitimate question, although it’s not something I often guide about since Sinai is not really part of Israel any more. But certainly the dates of the wars of Israel are significant. The Suez Campaign in 1956 was the result of Egypt closing the straits of Tiran by the Suez Canal, which was really an international violation of the Suez Canal. Israel responded in October of 1956 by parachuting deep into Sinai and launched its attack.  Britain and France demanded a cease fire once it became clear that Israel was really kicking their posteriorsJ. Israel backed off Egypt did not and then Britain and France launched an aerial attack and the joint forces captured all of the Sinai desert. In the course of the war hundreds of Egyptians were captured and much weaponry fell into the hands of the IDF. At the end of the war the Straits of Tiran were opened, free passage on the waterways was assured and the Egyptian threat was removed. An indirect outcome of the war was the immigration of the many Egyptian Jews to Israel. The war cost the lives of 172 IDF soldiers. America and the rest of the international community pressured Israel to retreat to the armistice border, and an international emergency force was stationed on the border between Israel and Egypt. American guarantees ensured that quiet was maintained in the region until this week fifty years ago right before the outbreak of the Six Day War in June 1967.