Toilet Torah- Vaetchanan/ Nachamu 2017

Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land
from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

August 4^th 2017 -Volume 7 Issue 39 12^th Av 5777

Parshat Va’Etchanan/ Nachamu

Toilet Torah

They are probably the two most famous brothers in Chasidic lore; Rebbe Meilich of Lizensk and Reb Zusha of Anipol. Their stories fill the pages of all Chasidic tales. I thought I had heard all of hteir stories before but this past Tishah B’Av I heard a new one from Rabbi Zecharia Wallerstien on the Chafetz Chaim Heritage Foundation Videos. And like every good story it has to be shared. After-all what’s a good story worth if there’s no one to share it with. I wasn’t sure how I was going to fit it in, but it turns out that its message and theme fits perfectly with the parsha. I also couldn’t resist the catchy title I came up with. So although some of you may have seen the video and are tempted to skip down quickly to the jokes. Bear with me, it’s a good enough story to hear a second time. And Reb Meilich and Reb Zusha stories are meant to be retold again and again.

So the two of them were arrested once on some false charges that some of their antagonists had fabricated against them. All good Chasidic Rebbes of old had to go to jail. The tradition goes back to Yosef in Egypt. It wasn’t a reflection of their piety or an god forbid negative thing they had done. It was a way of earning your “Rebbe stripes”, lifting up the sparks of holiness in the lowest place, connecting to God from the bottom of the world and experiencing a closeness that can only be felt when you are at the low of the low. That no longer holds true today, in case there are any Chasidic Rebbes reading this and are getting bright ideas.

Well anyways there in this tiny little 7 foot by 7 foot cell that they were thrown in were all these ruffians, murderers, lowlifes, degenerates and basically bad people. The guard upon throwing them into the cell laughed and pointed them to a pail in the corner and told them it was the “bathroom” of the cell and if they needed to go than they should certainly feel free to use it.  It was too much for Reb Zusha to bear. He flung himself on the floor and began to cry and bawl. Reb Meilich, his brother was taken aback. This was not like Zusha who always accepted his fate with joy. Always had faith in their Creator that this was for their own good. He turned to his brother and rebuked him He told him that this was a chilul Hashem- a desecration of God’s name. Their cellmates would think that he had given up hope and had no faith. This was not appropriate behavior. Why was he crying like this?

Reb Zusha turned to his brother and told him tearfully

“How can you not cry? Don’t you understand? We are stuck here in the cell with this pail and we cannot study or think about Torah, it is forbidden to pray when in in an impure smelly place with exposed excrement. What will we do? How can we go on without any mitzvot, Torah or prayer”

Reb Meilich pondered his brothers response for a few minutes and then his face lit up. He told his brother an incredible epiphany he had. He explained that the fact that they are not learning, and that they are not praying is in itself because they are following a mitzva and law that prohibits them to do so. So in fact all of their non-learning and non-praying is listening to the will of God. It’s in fact incredible he pointed out. Every second that we are here we get a mitzva by not studying Torah. When else will we ever have such a holy opportunity to serve God by not serving Him?

Reb Zusha’s face lit up. He started to smile. He started to dance. He got so excited he picked up the smelly pail and waved it around as if it was a Torah or a Lulav and Etrog. How fortunate are we that we get a mitzva with this. How incredible is Hashem that he gave us such a commandment!

Now the cell mates who had first thought this Rabbi a little strange, now really got weirded out, as is quite imaginable when you see someone dancing and singing to God with a potty in their hand. One of them seemingly remembering some of his bible studies noted that there was an idolatry mentioned in the Torah where people would worship human waste. He told the others that this Rabbi was probably praying to that God and he was convincing him to perform a miracle to set them free from the prison. They quickly decided that they didn’t want to be left out of this deal and they got up behind the Rabbi and started dancing and chanting and imitating the holy Reb Zusha as well. It was certainly a sight to behold.

Now this sight was actually in fact beheld by the guard who heard this ruckus and came to the cell to check it out. His eyes probably popped out when he saw this strange dance going on in the cell. When one of the prisoners that he pulled told him what was going on, the guard got a grimace on his faith. No Jewish excrement God was gonna break these Rabbis out of this cell. He would put a stop to this plan right away. He quickly ordered the prisoner to bring him the pail. He then proceeded to wash the entire thing shiny clean. There was not a drop of anything left in it. He flung it back into the cell and told them that they could have the pail back. They were prohibited from using it. In fact the entire cell was prohibited from using it. If someone had to go to the bathroom they should knock on the door and they would be directed to the nearest facility. No more will there be anything here for the Jews to worship their God with. That is that!

As he slammed the door closed. Reb Zusha turned to his brother and they both hugged the empty clean pail. They were now for the first time permitted to recite the words that were in their heart, that was in their dance; that embodied all that they stood for.

“Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad.”

God is one when we can fulfill his commandments. Hashem is one when we cannot fulfill His commandments. He is the same Hashem. There is never a moment when we cannot be connected to him. He is one and we are one with Him always.

This week’s Torah portion, the one that always follows the holiday of Tishah B’av, has these very words in it. Tisha B’Av in itself is also the one day of the year when it is prohibited to study to Torah. The words of Torah make a person heart happy our sages tell us. Tisha B’Av, the day that we recall the destruction of our Temples we are like mourners whose dead is lying before them. We are not allowed to study we are not allowed to gladden our heart in its study. We spend the whole day think about how empty life is without the house of God in our midst. We recall the 2500 years of horrors and tragedies that we endured as a nation in the wake of life without Hashem. Like Reb Zusha we feel empty, forlorn, we stare at that waste-bin with a golden dome on top of His mountain and cry over the loss of our connection to a real spiritual existence. And then comes noon and we get off the floor. We slowly arise from the ashes. We return back to this world because we recognize that our tears are in fact the building blocks of the Temple that is surely soon to come.

We come to shul this Shabbos and we open up our Torah portion and we hear Moshe’s pleas to come to the land that we have already merited to return to. We read the story once again of the Torah being given , the Ten commandments. Moshe tells us that we are in fact Dveikim Ba’Hashem Chayim Kulchem Hayom- We cleave to Hashem and we have life. And we read and learn the Shema. Yes, that prayer that our forefather-Yisrael- heard from his twelve tribes, as the Midrash tells us as they all gathered around his bed and he wanted to reveal to them the “end of days”. When Mashiach and the final redemption would come. They told him "Hear oh Israel, Hashem is our lord Hashem is one". We are all faithful. We are eternal. We will never lose that. 

In good times, in bad times we have recited and continue to recite those words. Little children’s parents whisper it in their ears as they go to sleep, even before they have learned how to speak yet. We say it in the morning when we arise, when we go to sleep at night. Our ancestors recite it when they went to their deaths as their dying words and we say it on Simchat Torah when we dance around the shul without Torahs. Hashem is one. His love for us and ours for Him is through everything. This is the consolation of Shabbos Nachamu, this week after Tisha B’Av. This is the message that we will ultimately scream out and teach the entire world. May Hashem very soon take out that pail of shmutz and clean His home once again, so it will once again be the place where the entire world will be able to see for once and forever Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad.

Have a redemptive comforting Shabbos,

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

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RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

“Tsores mit yoykh iz gringer vi tsores on yoykh.” Troubles with soup is easier than troubles without soup.”

RABBI SCHWARTZ COOL VIDEOS OF THE WEEK

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c56iA5YlTwQ    – Classic MBD Shema Yisrael

https://youtu.be/S8D1DuVmtVQ   – Shwekey Incredible story Shema Yisrael

https://youtu.be/6J5OIdaEi1k – Simpsons in Israel bad tour guides.

https://youtu.be/PELIqtrMAYc - And of course Shabbos Nachamu wouldn’t be complete without Reb Shlomo Carlebach!

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

Q. Nebi Musa is located in:
a. The Golan Heights
b. The Judean Desert
c. Samaria
d. The Negev

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S ILLUMINATING RASHI OF THE WEEK

Va’eschanan- Even if you don’t have the time, energy or patience to review Rashi with the Parsha each week, certainly the parts of the Torah that you recite daily and actually have a mitzva to recite you should definitely spend the time to review it. It may open your eyes to a new understanding in your prayers. And we are always looking to keep our prayers new and fresh.

In this week’s Torah portion we have the Shema. Yup, it’s the only portion in the Torah that you have a biblical obligation to recite-( well besides the other two portions of Shema that is found in other portions).The first sentence says

V’Ahavta Es Hashem Elokecha BiChol Livavecha U’Bichol nafsheca, U’Bichol meodecha- You should love Hashem with all of your heart   and with all your soul, and with all your means.

Rashi on these three mitzvos of loving Hashem explains

Bichol Livaveicha- With your two inclinations- (your yetzer tov/good and yetzer hara/bad); Another interpretation is that your heart should not be divided with Hashem.

Seemingly Rashi is noting that the word for a singular heart is libcha.. Livavcha is hearts-plural.Kol Livavcha means the entirety of both hearts and thus his explanations.

Bichol Nafshica- even if He takes your life

Again Rashi is learning that the way that you serve with your entire soul, is if Hashem actually takes away your life.

Finally on the last verse Rashi explains

Bichol Meodecha- with all your money. There are people whose money is more important to them than their lives.

Here Rashi seems to be addressing why the money is after the life it seems like it should be going up in order of demand. Thus Rashi explains that it is referring to someone whose money is more important than their life. Know anyone like that? Seemingly the Torah does. Because that is the basic generic standard that it is using and that we all recite. The guy who loves his money more than his life- or to put it better- people who are willing to serve God with their lives, but when it comes to spending his money for mitzvos and his service of Hashem are not the exception to the rule but the average Yankel.

The Chidushei HaRim notes that since Rashi explains that Bichol Nafshicha means even if he takes your soul. Then the same is true for the first part of the verse Bichol Livavicha- even if He takes away your heart. What the Rebbe is saying is that even if you’re not in the mood. Even if you have no desire-Even if Hashem takes all of that away from you; you still must love Him.

Interestingly enough the Hafla’ah makes quite the opposite deduction in the next part of the verse. He writes that since Rashi doesn’t say when it comes to your means and money “even if He takes away all your money. He just translates that Meodecha means your money. Rashi’s understanding is that even if you have lots and lots of money, don’t become haughty and forget Hashem. Don’t attribute it to your own success. Rather use all the money and blessing that He has given you to love Hashem even more and even more.

See what I told you. Incredible insights that are sure to give you a pause the next time you recite these words. And all you had to do was read and think about a few Rashis.

Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Rothenberg –Chidushei HaRim (1799-1866) – Rabbi Yitzchak Meir was the founder and first rebbe of the Ger dynasty, which at one time counted more than 100,000 Chasidim, and to this day remains one of the largest Chasidic groups. He was a child prodigy who was sought after by all the great Polish Hasidic leaders. The Rim’s mother Chaya Sara, was an orphan who was raised by the Koznitzer Maggid, and the Maggid played a great role in Yitzchak Meir’s early development. The Rim became a disciple of Rabbi Simcha Bunem of Pshischa and Rabbi Mendel of Kotzk. He once said that “according to Pshischa Chasidus a person does nothing with his external limbs, the main thing is the inner self, from which one is inspired to act.”

Ger emphasized the centrality of Torah and self-development, the externals of Chasidus were minimized or disdained. Though Pshischa and Kotzk were elitist, Rabbi Yitzchak Meir showed how their principles could be embraced by all Jews. From Pshischa and Kotzk Ger absorbed a healthy skepticism of human motivation and the demands of the ego.

Rabbi Yitzchak Meir was a true leader and was deeply involved in all political events affecting his flock. His halachic writings are characterized by scintillating brilliance and his non-halachic thought by great depth and warmth. The custom to make siyyumim during the nine days was seen by Rabbi Yitzchak Meir as motivated by a desire to bring Jews together in a harmonious spirit and thus rectify the sin of sinas chinam which had caused the destruction of the Temple.

Rabbi Yitzchak Meir’s personal life was filled with tragedy. Many of his thirteen children died in his lifetime. When he finally consented to assume leadership after the death of the Kotzker he remarked: “I am not a rebbe. I do not want money. I do not care for honor. All I want is to spend my years bringing the children of Israel nearer to their Father in Heaven”.

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

Tour Guides -You knew I would get around to these guys eventually right? My tour guide badge number from 5 years ago states that I am number 11,026. Yup over 11,000 tour guides were licensed before I was. Today there are probably a few thousand more. We are the guys you see all over Israel with our red badges on necklaces around our chest proudly testifying to the fact that we have completed a two year course of study in the land of Israel; it’s history, geography, archeology, botany, wildlife, geology, religions, art, architecture, wars, politics and more… As well we have had over 80 guided tours that we were guided through by top guides and which we had to submit 20-30 page reports on. We then had written exams and oral exams from the ministry of tourism that we had to pass. Oh and we have attended one annual continuing learning tour and paid our renewal fees. Yeah it ain’t easy becoming a tour guide, But we also wear those badges because it is technically illegal in Israel to guide without a license. See tourism is the the second ot third largest industry in Israel and its tour guides are to a large degree the ambassadors of the country to the rest of the world. As a result of that this is very regulated by the state to insure that the guides are qualified. There are of course drivers and other people that offer tours without licenses and if it’s a private family than the government really has no way of knowing if you’re their guide or their “cousin” showing them around. But tour companies Birthright and other organized group operators won’t use you unless you have a license. There are all types of tour guides there are the old Israelis that all seem to have great war stories, there are your religious ones, your very secular ones, old, young, men, women. It’s a great industry and most of us pride ourselves on our ability to share our love and passion of Hashem’s promised land with the rest of the world. Thank God tourism in this country has been booming and as it does so more you’ll be sure to see more and more of those guys with the red necklaces around the country,

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE  JOKES OF THE WEEK

A bus load of tourists arrives at Akko port. They gather around the guide who says, "This is the spot where the Maimonides landed in the land of Israel."

A fellow at the front of the crowd asks, "When did that happen?"

"1255," answers the guide.

The man looks at his watch and says, "OY! Just missed it by a half hour!"

In Alaska's National Forests, a tourists guide was giving a talk to a group of tourists about hiking in grizzly bear territory: "Most bear encounters occur when hikers, being extra quiet along the trails in hopes of viewing wildlife, accidentally stumble into bears. The resulting surprise can be catastrophic." To avoid this, he suggested that each hiker wear tiny bells on their clothing to warn the bears of their presence. "Also," he said further, "be especially cautious when you see signs of bears in the area, especially when you see bear droppings."

One tourist asked, "How do you identify bear droppings?"

"Oh that's easy," the guide explained, "its the ones with all the tiny bells in them!"

A tour guide was talking with a group of school kids at in the Golan Heights when one of the kids asked him if he had ever came face-to-face with a wolf.
"Yes, I came face to face with a wolf once. And as luck would have it, I was alone and without a weapon."
"What did you do?" the little girl asked.
"What could I do? First, I tried looking him straight in the eyes but he slowly came toward me. I moved back, but he kept coming nearer and nearer. I had to think fast."
"How did you get away?"
"As a last resort, I just turned around and walked quickly to the next cage."

A tourist is traveling with a guide through at one of the historical sites in Israel, when he comes across an ancient Jewish synagogue. The tourist is entranced by the synagogue, and asks the guide for details. To this, the guide states that archaeologists are carrying out excavations, and still finding great treasures. The tourist then queries how old the shul is.

"This shul is 2503 years old", replies the guide.

Impressed at this accurate dating, he inquires as to how he gave this precise figure.

"Easy", replies the guide, "the archaeologists said the temple was 2500 years old, and that was three years ago."

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

Answer is B– Whenever I pass this site on my way down to the Dead Sea from Jerusalem in the Judean desert, I ask my tourists how they know that Moshe is certainly not buried here, where the Muslims believe he is. Many people answer that the Torah tells us that the grave of Moshe will never be known. I point out to them that certainly does not prove that he is not buried here. Maybe he is maybe he isn’t, we just don’t know. I want to know how we know he is for sure not buried here. When they can’t answer I ask them what country we are in. Oh! Israel. Wellll… Did Moshe ecer make it in here? No! so for sure he is certainly not buried here. Now the Muslims as well believe in the Torah that Moshe did not cross the Jordan into Israel. Yet they believe that Muhammed schlepped here after he was dead. Yeah… another bubbe maaiseh.

Working from Home- Devarim Chazon 2017 / 5777

Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land
from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

July 28^th 2017 -Volume 7 Issue 38 5^th Av 5777

Parshat Devarim/ Chazon

Working from Home

So how’re we doing so far? It’s been close to 70 years since Hashem returned us to our own Jewish country. 50 years since we got back Yerushalayim. The Kotel. The Temple Mount? I did think I remember hearing once that it was B’Yadeinu- in our hands. But it seems I must have been mistaken. Or we must have had very slippery hands. But anyways. We seemed to have built up in a large part a growing Torah country as well. 10’s of thousands of Jews have returned to Torah, mitzvos despite many of the early founders’ best efforts and trying to create a new secular Sabra Jew and their certainty that traditional Torah Judaism would disappear in this new/old country of ours. They also thought that the world would finally respect, love, admire and support us once we got here. Yeah… that didn’t really work out either.

The truth is the return to Israel, the final and last coming that had been prophesied from ancient times throughout our 2000 year exile and even in modern times where both the Chafetz Chaim and Rav Chaim Volozhin suggested that America was and will be the last stop before the final redemption, has been truly miraculous. What this country has done, what our people have done and accomplished in the mere 70 years that we have been back is more than extraordinary. It is a testimony to the blessing Hashem showers upon the entire world when we are back where we need to be. I tried to explain it to one of my tourists once. I told him that you know how when you are on vacation and at the same time you are trying to run your business. It's hard. You’re not in your office, you don’t have your computer, your files, your staff isn’t getting the messages properly and you’re phone keeps dropping calls because it’s not your usual service. Forget about your data plan, that they told you would be just fine over here. Uh Huh.. You’re not really sleeping well because you’re not in your own bed. The food isn’t really agreeing with you. The water is doing funny things to your stomach. My tourists all related and understood right away. So I continued and explained. That experience is in fact the world and it’s functioning when the Jews are not home. See we are meant to be the CO’s to the one big divine CEO of this corporation called Earth. And when we’re away nothing is functioning the way it should. Not us and not the rest of the world.

Now once our tourists land back in the States. Right away things start to function better. Even though they have not yet arrived in their office yet. Their cell phone service is normal again. They are on the same time zone, the food, water and even night’s sleep is even better. Already things start to pick up. Sure it is not the same as when they actually get back into the office. But there is an already dramatic and palpable difference in their productivity, in the companies and thus all the other industries that they impact. I believe that really best describes our experience here for the past 70 years. We have returned to our airspace. We are functioning much higher and better than ever before. At least those of us that have actually crossed the ocean and come home. It seems that those that have extended their vacation seem to be suffering from a lot of extra baggage issues and increasing disfunction, but that’s what usually happens when you forget where you belong and start to think you should stay on vacation forever and are a native in a place that will always know you’re merely a tourist. But that’s because galut is not really a vacation. It’s exile. And generally we realize that when we come and ultimately we realize it when Hashem feels we have extended our stay. But in regards to our functioning and productivity level the comparison is certainly the same.

But we have not yet returned to our office yet. Yet we certainly our getting closer and closer, and that can be seen in the evidence of all that we have accomplished, that Hashem has granted us as we get closer and closer. This is despite the hardships, the relentless wars, terror, intifadas and seemingly never-ending obstacles the world keeps throwing at us to prevent us from finally realizing that dream. That is not withstanding our own self-destructive efforts to undermine and subvert the fruition of that final return. Our lashon hara, our baseless hatred, our divisiveness, our petty fighting and our distortion of our Torah values; looking to the world for their distorted ideals of morality, societal values, and spirituality rather than shining our own light out to them.  Yes we have still persevered. Netzah Yisrael Lo Yishaker. Ultimately the Jewish people, returned to their land of Israel, as a whole will always persevere. Will always come out complete on the other end. Our eternality is guaranteed. There is no other choice or option. Ain Breira.

I was speaking to a military expert once and he taught me an important lesson. He asked me if I know how I know that Israel has won all of its wars. He said we know that because we’re still around. Meaning that every war that we fought was for existence. We’re not like the US where we are fighting battles and wars around the world; Germany, Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan and the like. In Israel all our wars were because our enemies wanted to wipe us off the face of the earth. Into the sea. So if we are still around, it’s because we won all of our wars. Then he continued and told me that the reason why we won the wars is because of a secret Israeli code. It’s called Alef Beis. What is Alef Beis? It’s an acronym he told me for ain breirah- we have no other choice. If we didn’t we would be dead. And there you have it. Life runs differently when you have no other choice. When you know that there is nothing else you can do. That to a large degree is the Divine secret of our existence.

In this week’s Torah portion which is the beginning of Moshe Rabbeinu’s final lecture and rebuke to the Jewish people he shares that secret with us. He reminds this generation whose parents had all died in the 40 year sojourn in the wilderness of all of the mistakes, sins and follies that their parents made. So that they should not make them as well. He transmits to them the skills, the outlooks and primarily the essentials of faith that they will need to conquer and more importantly to settle and develop this holy land which is meant to be the center of the Universe and the bridge between heaven and earth. At one point in this speech he recalls to them the sin that led to their parent’s demise; the sin of the spies and their faithless report and the mourning that took place on Tisha B’Av that led to it always being a day of mourning of the opportunities lost for our people.

Devarim (1:29) Then I said to you ‘do not break down and do not fear them’. Hashem, your God, Who goes before you. He shall do battle for you, like everything He did for you in Egypt before your eyes. And in the wilderness as you have seen that Hashem you God carried you as a man carries his son, on the entire way that you traveled, until you arrived in this place.

Think about it, Moshe tells them. What is more difficult to conquer this foreign land of Canaan or to destroy the entire world empire of Egypt? Contemplate how for forty years in the wilderness without food, without water, Hashem provided everything you need. You had clouds of glory, you had pillars of fire. You’ve got the greatest nuclear weapon in your arsenal. Yet with all of that Moshe sadly concludes

Ibid (1:32) Yet in this matter you did not believe in Hashem, your God

And Rashi ruefully notes

 “Yet in this matter- That He promises to bring you to this land, you do not believe in Him.

We, they failed in that we did not have faith and believe that we would actually ever be able to do it.

This lack of faith is not in the fact that we went sent out the spies in the first place. In fact Moshe himself a few verses before states that he thought it was a good idea. The failure that we had is because we believed that the victory, the coming to the land of Israel was in our hands. If it is up to us, then it certainly can and will fail.

I believe that it is precisely that which Moshe is pointing out to them. You know what the difference between Egypt and the spies were? In Egypt we stood by the Red Sea. We knew we couldn’t do anything. What are we going to send out spies to see how high the waves were? Or to quote a disgraced comedian once on his routine on Noah- “How long we can tread water for?” So we believed in Hashem and His servant Moshe. Hashem fought for us and we were silent. Ain Breira. When we were in the wilderness. There is no food. There is not water. We are a few million people. There is no physical or natural way we could ever survive. Ain Breiera. We turn to Hashem and like a father carrying his invalid child who can’t walk, Hashem carried us. This is the lesson and message Moshe imparts to our nation. The most important message when we come to a land where there is no visible clouds of glory or pillars of fire. Where the manna is certainly not falling from the heaven. Where we have to work, we have farm, we have to pick up swords, guns, and tanks and fight and defend. We have to appreciate and internalize that it is all alef beis. It is the only option we have because it is the place and home that Hashem has commanded us and structured the entire universe upon us settling and shining His light forth from.

We are not back in the office yet. There are still many of us that think that we have other breirot- other choices or options. Some that want to stay on ‘vacation’ in America or other places-seemingly oblivious to how the Jewish exiles is closing up shop and ending in other places around the world; Europe, Africa, South America and the former Soviet Union. There are some that feel we can land in the right country and create a “Jewish” country that is bereft of God and the Torah. The right place, but just an office-less existence. There are even those that think that we can tele-commute or manage our business without even having the main office and headquarters for the actual business to take place. We can live here, we can learn we can do mitzvos. Who needs the home office? Who needs the Beit Hamikdash? We can’t get it or own it anyways. We have a choice.

U’Badavar Hazeh Einchem Ma’aminim Ba’Hashem- Yet in this matter you do not believe in Hashem.

That Hashem promises us that we can and will. We just need to realize ein breira. Alef beis it’s as easy as that.

No matter the year this is the Torah portion that we read the Shabbat before Tisha B’Av. Each year we sit on the floor, we mourn, we cry, we recall all of the times and places that our illusory ‘choices’ have left us. We ask ourselves how are we doing so far, and it is the one day that we are meant to come to the ultimate conclusion that we’re still not doing that well. Not that well at all. We’re not functioning. Our business is really not accomplishing the mission statement that we have set for ourselves. There is no breira. We need our Home. We need our office. We need that bridge to bring Hashem’s glory back to the world. The pain must stop, the suffering and hatred must end. Every single one of our brothers and sisters need to be part of the company. The time has finally come when we realize there is no other option, just as there wasn’t by the Red Sea and there wasn’t for our forty years in the wilderness. Ain Breira.

May this year Tisha B’Av be the holiday that our prophets foretold would be a day of rejoicing and feasting. There really is no other options.

Have a inspiring Shabbos and hopefully a celebratory Ninth of Av,

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

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RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

“Er draytzik arum vi a shoichet in di nayn teg” He wanders around like a butcher in the nine days”

RABBI SCHWARTZ COOL VIDEOS OF THE WEEK

https://youtu.be/4-hqfZJtUho  – The Billionaire buried with his socks. Inspiring

https://youtu.be/tAZ8zdMCiuQ  – Happy Ninth of Av?

https://youtu.be/ForS09KA29o     – My Avinu Malkeinu composition in memory of the Kedoshim that were murdered last Shabbos in Chalamish and all of the martyrs murdered by the animals that roam the streets and that occupy Hashem’s holiest place. May Hashem avenge their blood.

https://vimeo.com/214051105 - Words once spoken Tisha B’av for children Chafetz Chayim trailer

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

Q.  A time of day that a Muslim does not pray:
a. Dawn
b. Mid-day
c. Sunrise
d. All of the above

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S ILLUMINATING RASHI OF THE WEEK

Devarim- There is nothing extraneous in Rashi. If he mentions something that seems like an elaboration on what he’s explaining in the pshat but doesn’t seem relevant. Read it again. Think about it. It’s relevant. You might even see a nice insight that can explain an obscure Jewish behavior like the Chidushie HaRim does in this week’s Torah portion.

In Moshe’s rebuke to the people this week when gets to the story of the spies Moshe tells them

Devarim (1:23) “You approached me, all of you, and said ‘Let us send men ahead of us and let them spy out the land…”

Rashi seemingly noting the extra description of “all of you” writes

“As a rabble, but further on it says ‘And you approached me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders’ And you said ‘Behold Hashem has shown us…’. That approach was proper the young honored the elders and sent then ahead of them. And the elders honored the heads to go ahead of them. But here “you approached me all of you” as a rabble, the young pushing the elders and the elders pushing the heads.

The question is why did Rashi have to mention and contrast the entire story of the spies with the response of the Jewish people upon receiving the Torah where they came ‘properly’ and said that it was too much to hear the Torah directly from Hashem. It’s a nice contrast. But it really isn’t necessary in explaining the pshat here, in the fact that they came a rabble. Which he seemingly does already.

The Chidushei Ha’Rim of Ger, thus notes that Moshe in his rebuke over here that they came as a rabble, is also rebuking them with the contrast in how they came properly was also wrong. Meaning that when they came to hear the words of the Torah, the word of Hashem all of a sudden they became all proper. Suddenly they didn’t feel the need to push to get into “shiur” to hear the words of Hashem. They were very proper. No rush, no pressure, no thirst… no passion… But when it came to their agenda of spending spies all of a sudden its pushing and shoving time; like getting into a ball game or black Friday into Walmarts. But when it comes to sitting by the “Rebbe’s tish” or going to a Torah event…ahhh I don’t like the pushing and shoving….WRONG! Moshe’s telling the Jewish people that if you are pushing and shoving for your won agenda then the Torah should be certainly no less. And the opposite if you are all prim and proper when don’t like crowds when it comes to Torah then just remember that the next time you go to a concert, ball game or other event.

So you going to Tish this Friday night?

Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Rothenberg –Chidushei HaRim (1799-1866) – Rabbi Yitzchak Meir was the founder and first rebbe of the Ger dynasty, which at one time counted more than 100,000 Chasidim, and to this day remains one of the largest Chasidic groups. He was a child prodigy who was sought after by all the great Polish Hasidic leaders. The Rim’s mother Chaya Sara, was an orphan who was raised by the Koznitzer Maggid, and the Maggid played a great role in Yitzchak Meir’s early development. The Rim became a disciple of Rabbi Simcha Bunem of Pshischa and Rabbi Mendel of Kotzk. He once said that “according to Pshischa Chasidus a person does nothing with his external limbs, the main thing is the inner self, from which one is inspired to act.”

Ger emphasized the centrality of Torah and self-development, the externals of Chasidus were minimized or disdained. Though Pshischa and Kotzk were elitist, Rabbi Yitzchak Meir showed how their principles could be embraced by all Jews. From Pshischa and Kotzk Ger absorbed a healthy skepticism of human motivation and the demands of the ego.

Rabbi Yitzchak Meir was a true leader and was deeply involved in all political events affecting his flock. His halachic writings are characterized by scintillating brilliance and his non-halachic thought by great depth and warmth. The custom to make siyyumim during the nine days was seen by Rabbi Yitzchak Meir as motivated by a desire to bring Jews together in a harmonious spirit and thus rectify the sin of sinas chinam which had caused the destruction of the Temple.

Rabbi Yitzchak Meir’s personal life was filled with tragedy. Many of his thirteen children died in his lifetime. When he finally consented to assume leadership after the death of the Kotzker he remarked: “I am not a rebbe. I do not want money. I do not care for honor. All I want is to spend my years bringing the children of Israel nearer to their Father in Heaven”.

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

Funeral Arangement and Chevra Kadisha Guys I live in Karmiel so I don’t have to meet or deal with these guys. But if your in any religious neighborhood certainly Chariedi neighborhood you will regularly throughout the day and many times in the early morning or late night hear a car driving through the streets blasting information about the tragic passing of Yankel Chaim son of Moshe And Chani Shmerelsberg at the young age of 105.  All of Israel mourns this great calamity. The funeral will be held on Mount of Olives at 10:00 PM. Shiva will be by the home of his 15 children and the mourning widow. And again and again. I don’t know who started this thing. But it’s been going on for a long time. As  well there are those guys that literally hours after someone is dead have people on the streets plastering them with signs. I wonder if they pre-print them. In fact the joke was that the walls of Meah Shearim are actually held together by these pahskivilim/posters. You of course have your chevra Kadisha guys as well that are truly heroes many of them working on a volunteer basis to be on call at all times to prepare someone for burial. See unlike in America, where burials and cemeteries have to work with non-Jewish business hours and teams and many times burial is delayed. In Israel, out of concern for the pan that the soul endures as long as it is not buried we bury as soon as possible many times a few hours after someone passes, he can already be interred, even if it is in middle of the night. But perhaps the most incredible are members of Zaaka that are involved in the way too many tragedies that insure that every bit of blood or body parts that was part of the person would be collected and brought to burial. Tragically death is a big part of life in Israel as paradoxical as that sounds. But these guys are there to always to remind us that adage of our sages “to remember the day of our death”. May we merit the day when Hashem will wipe all death and mourning from the world.

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S  JOKES OF THE WEEK

It’s the 9 days this week. sorry no jokes!

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Answer is D– I once had someone in my shul that undergoing conversion and the Beit Din asked him why he wanted to convert. He responded that Judaism connected him by God at all times, he prayed three times a day, he made blessings before he ate, after, throughout the year, even when he went to the bathroom. They told him if he liked prayer so much he should just convert to Islam as they do it 5 times a day…. The truth is although one of their five “mitzvos” (as opposed to our 613) is salah-which is a very similar word to our Aramaic of tzalaach which means prayer. But their entire prayer which is recited 5 times a day consists of basically one sentence and a sura or two that Allah is great and that murdering psychopathic delusional false prophet Muhammed is “his” prophet. The five times for prayer are 1) Dawn to sunrise, 2) noon until about a half hour to sunset, 3) from after the 2^nd prayer until sunset, 4) after sunset until nightfall, nightfall until midnight or dawn. Now there are “machlokesim”/ differences of opinions between Sunni, Shi’ites and all the other breakoffs. But that’s the basic idea. I don’t mind their prayer so much, but why do they feel they need to blast it out from their minarets all the time. We know your “frum” just bow down on your carpet and be down with it already. OK!

Where Are You Coming From? - Matos / Maasei 2017 / 5777

Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land
from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

July 21^st 2017 -Volume 7 Issue 37 27^th Tamuz 5777

Parshat Matos/ Maasei

Where are you coming from?

“There is so little bureaucracy in this country” my friend who was a new Oleh was telling me. “You go to the government offices, or the banks and it only takes a few times until everything you need gets taken care of”.

 “Actually what I like best here is the weather” my other Oleh friend told me- as I was wiping the 90 degree heat off of my brow-“I find it very pleasant here”.

Chaim, our newest Oleh, though had the best take- he couldn’t believe how wonderful the roads were and the lack of traffic, that he was so accustomed to fighting in his old home, made driving here in Israel just a Mechaya- a true pleasure.

“Are we talking about the same country I’m living in?” I thought. But then I remembered. You see, Chaim was from San Paolo, Brazil- home of the world record of 166 miles of backed up traffic out of 522 total miles. Nati, my heat loving friend from India was used to regular 105 degree months of summer. Boruch- or Boris, as he used to be called back in the former Soviet Union, never thought that he would live in a country where he didn’t have to wait in line for 2 weeks and then wait for another few months until he received a response. For him the Misrad Ha’Pnim-Israel’s infamous red tape capital was just a walk in the park. Isn’t it fascinating how much your point of departure reflects on how you see the world.

I had a Rebbe that once asked us, if we could change places with the wealthy Baron Rothchild if we would be willing to do it. He then proceeded to show us how the great Baron lived without running water, without air conditioning, he traveled by a bumpy horse driven wagon- without music. He lived without electricity, television, internet and would you believe cell-phones. Not even the poorest Kollel Rabbi lives in such conditions. If he were living today like that, we would probably start a collection for him. Yet we still feel we’re lacking and still find no shortage of things to complain about.

This week’s Torah portion, Ma’asei is the final one of the Book of Bamidbar. In truth it is really the final Parsha of the story of the Jewish people before they enter the land of Israel. The Book of Devarim for the large part is Moshe’s last sermon to the Jewish people before he dies. It is with that understanding that we can appreciate the first part of the Parsha that recounts for us a review of all of the travels of the Jewish people for the past 40 years. The traveled from…and they camped …. Over and over… 42 times the Torah tells us the names and hints of the various things that occurred along the way. Some places we had highs and some places unfortunately we sinned and were places of tragedy. The commentaries all struggle to understand the point of this list of names. Yet perhaps the reason is to give us the most important lesson of all before coming to Israel. Know where you’re coming from. Understand from where your perspective is built upon and it is important to take that in to consideration for it will affect your outlook on the country you are approaching and are charged to make holy.

Reb Moshe Feinstien elaborates on this point. He explains how it was, that this great nation that witnessed all the miracles of Egypt, the splitting of the Sea, The Revelation on Sinai, the Manna and the clouds of glory could have sinned so many times repeatedly. He explains that it is precisely because they were so accustomed to seeing so many miracles and the open hand of Hashem in the world, that they were challenged to see it when it wasn’t so revealed. Like a child whose parent is always there and then one day isn’t. Ma’asei, the review for the next generation before they will come into the land of Israel is to recognize that their previous experiences are the baggage and at the same time the tools for growth that they come into Israel with. If they want to have a successful Aliyah they have to consistently recall from where they came and be cognizant of the things that will influence their views as they approach a new life; one where Hashem’s hand will most certainly be more hidden than it was in the wilderness. Yet at the same time know that it is always there for them.

We enter the month of Av this week as we increase our level of mourning as we approach Tish’ah B’Av the day when our temple has been destroyed and even more tragically not yet been rebuilt. The increased mourning for men entails no shaving- so our face and beards scratch a little more. For others (who’s gender shall remain nameless.. JJ) it is the prohibition on shopping for new clothing or significant purchases that shakes us out of our regular existence. For some, like my teenage daughter, unplugging their I-Pod and not listening to music for three weeks has been a life changing experience. The point is that we are meant to pause and think about our lives. There is meant to be something different here that is missing. Hashem’s Temple, his presence in our country…our people… our world, is meant to be here with us and it’s not. Why aren’t we mourning more? What are we doing to change it? Has our 2000 year “temple-less” existence made us so cold that we can’t even appreciate how lacking our existence is? This is meant to be a time to reflect and to review. To think. As we scratch our chins, sit music-less in our cars and homes and we are meant to contemplate about what has caused us to be so cold and so distant. We need to think about how as distant as we are, it is even more painful for the Shechina to be distant from us. How it must feel for the Father who goes away and how the children didn’t even notice he was gone. Didn’t cry… Didn’t mourn... Didn’t miss Him.

May Hashem help us as we try to get closer to Him during this time. May he see our efforts as minimal as we can muster up to be sufficient to return once again to us. To return to our Home and once again may we finally merit to complete that journey our ancestors began so long ago in building an Eternal home for us and Hashem forever.

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

“Vibald du farshtaist dein narishkeit, bistu a kluger.” As long as you understand your foolishness, you are smart.

RABBI SCHWARTZ COOL VIDEOS OF THE WEEK

https://youtu.be/dibf9li1HiA?list=PLTOCZ-DLMausvvU5Ba-8C1INQUSED6Jre – Salaam Acapella for peace

https://youtu.be/qRG7XqqG0aA?list=PLTOCZ-DLMausvvU5Ba-8C1INQUSED6Jre – Eli Beer Ani Bochiya vocally

https://youtu.be/fHuzLmbcobo?list=PLTOCZ-DLMausvvU5Ba-8C1INQUSED6Jre    – Dovid Dachs I am ancient wall ahavs chinam beautiful!

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

Q.  The 19th century Templers originated from:
a. Alsace
b. Russia
c. Wurttemberg
d. Austro-Hungary

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S ILLUMINATING RASHI OF THE WEEK

Matos- The problem with Rashi is that its sometimes so easy to read what he writes and continue and move on without actually thinking about what he writes and one then misses the perplexing questions tht need to be asked and that once answered reveals a powerful insight into a Torah teaching.

In this weeks Torah portion the verse tells us that (Bamidbar 31:5) a thousand from each tribe were given over to fight in battle. Rashi notes that the Torah uses a term that seems to mean they were given over against their will

“In order to teach you the praise of the shepherds of Israel how dear they are to Israel. Until they heard that Moshe would die (as part of the aftermath of the battle with Midian) what did he (Moshe- say about them) ‘A little more and they will stone me”. Once they heard that Moshe’s death would be connected to the vengeance of Midian they did not want to go and they had to be forced.”

If one thinks about this Rashi for even a second, the question is why did Rashi have to bring up the dirty past to tell us that we love our leaders and Moshe? Just say that we didn’t want to be given over if we knew that Moshe would die. Why does Rashi have to tell us that previously we wanted to stone him?

The Steipler Gaon, explains based on a concept of Rabbi Yisrael Salant explains that the love Israel has for its leader is so deep that even when we are holding externally by stoning him deep down the true love will come out ultimately. He brings an example of a parent of a difficult child who he constantly fights with, at the same time that parent might be a teacher who has a student who he loves and always treats with pride and praise. However in time of danger, the parent’s internal love for his child would come out and if given a choice he would save the child first, despite all of the trouble he gives him. It is almost unexplainable. It is just a deep-seated natural love he has for his child. That is what Rashi is trying to convey about our connection with Moshe. This can only be shown this internal love by contrasting it with the external strife. That is the depth of the love and connection we have to Moshe.

If that is true about us and Moshe- the shepherd of Israel, how much more so is that true about our love for Hashem who is our shepherd. Despite how much we might rebel, under it all we are faithful and would give our lives for Him and our belief in Him. That is the history of the Jewish people from even the least observant of our people, when given a choice or threat of life they will martyr themselves before denying God.

What an amazing Rashi and lesson.

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

Temple Mount Faithful – I don’t believe that it is a coincidence that during the week that we are meant to be thinking about life without the Beit Hamikdash, our Temple, that has been destroyed that the entire world is talking about who’s sovereignty it really falls. Since the times of the earliest pilgrims some of our greatest sages describe having gone up to the Temple Mount to pray and worship before Hashem. Obviously these great Rabbi took necessary halachic precautions and only entered into places that were permitted to walk, immersed themselves in a Mikva or better yet a fresh water spring, and did not wear leather shoes or bring anything with them besides their awe of Hashem and his Home and their heartfelt prayers. Upon the miraculous return of the Temple Mount to the Jewish people in the 6 Day war in 1967. Rabbi Goren, the chief Rabbi led Jews up there to pray as well. That all ended on Tisha B’Av that first year when they tried to bring up an Ark and blew Shofars after which the Jordanians and the Waqf whom we had handed over the keys to the administration over to, protested and forbade Jewish worship over there, making it ironically and tragically the only place in the world where Jews are forbidden by law to pray. Yet each years thousands of Jews go up to the Temple Mount. This past year over 14,000 and last week over 600 Jews went alone. The Jews that go up there really range the gamut from radical right wing religious Zionists that wish to show our sovereignty over it. Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews that wear black hats and affiliate with Chareidi Judaism, despite the overwhelming rulings from Chareidi Rabbis and accepted halachic authorities that for various reasons object. There are secular Jews and tourists as well that go up just to see the place where the Shechina once resided.  It is interesting as well that many of those that are in the forefront of this Temple Mount faithful group are American Olim that having made the bold ideological move to the Land of Israel want to be part of the next stage of our redemption by being part of the Jewish presence returning to Har HaBayit as well. Personally I do not go up to the Temple Mount. I avoid what I call dangerous places, both to my life and to my soul as many of my Rabbis oppose going up there. I do however feel that the big golden pimple up there should probably be taken down if we truly we believe we are a Jewish State. Because just because we can’t pray there doesn’t mean we should be participants in the greatest sacrilege to our holiest place. But I feel the same way about churches in Jerusalem as well-maybe even more so… So don’t pay much attention to me.

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S JOKES OF THE WEEK

It’s the 9 days this week. sorry no jokes!

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

Answer is C– The Templer- not to be confused with the knights Templar of the Crusaders that guarded the Temple Mount…Hmmm wonder if they had metal detectors back then…- Were German Protestants from Wurtenberg that were pretty much seemed to be too radical and Messianic for even the Protestants and they moved to Israel to realize the coming of Messiah and the rebirth of Palestine. They pretty much get the credit for building the “German Colonies” all over Israel. In Haifa primarily and initially but also Jaffa and Emek Refaim in Jerusalem. With the advent of Nazism after WWI many of them were rounded up by the British and some were even traded with the Nazis in exchange for Jews.