Insights and Inspiration
from the
Holy Land
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend in Karmiel"
April 14th 2020 -Volume 10 Issue 26 20th
Nissan 5780
Pesach II / Shemini
The Morning After
What if there is no day after? All I hear about is when is this thing
going to be over already? When will we be able to go back to normal. When will
the kids start school again? When will the flights start flying again. When
will the markets pick back up. When will we be able to once again go to shul,
to yeshiva, to the malls, to amusement parks (y'know what a hit Great Adventure
got this Pesach?). When will we be able to sneeze or cough once again in public
and people just smile and say tzi gezunt, la'briyut or god bless
you and not look at you as if you were a terrorist that just unleashed a bio-weapon
on everyone.
But what if there is no day after? There is no vaccine. The
scientists just throw up their hands and say, sorry we can't figure this one
out. We've given people a lot of this hydroqunakizine or whatever they call it
and it keeps coming back. We thought if your body got it and developed
antibodies it would make immune and then some type of herd immunity could work-
but it doesn't. We are totally helpless. The lives we have been living the last
few weeks with the hope for a better tomorrow-that would look pretty much the
same as our lives a few week ago- is not happening. Social distancing,
home-schooling, home entertainment, home-study, home-prayer and home-shopping
are the new way of life. How would you feel differently about what you are
experiencing now?
Don't answer that question right away… Let it sit in your head a
bit. Let it disturb your sleep. If it hasn't been disturbed enough as is. Are
we just hanging in and even perhaps even enjoying this yom tov a bit by finding
all the bright sides of it, because we know or think we know that it won't be
forever; that there is a rainbow at the end of the storm. Does the idea that
this won't end mess that whole thing up for you. How badly do you want to stop
reading this E-Mail right now and just skip to all the jokes on the
bottom-although even I'm getting sick of the memes already. Well don't stop
reading. It's dangerous at this point.
To be honest I really thought Mashiach was coming by the Pesach
Seder. It's the holiday of our redemption. Eliyahu is anyway coming. So why
not? We are even experiencing Egypt as they did back then, cooped up in our
house and all. I mean how cool would that have been? And Hashem definitely
likes cool things. It would've been right up His Divine alley. But as the
prophet tells us lo machsivvosai machshovseychem, v'lo darkechem derachai-
My thoughts aren't your thoughts and My ways aren't yours- thus sayeth the
Lord. So if he thus sayeth's that than perhaps the notion that this will all be
over soon is also not going to happen.
But the truth is that although we did leave Egypt on the first day
of Pesach, our holiday is a 7 day one; in case the still-eating-matza-thing
hasn't given you a clue. We left Egypt, but we didn't really finish our
redemption at that point. Hashem didn't just zip us off on wings of Eagles to
Israel, although He certainly could've. We walked out of Egypt, but you know
what? Egypt was still around. The pre-plagues, pre-Exodus world was still
behind us. Sure it was hectic for a few weeks or months that disrupted our
normal work schedule and wreaked havoc on everything. But as soon as that was
over, it could still go back to "normal". Maybe a slightly better "normal".
Maybe the Egyptians would not persecute us. Maybe we could use our well-honed
construction skill to make it big in Egyptian real estate. Maybe our kids will
go back to school after that divinely mandated isolation by the death of the
first-born plague is finally over. Don't get me wrong it was nice having them
in the house and all… but….ummm…. their education is very important to me…
That's what I meant to say J.
I mean it was definitely
nice and even miraculous of Hashem to finally punish the Egyptians for the
years they persecuted us. As well to get rid of all of those non-believing and
skeptical Jews that died in the plague of darkness. But now that everyone knows
there is a God that watches over us and runs and controls the world, we can
just go back to a better "yesterday" for tomorrow. I mean didn't
Moshe say at some point we were just leaving in order to worship Hashem for
three days and then going back?
But see that wasn't the plan. See by the first days of Pesach we
fulfilled the first verse or two of our redemption. V'Hotzaisi- Hashem
took us out. V'Hitzalti- He perhaps even arguably had already saved us
from the hands of the Egyptians. But we still were not redeemed. As long as we
still thought that our place was in Egypt. As long as we still thought that all
tomorrow would hold is a better yesterday we haven't been uplifted.
The term geula- redemption is utilized in the Torah when a
slave is redeemed. The redemption of a slave is not just merely removing his
previous owners power or even title over him. An owner can remove his claim by
giving him over to another owner as well, but he still remains a slave. Redemption
happens when the slave is a free-man- a ben chorin. He's no longer the
same person. He no longer has any ties to his previous status or relationship.
He is just as free as his former owner was. Redemption means he now stands on
his own.
The first two terms of Hashem describing our Exodus was the removal
of the negative. All the bad stuff of Egypt and their people. But we were still
connected. We still felt very Egyptian. It was our home for centuries. Yosef
our ancestor was even from its "founding fathers", we said with the
same pride as those American Jews that we know (us?) who say Columbus was a Jew
or that take pride in Adam Sandler's annual Hannuka Jew-toting song. We saw
ourselves as a nation that were Jewish/Egyptian and we would sanctify ourselves
and Hashem with the luxury of both of those titles. We would build big shuls
there, beit midrashes, supermarket with lots of kosher food and maybe
even go to Israel for Passover programs in the Waldorf. We stood there by the
Sea, a week out of Egypt, and said to Moshe
Shemos (43:11) They said to Moses, Is it because there are no
graves in Egypt that you have taken us to die in the desert? What is this that
you have done to us to take us out of Egypt? Isn't this the thing [about] which
we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, Leave us alone, and we will serve the
Egyptians, because we would rather serve the Egyptians than die in the desert.
We were happy to go back. But that wasn't the plan.
We have 7 days of Pesach because Hashem wanted us to be redeemed. For
the first time since this thing started he tells us that the function is
Ibid (43:14) Moses said to the people, Don't be afraid! Stand
firm and see the Lord's salvation that He will wreak for you today, for
the way you have seen the Egyptians is today you shall no longer
continue to see them for eternity.
For that to happen we had to come to the realization that there was
no Egypt to go back to. There was no better tomorrow there. There was no more
existence as we had once known it anymore. We were going to be going to a place
where we would have manna every day. We would be in clouds of glory. We would
be going to a country flowing with Milk and honey. It was not a better or nicer
Egypt. It was a whole new world. We came to that realization as we stood by the
Sea and watched Egypt come pounding down behind us. When we realized that there
was no cure or vaccines to the plagues that would ever have us go back to
Egypt, to 13th Avenue, Avenue J, Central or Madison Avenue for any
reason anymore. Hashem didn't want what the Talmud tells us is a chatzi
eved/ chatzi ben chorin- a half slave/half free man. He wanted us redeemed.
V'goalti eschem.
To get to that new world we had to walk through water. The plagues
in Egypt were all miraculous, but at the end of the day they were strange
phenomena that pretty much struck the Egyptians while we watched on and smiled.
The sea split was our miracle. That's life changing. That's
walking to a new world. That's watching a sea open up before me, the waves
freezing in mid-air and standing up. We watched the fish and sharks like
through an aquarium glass as we marched through what was seconds before a
raging sea. No one thinks about the old world existence after that. No one
thinks things are ever going to be even close to what they were yesterday.
By our Seder we read that by Egypt Hashem took us out with a
finger, whereas by the sea it was a hand. That's the part where we go through
all the math and disagreement which is either 5 times 10, 5 times forty or 5
times 50 by the sea. A finger being one and a hand being five times that. We
really don't care by that point in the Seder. We're hungry and we're all
torah'd out already. And we just want to chow down on some matzas already.
We'll even take Maror by then. But it's very significant.
Do you know what the difference between a finger and hand? A finger
is me pointing at what happened over there. See…look at what happened in Egypt.
Check out that blood, those frogs, that wrath, that anger he poured on them.
Them. A hand is something else. It is a yad chazaka. It is a hand that
is strong but it is also a hand that is machzik. That holds me. I'm in
Hashem's hand. That's a different world. That's what we felt when we crossed
the sea. That's when we were finally redeemed.
There is a custom on the last day of Pesach to eat a third meal,
like a shalosh seudos that we eat on Shabbat. It's called the Seduat
HaMashiach. May this year that meal be celebrated with Mashiach who will herald
in a brand new era. I don't want to go back to the old world. Don't get me
wrong I liked the old world, especially since I moved to Israel. But it's not
sea-splitting, Beit- Hamikdash-united-with-our-Creator and
shining-His-light-out-to-the-entire-world awesome. Don't you want to be here
this Shabbos in Eretz Yisrael with me. We haven't davened in shul for so long.
Let's get together for the next Torah reading this Shabbos Shemini (which is
always l'maalah min hateva-the extraordinary) in the Beit Hamikdash. I
want to be redeemed already. Don't you?
Have the miraculous Pesach,
Rabbi Ephraim
Schwartz
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RABBI SCHWARTZ’S FAVORITE YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK
" Of
morgen Zohl Got zorgen."-. Let God
worry about tomorrow.
RABBI
SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK
answer below at end of Email
23) A distinct
architectural feature of Mamluk construction:
A.
Triglyphs
- Muqarnas
- Elbow column
- Corinthian capital
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrCK7zLj2U0- If you heard my newest song
Vayosha great! Now check out the hillarious Schwartz Family Pesach 2020 video.
This may not be Oscar worthy but it will definitely put a smile on your face
https://youtu.be/jxVDEljuyP8 - Incredible Rare footage
of Rav Moshe Feinstien ZT"L one of the great halachic authoruities and
Jewish leaders who passed away when I was in High School. Really incredible to
watch a true tzadik daven
https://youtu.be/BpfCI5Bi054
– All children of
Israel gathered on porches to recite Ma Nishtana by the Pesach Seder to include
all those that could not have any children by their seder… so touching… one can
hear the heavens shepping nachas
https://youtu.be/4HtJSy8EvOQ – SY Rechnitz and Moshie Mendlowitz Shaka
Chama haunting beautiful song with new meaning in these times
https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/yizkeraim – Sadly and painfully we will
not be with a minyan to recite Yizkor with a minyan. This is my Yizkereim
composition-sung by Yitz Berry to remember all of those loved ones that Hashem
should remember together with all of the righteous of the generations. (It was
composed after the three young boys were kidnapped and the Gaza war started 6
years ago…)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoNrttdvoMo- Hillarious Modi comedian on Pesach
programs 2020 what we're missing…J
RABBI
SCHWARTZ'S PARSHA/MITZVA CONNECTION OF THE WEEK
Parshat Shemini-Baal
Tishaktzu– Avoiding Disgusting things-This week's portion, as if we haven't
had enough about food obsession over the past week, tells us all the laws of
Kosher and non-kosher foods. The kosher 4 legged animals, birds, fish and even
creepy crawlers. At the conclusion of the sea creepy crawlers the Torah tells
us that we are prohibited to disgust us ourselves with all swarmy things and
not defile with ourselves with them. The Rambam learns this law is only about
the crawly things, The Ramban understands it is about all the foods that are
not Kosher that Hashem said are an abomination if you eat them.
What makes this
law more exciting though is the opinion of the SeMag and the SeMak that any
eating of disgusting foods-even if the there is no Kosher problem, is however
biblically prohibited because of this verse. Even the Rambam and others that
don't feel it is a biblical prohibition agree that it is rabbinical and that
one would even be given court warranted lashes for it's violation. So yes, food
can be kosher but still prohibited to eat.
Now what
determines what is disgusting or not? So there are some things that everyone or
even most people consider disgusting and then it doesn't make a difference how
you feel about it or not. On the other hand there are somethings that are
subjective. Some find it so and others not. My wife would say that includes
herring, galleh/ or p'tcha (calf's feet jell) or sweet breads (cow brains?),
Sefardim might include Gefilte fish in that list. Well that doesn't count and
if one doesn't find it disgusting they may eat it, although one who does
certainly shouldn't.
The Rambam as
well lists other circumstances that one can violate this prohibition if there
is food that became disgusting because something not clean fell in them. As
well to eat out of unclean dishes or even to eat with dirty hands. In all these
cases the Rambam rules that we would give one lashes for the prohibition of
making oneself disgusting. He adds even someone who holds oneself back from
going to the bathroom, besides the fact that he says in his medical opinion it
is unhealthy. It is disgusting and he shouldn't do it. Many would say that if
someone emits burps or gas in public that disgusts people and that most would
find disgusting he violates this as well.
The point of
this mizva the Rambam writes is that we are meant to be a holy nation. We were
sanctified when we left Egypt and received the Torah. Our sages connect these
ideas and saying it was worthwhile to leave Egypt just so we do not have to eat
their disgusting crawly things they would eat. This is not an ancient teaching.
It is for today. I think everyone knows what happens when we eat disgusting bat
soup these days…. We are children of the King and a nation that is meant to be
refined and thus to shine out a light to the world. The children of Hashem
should always be models of that refined behavior. It's time we shined that out to
the world.
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S ERA’S AND THEIR PLACES AND PEOPLE IN
ISRAEL OF THE WEEK
Shmuel/ Samuel 931-879
BC
– OK, let's start with a trivia question who wrote the book of
Shmuel a) Shmuel b) Gad the prophet C) Nasan the prophet D)
all of the above. The answer is surprisingly D). In fact most of the Book of
Shmuel (and the entire Shmuel Beis) Shmuel is not even alive for. Yet the book
which for the most part deals with the kingdoms of Saul and Dovid is called
Shmuel. As well the book of Kings /Melachim is really not about either of those
first two Kings but rather the following Kings. The reason for this is because
of the greatness of Shmuel, who is compared to Moshe and Aharon in significance
of transmitting the Torah, the book was thus called after him to show him
honor. As well, being that he anointed these two kings their entire kingdom and
all they accomplished is accredited to him.
Shmuel was in fact a descendant of Korach, from the sons that were not
killed having repented. Which makes him a Levi and from the same family that
Moshe and Aharon were from. He was the author of the book of Shoftim and Ruth which he wrote with
Divine inspiration. He is considered the last of the Judges and the one who
heralds in the era of the Kings. He would travel from community to community to
give inspiration to the people and to rebuke them as the role of the Levi is
meant to be. As well as we shall see Shmuel was a Nazir, meaning he had long
hair, didn't drink wine and was prohibited to come in contact with the dead.
We're all familiar that Shimshon who we learned about was one. Well now you
know that Shmuel was as well.
Shmuel's entire
leadership was for 10 years from after Eli the high priest died until Shaul
became King. He died when he was 52 years old. It is amazing to think what he
accomplished in that short span. His yartzeit is fascinatingly enough on the 28th
of Iyar which is today Yom Yerushalayim in Eretz Yisrael, the day in 1967 when
Jerusalem was liberated. In the time of the Crusaders who identified (or
fabricated) his grave by Nebi Samuel today outside of Jerusalem, many
Jews would gather there and make bonfires on his Yartzeit. There are those that
suggest that the Lag Ba'omer bonfires in Meron on the yartzeit of the Rashbi
that were started by the ARI"Zl in the 1500's were really a replacement of
those bonfires that used to take place by Nebi Samuel interestingly enough.
So now we have
covered the "about the author" page of the Book of Shmuel. Let's
begin next week learning once again a new book and the people, places and eras
of our ancestors' stories that he recorded.
RABBI SCHWARTZ’S AND EVEN MORE TERRIBLE CORONA JOKES OF
THE WEEK
FUNNIEST MEME's of the WEEK
Hope you can
join us on our chol hamoed tiyul to ein ma la'asot- (if you don't
speak Hebrew skip this one)
We’re able to
do 90% of that we do on a regular Chol Hamoed.
* Spend the
first few hours of the day discussing what to do, eventually get very
frustrated that we’ve not yet done anything.
* pack matzo
and cream cheese into silver foil and then further into shopping bags — let
matzo get soggy.
* pack up the
car
* have kids
soil themselves
* waste money —
this year we will throw down toilet
* eat chocolate
Really, we’re
only missing 25 minutes of vertical bouncing up and down in some device or
another.
50 years from
now, people will be wearing gloves and masks to go Pesach shopping. "Mama,
why do we do this?" "I don't know sweetie, but bubbe and zaide did
it, so we do to"
PESACH PROGRAM
REVIEW: This program is amazing! The food is good--plentiful and tastes like
homemade. There have been some snafus: the chicken was undercooked; the
mayonnaise had kitniyos; a guest threw a temper tantrum; but it's the
proprietors' first time making a program, so they just have to get the kinks
out. I love the crowd. It's small and exclusive, but everyone's really friendly
and it feels like we're all family. Remind me to tip the staff.
Until further
notice the days of the week are now called Thisday Thatday, Otherday, Someday,
Yesterday, Today and Nextday
I took off my
undershirt the other day. They were wrong it will take more than 14 days to
flatten the curve.
My child asked
the other day if he was adopted. I told him he wasn't yet. But we only put in
the ad yesterday.
Half of us are
going to come out of this quarantine as amazing cooks. The other half will come
out with a drinking problem.
I used to spin
that toilet paper like I was on Wheel of Fortune. Now I turn it like I'm
cracking a safe.
I need to
practice social-distancing from the refrigerator.
PSA: every few
days try your jeans on just to make sure they fit. Pajamas will have you believe
all is well in the kingdom.
This morning I
saw a neighbor talking to her cat. It was obvious she thought her cat
understood her. I came into my house, told my dog..... we laughed a lot.
So, after this
quarantine.....will the producers of My 600 Pound Life just find me or do I
find them?
Quarantine Day
5: Went to this restaurant called THE KITCHEN. You have to gather all the
ingredients and make your own meal. I have no clue how this place is still in
business.
Day 5 of
Homeschooling: One of these little monsters called in a bomb threat.
I'm so excited
--- it's time to take out the garbage. What should I wear?
I hope the
weather is good tomorrow for my trip to Puerto Backyarda. I'm getting tired of
Los Livingroom.
Answer is B– I was hoping we could stay with
Jewish stuff so I could keep my streak. So was nervous when I saw this Muslim
Mamaluq question. But it was an easy one by process of elimination. Cornithian
and Triglyphs are Roman. And although I wasn't sure when elbow columns were
from or to be honest what they even were (turns out they're Crusader) I knew
that Mamluqa really didn't have columns that made them unique. They did have
these funny hole punched dome roofs- although I forgot what they were called.
But muquara or whatever that word is is Muslim so it was an easy and correct
guess. So the score now stands at Schwartz 14 and 9 for MOT (Ministry of
Tourism) on this exam. I still don't have a passing score yet on this exam
but I'm getting closer…
