Insights and Inspiration
from the
Holy Land
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend in Karmiel"
from the
Holy Land
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend in Karmiel"
Parshas
Tzav/ Ha'Gadol/Passover
Kid-ding Around
"Will you just grow up already!"
"Why
don't you act your age?" "You want to be treated like an adult? Start acting like one!"
There are perhaps no words more annoying or frustrating for a kid to hear. I should know. I'm still hearing it... and it still hasn't worked. I don't understand. I see all these advertisements about recapturing your youth, all types of anti-aging pills so one can feel like a kid once again, and therapists preaching about finding your "inner child". It seems that I was ahead of the game. Why act like an adult when you’re a kid, only to become an adult looking for his lost childhood? This is a troubling question and you know what we do with troubling questions at this time of year? We save them for the Pesach Seder; the night of questions. And do you know what they answer us inevitably by the Pesach Seder? The reason is…so the children will ask…sigh…they cycle goes on.
Now the reason behind this custom is NOT
because the Pesach sacrifice-a goat- is also referred to as a kid. Even though
this might be confusing particularly since the last song at the Seder is about
this one little kid/goat that a father bought for 2 zuzim. My kids always
thought I was the father that sold them for 2 zuzim. I reassured them that I wouldn't
sell them for anything less than 20 zuzim and maybe even a Dinar (or a good
dinner). They seemed relieved…or maybe not. Thank God for their mother. Back to
our E-Mail. Although those are not references to Seder night being "kids
night". The rest of the Seder is pretty much all about the kids. In fact
the Torah itself seems to revolve the commandments of this very special and
important night all about children.
The code of Jewish law discusses the
preparations for the Seder as revolving around utilizing all types of tricks to
keep the kids up. Hand out nuts and sweets (translate pump them up on sugar and
lay off the melatonin), wear a kittel- so children will ask, wash without blessing-
so children will ask. The seder pretty much begins all types of strange
activities that would usually get us kicked out of the dinner table, leaning
while drinking wine over a white tablecloth (not for long), dipping vegetables
in salt water and making all types of whiny faces, and stealing the Afikoman
and running an hiding it. It continues with each kid getting up and asking
their hopefully well-rehearsed four Ma Nishtana questions, which of course then
leads into the description of the 4 sons and from there it's the ten plagues
with all their appropriate accoutrements. Singing Dayeinu and hallel, dipping marror,
fressing matzah while leaning on pillows and then all types of fun songs at the
end, it is a night that kids dream of. It's all about them. So to pre-empt the
Seder this year I dare to ask the question. Why?
Why is this night different? Shouldn't the
most important night of the year be one where we as adults focus on the deep
questions and miracles that took place? I understand that kids should know the
traditions but why is it so important that it comes in the form of such strange
child-like behavior so that they ask questions just to ask them? Why must we do
all these strange things-almost behaving like children ourselves- to get them
to ask them? Why are we going donw to their level shouldn't we bringing them up
to ours.
The answer my friends, the Sefas Emes of Ger
suggests, is that is precisely the point of Pesach; to see-rather- to experience
the Exodus of Egypt on this night with the wonder, awe and amazement of the
innocent eyes of children. Perhaps the most next most essential mitzvah of the
night, after the telling/re-enacting of the story, is the eating of Matzah and
the prohibition of chametz. The difference between Matzah and Chametz is essentially
time; time to rise, time to get bloated, time to mature, time to achieve that
perfect state of man-developed food chockfull of wholesome nutrients, preservatives
and minerals and vitamins-like my cheerios box says. Matzah on the other hand
is cut short in that process. It's stuck in that first state of development.
Why is that the main staple? Because we are meant to get away for a few days
from all our man-made world with all the answers and envelope ourselves in a
world of Hashem. A world in which questions don't need answers, the wonder and
amazement of those miracles and that redemption are awesome enough. We ask out
of awe. We ask because we just want to be heard and we know that our Father is
listening to our voice and basking in our awe. We are all His children and the
Seder night is the night that we get back to that moment…through the eyes and
questions of our children.
The Sefas Emes suggests that it is for this
reason that this Shabbos before Pessach is referred to as Shabbas Ha'Gadol the
great or big Shabbos. He suggests that until this Shabbos when we were in Egypt
we observed Shabbos in some way but it was entrenched in slavery. It was a
day-off from hard work. It was in an un-commanded state like the observances of
a minor. This Shabbos when Hashem commanded us in Egypt to prepare for our
Exodus and prepare our Pesach offering was the first time we observed Shabbos
as a "Gadol" an adult. Our Bar Mitzvah Shabbos so to say. What
changed on this Shabbos? We were still in Egypt. The redemption had not yet
come? But we were able to see it. For the first time we moved beyond the 210
year realities of our day-to day life of slaves and experienced the Exodus and
Shabbos before it had even arrived as a Bar Mitzvah boy on his first Shabbos.
We became that youthful, starry eyed young man and we jumped into the
commandment to forget about time and place and move above it with the faith and
dedication to Hashem and our new exciting reality. It is no coincidence that
our first mitzvah Ha'Chodesh Ha'Zeh Lachem- to count the Jewish months
is the introduction to all of the mitzvahs of Pesach. Like a child we don't
have to think or worry about time. Time revolves around us. Not us around it.
I think about the life through the eyes of a
child. The incredible places their tour guide father takes them. There is
nothing more precious than the wonder in their eyes as they look out at the
world. Sure they ask questions, how did this form this way? Why is it that shaped
like that? What type of tree, rock, castle is that? What's the name of that mountain, that lake,
that star? They really don't care about the answer. They just want me to know
that they're here with me. That I'm sharing the experience with them. All the
other nights of the year we are perhaps slaves to time. Slaves to our
responsibilities, slaves to our questions. But on this night of Pesach we are
free to return to ourselves and to that wonder. It's a hard thing to do in one
night. But that's what kids are for. To help us and guide us into that world of
what we once were. Into that beloved child we are to Hashem. It's not about the
kids tonight. It's about us. The kids in us. The kids we may have forgotten
about. As we say in the Haggada even if we are all wise, knowledgeable like the
greatest sages that were sitting in Bnai Brak. Tonight we go back to that
simple childlike wonder and simply re-live and tell that story again like the
first time. If we could do that seder right and we make it until the end. Who knows
maybe Eliyahu might be at the door to sing L'shana Ha'Baah Bi'Yerushalayim with
us. Sounds crazy? Sounds like a child –like fantasy that he might be there?
Then stop growing up. Don't act your age for a night and you might be
surprised. Greater miracles have happened…and will once again.
Have a wondrously awesome
Shabbos and an amazing Pesach
Rabbi
Ephraim Schwartz
RABBI SCHWARTZ "PASSOVER -LES MISERABLES-MACCABEATS" YOUTUBE CLIPS J
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmthKpnTHYQ
STUFF PEOPLE SAY AT THE SEDER
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9r6dQ57x34
************************************
RABBI
SCHWARTZES TOUR GUIDE COURSE QUESTION OF THE WEEK
(answer below)
Where are the remains of
octagonal Byzantine churches found
(a) Mount of Beatitudes (Har Ha'Osher), Sephoris
(Tzippori)
(b) Casarea, Mt Gerizim
(c) Southern Jerusalem (Kathisma), The inn of the Good Samritan
(d) Avedat, Mamshit
RABBI SCHWARTZ COOL PLACES IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK-
Park
Adulam-Etri, Midras- this
50,000 dunam mostly wooded park in the shefela and hebron hills is a great
palce for hiking and archeological finds. Most notable is the 2nd
temple and mishna village of Etri where one can see an ancient shul,
columbarium, wine presses, and mikvaot, In Midras one can see the ancient
pyramid on a roman era grave and some great tunnels from the bar Kochva period.
That are super fun for kids to climb through and adults my size and girth
should really think twice about going through.. at the site was also found a
Byzantine church with mosaics. In the times of king David he hid in the caves
of Adulam from the philistines as well as where Yehudah of the 12 tribes friend
was from and where he found his wives. A beautiful park a great place to hike
through thousands of years of Jewish settlement.
******************************
RABBI SCHWARTZ "SEDER IN A BAR" JOKES OF THE WEEK
A Seder plate walks into a bar
Bartender says: What can I get you?
Sederplate says: Nothing right now, I got a lot on my plate
A matzah ball walks into a bar
Bartender says: Is this Round on you?
Matzah walks into a bar
Bartender says: Looks like you had a Crumby day?
Moses walks into a bar
Bartender says: Drinks for just you or your staff?
The Jewish Nation walks into a bar.
Bartender says: You thought splitting the sea was hard, try
splitting this check
Chad Gad Ya walks into a bar
Bartender says: After that last bar fight with the dog and cat and
fire, it's gonna cost alot more than 2 zuzim to get a drink here
Elijah walks into a bar
Bartender says: What can I get for you Elijah?
Elijah says: Wait, you can see me??
A Kiddush Cup walks into a bar
Bartender says: We don't serve whiners here
Matzah walks into a bar
Bartender says: Havent seen you in a while, where you been?
Matzah says: I've had some bad breaks
Charoses and Marror walk into a bar
Wise son and wicked son walk into a bar
Bartender says: What can I get you boys?
Wise son asks for all the details of how the drinks are made
Wicked son laughs: It's on his tab, not mine. Had we been in Egypt I
wouldnt have paid either.
Pharoah walks into a bar
Bartender says: So it's a Bloody Mary or well, a Bloody Mary right?
Pharoah walks into a bar, doesnt speak
Bartender: Speak up? What do you have a frog in your throat?
Pharoah: frogs here, frogs there
The Son 'who doesnt know how to ask' walks into a bar
Bartender: Arent you going to order? Helllo?
A Seder walks into a bar
Bartender: Let me guess this is going to be different than all other nights?
Bartender: Let me guess this is going to be different than all other nights?
Afikoment walks into a bar
Bartender: I'll get you a drink, but dont you get lost because I will find you.
Bartender: I'll get you a drink, but dont you get lost because I will find you.
A seder kittel walks into a bar
Bartender says: What did someone die?
A haggadah walks into a bar
Bartender says: The way this guy rambles on, I'm gonna need my own 4
cups
**********************
Answer
Answer
is B- This is one of
those ridiculously hard trick questions. Answer A is wrong because although
Beatitudes has a byzantine church (on the bottom of the Mt.) and an octagonal
church on top it was built in the 1930's- not byzantine, tzippori has a
byzantine church as well but not octagonal. Answer C is wrong because although
Kathisma has a byzantine octagonal church the Inn of the Good Samaritan has
pictures of the Shomroni octagonal byzantine from Har Gerizim Answer D the
Nabatean cities both have Byzantine churches neither one is octagonal. Leaving
thus just Gerizim and Casarea with the Byzantine Octagonal churches. Aren't you
glad you know this now?…don't you feel informed and wiser?… or have you already
deleted this un-important irrelevant information that was just created to give
tour guides a hard time on their exams…
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