Insights and Inspiration
from the
Holy Land
from
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend in Karmiel"
April 4th 2014
-Volume 4, Issue 25-4th of Nisan 5774
Parshat Metzora
The Never Lonely Man of Faith
"And the waitress
is practicing politics, as the business men slowly get stoned, Yes, they'e
sharing a drink they call loneliness, but it's better than drinking alone…" I always loved that image
of a bar or smoky nightclub a bunch of people sitting around, drinking, commiserating,
soaking up their worries, their trivialities, kvetching about their families,
their jobs, the government…whatever. I don't seem to be alone in appreciating
that scene, in fact one of the longest running TV shows, "Cheers" was
precisely just a show about that; a bunch of shleppers sitting around in a
local tavern. But one needs not popular culture to recognize and appreciate the
scene and the people at your local tavern. There are stories abound of great
Chasidic Rebbes, perhaps most prominent among them Rebbe Nachman of Breslav,
who would frequent these places in order to mingle with the "amcha",
the plain old working man Joe or Yankel and to take great lessons and insights
from the simple Shikkur/Drunk sitting behind the bar nursing his vodka. Today I
don't that think society would accept that from any great Rebbes, but who knows
maybe one day…
The truth is I've never
really done that scene, personally. Yes, I know it's a glaring omission on my
resume of accomplishments. But I'm just more of a happy-go-lucky people person that,
thank god, has never really been in a lonely situation that required the
therapy of a local watering hole. Between, Yeshiva, work, family life, Torah
study, touring around and having fun as well as being a Rabbi that thank god
has many people that I am fortunate to spend many quality hours with assisting,
I really don't get that loneliness sense that Reb Billy Yoel described so
poignantly above. But I have seen it among sadly too many people. It is perhaps
one of the most tragic things that a Rabbi has to hear. "I don't feel I
have anyone" "I feel so alone" "Nobody
cares". Widows, divorcees, older singles, new immigrants, homeless
people, there are so many out there in every community that wake up every
morning and go to sleep each night after spending an entire day without any
meaningful human connection, without a sense that there is no one out there on
this planet to whom their existence has any meaning. It is heartbreaking and it
is certainly not Jewish. Perhaps it is for that reason that our holy books
repeatedly tell us that it is to these people that Hashem is most closest. He
is their father, their love, their protector, their confidant. With Him they
are never alone.
This week we read the
Torah portion of a Jew that has been mandated to be isolated. The Metzora, the
one who has been afflicted with the spiritual malady that is reflected most
similarly to leprosy, is ordered to spend a week or two or three or until he is
cured alone outside of all the camps of the Jewish people. Alone. By him or her
self. No human contact. Not even sharing a drink called loneliness with other
Metzora's. There wasn't even a bar called the White Lepers down at the corner
where he could just go to bond with others, "where everybody knows your
name, and they're always glad you came."
He was in time-out. How sad…how tragic...
He was in time-out. How sad…how tragic...
Our sages tell us that
the reason for his Tzora'as is antisocial behavior that include primarily gossiping/Lashon
Harah, stinginess and arrogance. "He has separated with his negativity
speech between man and his friend so shall he be separated and isolated."
How lonely it must be for him at his Shabbos table, at his home alone at night.
Yet that recognition is meant to heal him. For all alone with no one else to
turn to, one begins to contemplate Hashem, one begins to think about how
important it is to have someone. How life without social contact, without a
society within which I can make my spiritual impact is really not living. It is
for that reason our sages tell us that a Metzora is like a dead person.
As one comes to that recognition than one begins to appreciate that we all have
a purpose. We all have a connection with Hashem. My friends, the Jews on my
block, the people who I have mistreated or perhaps even worse ignored. Each one
of them have a spiritual purpose in this world just as much as I do. In that
light there's never any room or point for negative talk, to feel better than
others or to hold back from giving and sharing. We're all in the same Divine
boat of this world and we are all here to bring forth that glory that can only
happen when we are all together.
There is an interesting relationship
between the purification and re-entry into the camp and another in individual.
Sacrifices are brought and blood is placed upon his ear, his thumb and his toe
and then he returns to the camp. In a previous E-Mail we focused on the toe
(which is thank god doing better-if you missed that one you can read it here http://holylandinsights.blogspot.co.il/2014/02/toe-tally-awesome-tetzaveh-57742014.html
- why not make a donation once you're in the neighborhood J), yet here it is the ear that catches my
interest, particularly as we approach the holiday of Pesach. The Torah tells us
about a Jewish slave who wishes to remain in servitude longer than the six year
term that the Torah mandates. We are told that he is brought to the doorpost
V'Ratza Adonuv es Ozno Ba'Martzeah.- and the owner pierces his ear with the
needle. Our sages connect that this refers to his right ear as we learn this
from the Metzora (fascinatingly the words are very similar the Mar'tzeah/
Metzora), and the reason why the ear is pierced "for the ear that heard on
Sinai that "the Jewish children are My slaves" that went and
took another master for himself should be pierced. Why does one want to remain
a slave? Why would someone refuse his opportunity for freedom? It is because he
has forgotten that he has a Divine mandate and purpose to reveal that special
Sinai knowledge and light to the world. He feels he is somewhat a second-class
citizen. He erroneously believes that there is even such a thing as
second-class citizen in Judasim. He forgot what he heard that we are all first
class. We are all equally servants of the Almighty. The blood on his ear, just
as the blood on the Metzora's ear is to remind him of that moment on Sinai.
When we stood together and all equally heard and accepted our love, responsibility
and commitment for one another as we join to serve Hashem. Perhaps the ear
piercing as well is done by the doorpost, as well as the Metzorahs ear
sprinkling by the door way to the Tabernacle to help them recall that first
doorpost long ago in Egypt that we placed our Pesach sacrifice blood upon. When
we left the slavery of Egypt behind, when we made our first Pesach Seder.
Pesach is around the
corner. In another week and a half we will be sitting down to our Seder. Yet
before we begin our main mitzvah of the evening of re-telling and reliving the story
of our Exodus and of our leaving the servitude of Pharaoh for the Divine
service of Hashem, our sages added in a little paragraph. We raise our matza
and recite. "This is the bread of affliction that our forefathers ate
in Egypt. All who are hungry, come join us and eat, all who are needy come make
Pesach with us, This year we are slaves, next year we shall be free, this year
we are here, next year we shall be in Eretz Yisrael." How amazing is
this short paragraph. How essential it is to all that will come this evening.
Our sages understand that we cannot possibly convey to our children the essence
of our freedom unless, if there is another Jew that still remains needy…that
still feels alone. I am not really free of the Pharoah Egypt 2nd
class slavery, if I have a brother or sister that has not been redeemed with
me. I can't fully complete the purpose of my redemption, the revelation of the
spark of Hashem in each and everyone of us, if there is somewhere a Jew that
has yet to experience that freedom, that spark. Let's not wait until our Seder to
make that statement. We all sadly, know someone that is alone, someone who has
yet to feel appreciated for that special spark that they possess. To paraphrase
my friend Gershon Veroba "Let's share in that spark we call holiness
and with that we will see that new day."
Have a friendly Shabbos,
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
**********************************
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S PHYLLIS DILLER CLEANING QUOTES OF THE WEEK
"Cleaning your house while your
kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing."
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S FUNNY PESACH YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK
(answer below at end of Email)
A
"Minbar" is a Arabic term for -
a) A
prayer niche facing east
b)
the eastern wall
c)
the lectern used by the Mukhtar
d)
The prayer steeple on top of a mosque
The
gematria of the word Metzora is 400. Our sages tell us that one of the
spiritual causes of this form of spiritual leperosy is one who is a Ra Ayin one
who has a bad eye or stingy. Interestingly enough Efron the person in the Torah
who sold Avraham the burial plot of Sara was referred to as well as a Ra Ayin
asking the exorbitant price of you guessed it 400 shekel silver (thus setting
the tone for overpriced real estate values in Israel eternally). His name Efron
which is written without the Vav also equals 400. Interestingly enough as well
Esav chases after Yaakov with 400 men again out of jealousy and dissatisfaction
with Yackov's' fortune. 400 being that magic number.
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S COOL PLACES IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK
Eilat/Taba
Crossing-We
are told to remember leaving Egypt. Well in Eilat our border with Egypt every
Pesach the chief Rabbi of the city goes down to the border and sings the song
of the Sea. The only jewish community to be able to do that in the world. Our
border with Egypt is actually an open border and Israelis can even enter
without a visa. The reason is because in 1948 this was on egypts side of the
border in 1956 we took it back until 1957 and in 1967 it was again in Egypt's
hand after the Yom Kippur war Egypt maintained it as well but in our peace
agreements with Menachem Begin and Sadat it was the last thing to be settled
because Israel realized that it was on our side of the Ottaman border. And in
1988 it was finally ruled in Egyptian hands with the conditions that Israelis
can enter with ease. Mnay due their duty free-shoppiing there and over a
million cross each year. In the times of leaving Egypt before Mt. Sinai the 9th through
13th stop of the Jews were all around this area. Technically
becoming the first part of modern day Israel we entered before we entered 40
years later by Yericho.
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S CLEANING JOKES
OF THE WEEK
Yankel goes to see his
supervisor in the front office. "Boss," he says, "we're doing
some heavy Pesach-cleaning at home tomorrow, and my wife needs me to help with
the attic and the garage, moving and hauling stuff."
"We're
short-handed, Yankel" the boss replies. "I can't give you the day
off."
"Thanks,
boss," says Yankel "I knew I could count on you!"
******************************
Shaina is a less
than fastidious housekeeper. One evening her husband returned home from work,
walked into the kitchen and teased her, "You know, dear, I can write my
name in the dust on the mantel." Mom turned to him and sweetly replied,
"Yes, darling, I know. That's why I married a college graduate.
************************
An enthusiastic
door-to-door vacuum salesman goes to the first house in his new territory.He
knocks, a real mean and tough looking lady opens the door, and before she has a
chance to say anything, he runs inside and dumps cow patties all over the
carpet.He says, "Lady, if this vacuum cleaner don`t do wonders cleaning
this up, I`ll eat every chunk of it."She turns to him with a smirk and
says, "You want ketchup on that?"The salesman says, "Why do you
ask?"She says, "We just moved in and we haven`t got the electricity
turned on yet."
**************************************
RABBI SCHWARTZ' S EXAM ANSWER OF THE WEEK
Answer
is C: Here's a brief lesson in Arabic terms for things in a mosque that
you will never need- unless you become a tour guide and than you must know it
until you pass the exam and can immediately afterwards delete them from your
memory- the niche in the wall in which they pray is called a michrab
(called that way because people would leave their swords cherev in Hebrew there
as a mosque is of course a place of peace). The wall that faces towards mecca
is called kibla which is the direction of prayer-interestingly enough
originally mohammed had them praying to Jerusalem until he made Haj (the
journey to Medina) and then he allowed them to pray in both directions until he
switched it wanting to differentiate his new religion from the Jews. The minaret
from where the Muezzins call out to prayer 5 times a day from is called
a Mad'aana (wonder what she has to say about that) because that is where there
Ad'ahan (which means listen like the word ozen in Hebrew ear or Chazan/cantor)
it includes the phrase "prayer is better than sleep" which is kind of
nice. The lectern or raised platform where the Imam speaks from is called the
Minbar which is similar to the word L'avor to pass before similar again to
Hebrew where the cantors job is to pass before the congregation La'avor Lifnei
Ha'Teiva. Now that you know this you can delete it from your memory.
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