Eli Lipshitz - Torah MiTzion

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Happy Yom HaAtzmaut!
Tazria Metzora | 29 Nissan 5775 | April 18th, 2015 | Issue 585
Eli Lipshitz Former Shaliach in Washington (2003­04) Currently – Director of English Speaking groups in the Torah Division of Israel Experience
The walls are Talking
"When you come to the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as a possession,
and I place a lesion of tzara'ath upon a house in the land of your possession"
(Vayikra, 14, 34)
On Shabbat Parshat 'Metzora' in the spring of 1940, Rabbi Klonimus Kalmish
Shapiro, the Piasetzna Rebbe, gave a talk on the verse quoted above to his
followers, or Chasidim, in the Warsaw Ghetto.
It was the spring of 1940, almost six months after the Germans occupied
Poland; many Jews from all over the country were being moved to Jewish
Ghettos. The Piasetzna Rebbe, whose talks were later discovered under the
ruins of the Ghetto and made into a book called 'Aish Kodesh' or the 'Holy
Fire', led his followers through the hardest of times and through his talks
always tried to give hope where there was very little. In this specific talk the Rebbe asks a question on Rashi's commentary of the
above verse. The verse, which is the opening to the paragraph discussing the
'Tzaraat of ones house', seems to be quite festive. It is as if Hashem is saying
that when you enter the Land of Canaan, the land that I will give you… I will
give you lesions on your home. Quite a welcoming! Rashi in his commentary
immediately picks up on this and explains that it is in fact a wonderful
welcome. Over the years the Canaanites, and others who lived in these houses
before the People of Israel, hid money and treasures in the walls. Once the new
owner of the house spots the lesions, he can take apart the wall and find the
treasure.
Rashi's commentary seems clear, aside from one small issue that bothers the
Piasetzna Rebbe. In the coming verses, explaining how to go about getting rid
of the lesions, the rules are that first the house is declared impure ­ everything
must be removed and the owner must wait a week outside his house. After that
he may need to wait another week (depending on the size and color of the
mark) and only then does he remove the marked bricks and rebuild his
house. The Rebbe asks: if the idea of the Tzaraat is so that Hashem can give us
a reward, why do we need the whole process and the long wait? Why can't we
remove the bricks the minute we see the mark and find the treasure?
This seemingly unimportant question takes on a whole new meaning in the
reality of the Warsaw Ghetto. The Rebbe explains that there are many
hardships that people may have, and a man of faith believes that all the
hardships are thrust upon him from above so that he can become a better
person and possibly become closer to Hashem. In this way he can see the light
at the end of the tunnel and understand that as hard as things may be for him,
there is an ulterior purpose in Hashem's plans.
At the beginning of what is now known as the Holocaust the Rebbe seems to be
dealing with a different kind of hardship that was harder for him to explain.
He mentions the hardships of being Jewish in the ghetto: no place to learn
Torah, no school for children, no mikveh... These hardships don't look like they
can bring someone closer to Hashem, but rather push them away, as if Hashem
has forgotten his nation and has no interest in them any more. In this case, the
Rebbe says, it may be too hard to see the good that can come out of it or the
light at the end of the tunnel. That is why the Torah teaches us that there may
be cases where the treasure is a long way down the road. The house is first
impure, then secluded for a week and then taken apart. Only after that process
can the treasure be found. The lesions of the house teach us patience and belief
that everything Hashem does is for good.
Only after reading the 'Aish Kodesh' and seeing it in writing can I, growing up
third generation after the Holocaust, dare to copy what was said then. It seems
unfathomable that anyone in those conditions can speak of hope and good and
lights at the end of the tunnel the way the Piasetzna Rebbe did.
Miraculously, only a few years later the State of Israel was declared in the land
"that I will give you as a possession". Thus, in a totally different reality than
that of the Piasetzna Rebbe, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, in his book on the weekly
Torah portions, writes on the topic of the very same Rashi. Rabbi Riskin also asks about the festive 'sounding' verse and the 'gift' that
Hashem will give the People of Israel when they enter the land. He asks, more
specifically, what is the treasure that Rashi is referring to? To answer this Rabbi
Riskin explains that the walls of the house may be symbolic to what the walls
contain; the very fabric of the house that makes walls into a home. A Home
consists of smells, tastes, relationships, families etc. The 'gift' that Hashem gives
us are the lesions on the walls that can indicate if the home itself is in a good
state or if we need to take time to purify it and maybe even rebuild it.
This is the treasure that Hashem wants to give us when we enter the land, the
ability to pause and recalculate whether we are in the right direction and if our
home is strong enough.
Seventy years ago, in the darkest of times, the laws of 'Tzaraat' taught the Jews
in the Warsaw Ghetto a lesson in patience, belief and hope. One generation
later, when Jews are free in their homeland and in their country, the laws of
'Tzaraat' call on us and ask us if we are in the right direction towards building
a strong, stable home, or do we need some renovations in order to strengthen
our spiritual foundations?
Shabbat Shalom and a happy Israel Independence Day.
European Shlichim Shabbaton
in Moscow
For the first time in our twenty years of activity, we held a Kenes Shlichim in
Moscow, for all our shlichim in Europe – Warsaw, Munich and Moscow. The
Shabbaton took place on Shabbat Hagadol (March 26th­29th) and coincided
with a Shabbaton for 70 students from Moscow.
The Seminar was an excellent opportunity for the shlichim to be exposed to the
widespread impact of the Kollel in Moscow, which has been active for the past
16 years. The shlichim spent their time learning from one another and sharing
their experiences.
Torah MiTzion also took advantage of the event to recognize the founding and
current Rosh Kollel of Moscow, Rabbi David Yushuvayev and his wife, Ayelet,
Gilad Shamilov, CEO of Kollel Moscow and Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, Chief
Rabbi of Moscow.
Zeev Schwartz, Executive Director of Torah MiTzion, Chasida Pinchuk, Special
Advisor and Arik Speaker, Head of European Desk represented the Movement's
home office in Israel.
ISRAtag
Arik Speaker 'Lilmod' Coordinator and Head of European Desk in Torah MiTzion
The "Haportzim" Monument is located on
Highway 1, the main road from Jerusalem to the coastal
area, 17 km from the capital. The monument
commemorates the efforts and sacrifices made before
and during the Independence War to open the road to
Jerusalem.
On the 1st of March, 1948 a convoy en route to
Jerusalem was attacked from the entrance to the
"valley gate" (Sha'ar Hagai) and along
four kilometres, in front of the British soldiers who
did not respond. Towards the end of the month two more large convoys sent to Jerusalem
were attacked. These were the first convoys that were unable to reach Jerusalem. As of the
end of March 1948 Jerusalem was completely cut off. At that point the Hagana forces began
conquering strategic locations overlooking the road. After Operation Nachshon the road to
Jerusalem was open again for a while.
During the war itself, most of the fighting on the road to Jerusalem was centered in the
Latrun area.
In 1951, the Defense Ministry decided to build a monument to commemorate those efforts.
In August 1953 the proposal of the artist Michael Kara was chosen, a statue featuring a
young man holding a grenade in one hand and supporting a wounded friend in the other.
The opposition from religious circles led to a decito erect a more amorphous monument. In
1962 the jury chose the proposal of the Sculptress Naomi Henrik.
The monument was inaugurated in a ceremony held on 15 March, 1967 in the presence of
Prime Minister and Defense Minister Levi Eshkol and the presence of veteran fighters.
The monument is designed to look as if it leaping from the hill toward Jerusalem. It is meant
to represents the fingers of the outstretched hand to Jerusalem. It has a concrete base and
stainless steel rods 12 meters long relying on a group of lower vertical bars.
At the base of the monument the following Passuk is inscribed:
"For Zion's sake I will not be silent and for Jerusalem I will not rest".
Yasher Koach to Hallel Hazut
for providing the
correct answer
Where was this photo taken?
Please send answers to ­
arik@torahmitzion.org
The answer, further information
about this location as well as the
name of the first person to recognize this
site will be published in next week‘s
edition.
Torah MiTzion was established in 1995
with the goal of strengthening Jewish
communities around the globe and
infusing them with the love for Torah,
the Jewish People and the State of Israel. Over the past nineteen years Torah
MiTzion's shlichim have inspired
and enriched their host communities
through a wide range of
high impact formal and informal
educational programs. In cooperation with :