Rabbi Levin's Blog

Tonight and tomorrow (Friday) is Lag Ba’omer.  What exactly is Lag Ba’Omer? The word “lag” is not actually a Hebrew word.  It is a composite of two letters, lamed and gimel, and is used for the numerical value.  Lamed is 30, gimel is 3, so “lag” is 33. Ba’omer means “of the Omer.”  So Lag Ba’Omer is the 33rd day of the Omer counting.  One of the questions I wan tto address is why we mark the day as the 33rd of the Omer and not by the date on the calendar, 18 Iyar. During the period between Pesach and Shavuot, we “count the Omer”, counting each of the 49 days leading from the Exodus until the Receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.  It is called “Counting the Omer" because it begins on the second day of Pesach when the Omer offering - a measure of barley flour, was offered on the Altar.   Chassidus explains in depth the connection between the sacrifice, the counting, and the two holidays.  In a nutshell, when the Jewish people left Egypt they w...

I am Hashem.”  This is a statement that is found many times in Parshat Kedoshim relating to various laws.  Respect your parents, keep Shabbat, I am Hashem.  Don’t make graven images. I am Hashem.  Leave the corner of your field for the poor, I am Hashem your G-d.  Don’t swear falsely by My name, I am Hashem.  Don’t curse a person, don’t place a stumbling block before the blind, fear your G-d, I am Hashem.  Don’t pay revenge. Love your fellow as yourself, I am Hashem. Respect the elderly, revere Torah scholars, fear your G-d, I am Hashem. Don’t gossip or slander, I am Hashem.  Do not tattoo your flesh, I am Hashem, do not cheat the convert, I am Hashem, do not use false weights and measures, I am Hashem.  And more. What is striking here is the range of mitzvot where Hashem exhorts us to recognize that they are from Him. From spiritual laws like Shabbat observance, to interpersonal behaviors, to honest business practices, they are all from Hash...

A person gets a white blotch on their skin. They are ritually Tamei (loosely translated as impure).  They need to go out of town and be alone until it clears up. It is called Tzaraat, and is mistranslated as “leprosy.”  Leprosy is a contagious physical disease that affects the skin, and “lepers” were for many generations shunned from society. Perhaps because of the association with Tzaraat. Is Tzaraat really an infectious human skin disease? Well, there is also Tzaraat of clothing. If a garment has a certain deep green or red discoloration, it could be Tzaraat. Then there is Tzaraat of the house, when in some cases the affected stones are removed and in some cases the house may even be destroyed.  In all three types, human, clothing and building, the decision of whether or not it is actual Tzaraat and therefore Tamei is made by a Kohen - a priest. In fact it is his pronouncement of “Tamei” that places the person, garment or home in the status of having Tzaraat.  The ...

  One of the subjects I get asked about most frequently is the origin of the Oral Torah and its relationship to the Written Torah. Isn’t the Oral Torah made up later by men?  How can you say it’s Hashem’s will when it was not written by Moshe and has no source in the Five Books? My answer is that it is all from Hashem. The Torah was written by Moshe as dictated by Hashem and contains layers upon layers of meaning all written in code. Moshe then transmitted orally what the code is and how to understand it. The Sages didn’t make anything up. They carefully followed the code we received from Moshe and that is how they figured out what Hashem is really saying in the often obscure words of the Torah.  I want to share an example from this week’s Parsha. I encourage you to put on your “Talmudic thinking cap” and come with me on a little intellectual journey.  The Torah recounts the story of Aharon’s two sons who shockingly died at a moment of intense joy and holiness. The M...

  Happy Chol Hamoed (the intermediate days of Pesach.) There is an age-old custom that was originally secret and known only to great Kabbalists.  The Baal Shem Tov revealed it to the community, and over the years it has become increasingly popular.  This custom gradually spread throughout the Chassidic world over the generations, and has now been accepted amongst a broad range of Jewish communities. I am referring to the Feast of Moshiach, celebrated at the end of Pesach, this year on the coming Sunday in the early evening.  I can't think of a more moving and inspiring way to end this beautiful holiday.  We eat Matzah and drink four cups of wine, similar to the Seder at the very beginning of the holiday.  What is the meaning of this celebration and why are we having a meal for Moshiach who has not yet been revealed? As we know Pesach is the holiday of liberation, when Hashem sent Moshe to us and took us out of the bitter Egyptian exile.  This was follo...

With Pesach a couple of days away I will discuss a few practical things relating to the next few days.  This year we have the rare occurrence of Pesach beginning on Saturday night.  (The next time this will happen will be in 2045.)  This adds a layer of complication to the pre-Pesach preparations.  Typically we check the house for Chametz on the night before Pesach, then in the morning we eat a Chametz breakfast and then burn the leftover Chametz, and begin to observe the Kosher for Pesach rules.  This year, however, we can’t burn the Chametz at the time the Pesach laws take effect because it is Shabbat.  At the same time, we need to have our Shabbat meal with bread, and we are not permitted to eat Matzah on the day before Pesach.  So let’s review the things that we should be doing between now and the Seder.  (This is by no means a comprehensive list, but some of the major highlights of things not to forget.) Cleaning and inspecting the house:...