Rabbi Levin's Blog

I would like to share a story of Divine Providence and kindness that happened over the last few days. I am writing this on a plane heading back from a trip East. I went to Philadelphia for my grandson Dovid Abba Brownstein’s Bar Mitzvah and had planned to return today from Philadelphia.  (By the way I have to share that the highlight of the Bar Mitzvah was something that I have not seen before. The Bar Mitzvah boy made a Siyum (celebration of completion) of the entire six orders of the Mishnah. This is a monumental achievement for a 12 year old. @Proud grandpa.)  I changed my plans because my mother was taken to the hospital. She is thank G-d recovering and we expect she’ll return home today. (If you would like to say a couple of Tehillim for her that would be nice and I would appreciate it. I recommend chapter 20 and 99.  Her name is Rachel bat Mariasha. Thanks.). I got a ride from the Bar Mitzvah to New York  last night and was able to visit my mother, and am now o...

It’s Rosh Hashanah.  The Shul is packed.  The service went as expected.  The cantor for Shachris was wonderful.  The Torah reading was inspiring.  You even enjoyed the Rabbi’s sermon.  Now comes the moment you have been anticipating all season, the main Mitzvah of Rosh Hashanah and what defines it as unique among all holidays.  The blowing of the Shofar. You have told your kids that they need to be quiet at the special holy time of the Shofar blowing.   You have read the Chassidus about the significance of the Shofar.  How it creates a new “Ratzon” - will of Hashem, to continue giving life to the worlds.  That this Mitzvah affects the rebuilding of - in Kabbalistic terms - the holy Sefira of Malchut of Atzilut, crowning Hashem as our King and recommitting to His Torah.  The simple sound of the Shofar represents the cry of the essence of our soul, piercing all obstacles, and reaching the essence of Hashem.  Hashem takes great pl...

This is the last Shabbat of the current year.  Next Shabbat will be Rosh Hashanah, the first day of the year 5787.  This is our opportunity to prepare ourselves for the great days of Rosh Hashanah, the Ten days of Teshuvah, and Yom Kippur.  Everything important requires preparation.  How much more so the most monumental event of the year, when the entire Creation is renewed.   It is interesting to note that the written Torah does not expressly state that the first of Tishrei is Rosh Hashanah.  This day is defined in the Torah as “Yom Teruah” - a day of blowing the Shofar.  We pair this with a verse in Tehillim (Psalms 81:4,5): “Sound the shofar on the New Moon, on the appointed time for the day of our festival. For it is a statute for Israel, the judgment of the G-d of Jacob.”  The only festival that occurs at the time of the New Moon is the one on the first of Tishrei.  All others happen when the moon is full or already well lit up....

Every time we read this week’s Parsha, a troubling question comes up.  Why all the curses?  It’s very difficult to read, and in fact the Ba’al Kore - the Torah reader in the Synagogue - lowers his voice for this section and reads it faster than the rest.  The answer in Chassidic teachings is complicated, multi-faceted and probably difficult for many to comprehend.  The gist of it is that there are revealed blessings, and then there are blessings that are too lofty spiritually to be revealed.   It is written that no bad comes from G-d.  Some misinterpret that to mean that anything bad is not from G-d but from some other force.  This idea is inconsistent with the Torah view of the unity of Hashem.  Everything was created and is controlled by Hashem, including forces of evil.  So the only other interpretation is that what appears to be bad is really not bad.  As I said, this is something that is very difficult to comprehend, and I am n...

If I ask you what the Torah talks about, what is your first reaction?  I have asked several people this question, across the spectrum of Torah knowledge and connection.  One of the typical reactions is that it is a bunch of rules.  Others mention the stories.  Some focus on “fire and brimstone” and punishments.  Today I got a nice answer:  After the initial “a bunch of restrictive laws,” he said that the Torah teaches us how to live our lives. What I want to suggest today is that a major theme of the Torah is to be honest.  You must not withhold the wages of a poor or destitute employee... You must give him his wage on his promised day—the sun must not set on it, because he is poor, and he risks his life to earn it... You must not pervert the judgment of a convert or an orphan... You must not keep two supposedly identical but different weights in your pocket: a heavy one for buying and a light one for selling... You must possess a full and correct weig...

Over the centuries people have eaten whatever they had available. There was often no understanding of the relationship between particular foods and their health. There were those who studied this relationship and learned about which foods are healthy and which are not. Some chose to eat healthy foods, and they enjoyed the benefits, both short and long term.  It was always much easier to just eat whatever is easiest to prepare. The good stuff may not taste as sweet, salty or crunchy and requires more thought and self control.  Then came the fast food. Instead of planning and cooking, or spending a lot of money and time in an upscale restaurant, you could pick up some delicious food, not even needing to get out of your car. It was advertised as delicious and convenient and healthy. (You could even get a piece of lettuce with the burger!)  the idea caught on like wildfire and spread throughout the world. What an easy way to provide for our nutritional needs. What fun!  ...