Rabbi Levin's Blog

I am writing these lines at 35,000 feet on my return trip from Detroit, where we celebrated the wedding of my youngest son Yisroel to Gittel Stein. The Talmud (Kiddushin 29a) lists the obligations a father has to his son and vice versa. Along with circumcising and redeeming him (by giving the Kohen five shekels in a ceremony known as “pidyon haben”), teaching him a trade and, according to some, teaching him how to swim, there is an obligation to “marry him to a wife.”  We are filled with tremendous gratitude to Hashem that Dena and I have had the great merit to see all our children married.  As we return home from the beautiful celebration, I am reflecting on this obligation and why it is so prominent in a parent’s set of priorities. Although marriage has seemingly lost some of its importance to many in our society, it is not optional, just like circumcision at eight days, redemption at 30 days, having a means to make a living and the ability to save our lives from drowning....

  This Shabbat we read the last of the four special Parshiyot connected to Purim and Pesach, Parshat HaChodesh. This is in addition to the double Parsha of Vayakhel-Pekudei.  Vayakhel and Pekudei are about the building of the Mishkan - sanctuary - in the desert, the place on Earth where the Shechina (presence of Hashem) was revealed. HaChodesh teaches us the Mitzvah of following the lunar cycle for our months and years, that the month of Nissan shall be considered the first month, and then the laws and practices of the Pascal lamb sacrifice that was offered the day before we left Egypt, and subsequently in the Holy Temple.  There is a common theme that connects the three parshiyot. The Mishkan brought the light of Hashem into this physical world. There were ten miracles that happened there all the time, and when the people walked into the Mishkan they could actually see and experience Hashem’s presence.   HaChodesh means “the month,” but it also means the ...

We just celebrated Purim, the downfall of Haman and his colleagues. Haman was a descendant of Amalek and inherited his genetic hatred of Jews. He became extremely powerful, the effective leader of Persia with the King Achashverosh (himself a Jew hater) under his thumb. All of his power was concentrated toward wiping the Jews off the face of the earth.  He had lots of excuses. The Jews are scattered all over the kingdom, they don’t follow the rules, they are no benefit to the king, and the big one that Mordechai would not bow to him. But it was always to justify his hatred which preceded all of that.  When he first came to the king with his plan, Haman offered to pay 10,000 silver coins to the treasury for the privilege. Our sages taught that the money was a mystical way to gain the spiritual power to fulfill his diabolical plot. (Hard to explain.) Hashem said: the Jews preceded you with their half Shekels. Since the giving of the Torah, every head of household gave half ...

“Zachor et asher assa lecha Amalek.”  Remember what Amalek did to you...  This section of Deuteronomy (Devarim 25:17-19) is always read, in addition to the regular weekly Parsha, on the Shabbat before Purim.  We take two Torahs out of the Ark, and after reading the Parsha of Tetzave, we roll up the Torah and then open the second Torah and read “Parshat Zachor.” Listening to the reading of Parshat Zachor is considered a Biblical commandment, as the verse itself says: Remember Amalek.  Mitzvot are active, and “remember” doesn’t mean just in the mind, but to say the words from the Torah.  This is similar to the Mitzvah of “Remember the Shabbat day to sanctify it.  This verse also begins with the word “Zachor, and means to actually recite the Kiddush. In the days when many Jews lived alone in rural places, running farms or roadside inns and bars, they would make every effort to come to town for this Shabbat to hear the Torah reading.  Today it is much easi...

  “Ve’asu Li Mikdash veshachanti betocham.”  (Shemot 8.)  This is the Mitzvah to build a Holy Temple in Jerusalem, and a traveling Sanctuary in the desert. The basic translation of the above verse is “They shall make me a Holy Sanctuary and I will dwell amongst them.”  Let’s think about this concept. Sounds like Hashem is asking for a house where he can live. How can that be?  On one hand Hashem’s presence is everywhere. He is the Creator of everything and it is only the constant flow of Divine energy that keeps everything in existence. So how is one place more a home for Him than another? On the other hand, how can Hashem “live” in a physical building?  The only way this universe can exist as an independent entity, Chassidus explains, is when Hashem concealed Himself, because were Hashem’s energy to be revealed, nothing else could exist outside of Him.  King Solomon himself wondered about this when he finished building and furnishing the Holy Temple. ...

“Neither a borrower nor a lender be...” So wrote a world famous antisemitic writer, whom many consider a voice for morality.  His reasoning is that this way you will not lose friendships.   Contrast that with what is written in this week’s Parsha, Mishpatim.  “Im kesef talveh et ami.”  The words “kesef talve” mean “you will lend money.”  What about the first word, “Im?”  Generally the word “im” is translated as “if.”  Using that translation, the words would mean “if you lend money to my people.”  But the Talmud tells us, and Rashi quotes this, that in a few places in the Torah the word “im” means “when,” and this is one of them.  As Rashi says: “Rabbi Yishmael says: Every instance of “im” written in the Torah regarding a commandment means “if” and signifies that the commandment is optional, except for three cases where “im” means “when,” as the commandment is obligatory, and this is one of them.  (The others are: “When you bring an ...