Rabbi Levin's Blog

  I was delayed in writing my blog this week, and everything is Divine providence.  As I was writing a whole piece on blessings and Birkat Hamazon, the blessing after the meal that is written in this week's Parsha, I received an essay by Rabbi Eli Friedman, Director of Chabad in Calabasas, CA.  It is so wonderful that I decided to share it, and hopefully another day I will publish the "blessings" piece.  Here it is:   CRAZY, BUT NOT DANGEROUS   When my grandfather had his draft meeting in the 1940's, the interviewing officer took one look at this serious-looking, suit-wearing, bearded teenager sporting a Dick Tracy hat, and immediately set about ascertaining the boy's sanity.   "Boy, do you date?"   "No."   "Do you go to the movies?"   "No."   The officer scribbled furiously in his notes. "What are you writing about me?" my grandfather asked.   "I'm describing you as crazy but not dangerous."   And fo...

I am writing these lines in the airport waiting at the gate for my flight back from Las Vegas to S. Jose.  I came here this morning for the funeral of a good friend who used to live in our area and moved to LV a few years ago. Howard - Henach Nachman ben Avraham Shachna Haleivi - was a good friend and a generous partner in our work serving the needs of the community. He was instrumental in the exponential growth of Chabad Palo Alto when he helped make it possible for us to add another Shliach (Rabbinic) couple to our staff. Each of our Shluchim directly impacts thousands of lives, and today I am thinking of the merit that his Neshama has for all the people who have been touched by his generosity. He was taken way too soon at the age if 59, falling victim to the horrible pandemic that looms over our heads. He passed away on the saddest day of our calendar, Tisha B’Av. May his memory be a blessing and may his soul reach great heights in Gan Eden.  Now how do I segue from that to...

  Tisha B’Av (the ninth day of the month of Av) – the saddest day on the Jewish calendar.  Both Holy Temples were destroyed on this day, and many other calamities befell the Jewish people on this day.  You can see details here .  We fast for 25 hours, similar to Yom Kippur, and we may not wear leather shoes or bathe, and refrain from any activities that express joy.  We are even restricted on what parts of Torah we may study, since Torah study brings us great joy.    The ninth of Av will be this Sunday.  While the fast of Tisha B’Av happens often on a Sunday, it is interesting to note that this year is different.  Typically, a Sunday “Tisha B’Av” is actually a misnomer.  The literal translation of “Tisha B’Av” means “the ninth day of Av,” as I wrote at the beginning, but usually the Sunday fast is really on the tenth of Av.  This is because when the ninth day of Av falls on Shabbat, we postpone the fast to the next day, since we do ...

Directionless. Aimlessly wandering. Traveling with no destination. It’s not fun and anyone would feel frustrated in such a situation.  It could be one of the most hopeless and self-defeating situations to be in. Unless, of course, that was your goal. There are people who intentionally go off wandering in  unknown places. Perhaps they are exploring new vistas or wanting to get away from everything and find new uncharted destinations, or to find themselves.  The Jews leaving Egypt traveled in the desert for 40 years with 42 stops or “legs”, and if you look at the route they took, a lot of it seems to be aimless wandering. They had started out on the longer southern route toward Israel.  They could have taken a much shorter route Northward along the Mediterranean but as the Torah recounts, there was a chance they would turn around and go back as soon as they encountered war. So they headed to the desert instead, intending to traverse the south of Israel, then head north...

  A tragedy is a tragedy.  There is no other way to describe it.  When a home that is supposed to be a safe place where people live and are protected, suddenly gives way and hundreds of people are lost-this is a tragedy.  I have read many theories about why the building in Florida crashed, but nobody really knows for sure.  As believers in Hashem and Divine Providence, we ask “how could Hashem allow such a thing to happen?”  It’s a legitimate question, and there is really no answer.  We don’t understand, we don’t know, and we should not look for ways to justify it.  We mourn for the dead, we pray for the injured and the survivors, and for their loved ones and all those affected.   But there is another narrative here.  The incredible outpouring of chesed – kindness – and unity in the aftermath of the tragedy.  People from the local community and from around the world jumped in to help.  Money was raised, food was provided for su...