Rabbi Levin's Blog

  Sometimes it seems as if people try to connect things that have no connection, just because they are there.  Our Sages teach that the Sukkah is connected to the blowing of the Shofar in many ways.  An example:  On Rosh Hashana we blow 100 sounds on the Shofar.  Sixty Tekiyot (the straight sound), 20 Shevarim and 20 Teruot.  This fits the numerical values of the letters of the Hebrew word for the covering of the Sukkah – Sechach - samech, chaf, chaf, is 100.  Samech 60, chaf 20, chaf 20.  So it all fits nicely together.  Or does it?  Reminds me of a person who calls the newspaper to put in a free event announcement.  The clerk tells him he has 90 words, so he dictates a message.  The clerk says: that is 87 words, you have three more.  The guy says: ok, add “car for sale.”  But there are, in fact, many real connections, and I want to share one that I read recently.    On Rosh Hashana we were all inspired by ...

This is a week of transition.  In the Torah portion we read about the transition from Moshe’s leadership to that of Yehoshua (Joshua).  On the calendar, we are in the days known as the “Ten Days of Teshuvah.”  As we move into the new year, we each go through a personal transition.  The year began with Rosh Hashana, when we reaffirm our bond with Hashem and our acceptance of His sovereignty.  Now we begin a process of introspection.  An anniversary is a wonderful time to celebrate a relationship.  We remind ourselves about all the wonderful things we see in each other, we reminisce about the good memories of the past and we commit to continue building the strength of the marriage in the future.  Typically, the anniversary celebration is not a good time to bring up grievances or problems in the relationship.  But if the commitment is real, we will want to stop and think about the things that have gotten in the way in the past to ensure that we ...

Days of Awe, Days of Judgment.  That is how Rosh Hashana and the subsequent days, culminating in Yom Kippur, are commonly referred to.  There is good reason for this.  As we say in the liturgy, on this day Hashem judges every creature on earth, every country and nation.  Who would not be concerned and take seriously the prospect of standing in judgment before the Creator of the world who knows every secret.  This thought produces a range of feelings.  There are those who feel terror approaching Rosh hashana, and on the other hand there are those who just give up.  How can we face such a judgment and how can we ever stand up to scrutiny?   But there is another important aspect to Rosh Hashana.  Rabbi Schneur Zalman, the founder of Chabad, writes that this is the day that Hashem “sits” on a throne of mercy.  Hashem is referred to as “Rachum badin” – merciful in judgment.  On Rosh Hashana we say a beautiful prayer referring to Hashem a...