Rabbi Levin's Blog

  How do you make something your own?  We know how to acquire things, but what about knowledge?  How do we take something written by someone else and really make it part of our lives?    People spend a lot of time studying: in school, in college or Yeshiva, and all throughout life.  How much of what we study affects us deeply? A well-rounded education is considered important for success, but, once we graduate, most of what we learn is behind us.   Torah is different.  It is interesting to note the value that we place on Torah learning, way beyond any “utility” we get from it.  Law schools are full of law students who plan to use the law for their careers.  The same with medical school, engineering school, etc.     But yeshivot are not full of rabbis.  While many yeshiva students become rabbis, and you do need a solid Torah education to become a rabbi, most yeshiva students are learning Torah for the sake of learning Torah.  Most will go on to fulfilling careers in various professions,

 Today is Lag B’Omer.  You can read all about it here .  At its core it is the day when we celebrate the revelation of the deepest mystical secrets of Torah by Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.  So I thought it would be a good opportunity to discuss a deeper meaning behind a verse in this week’s Parsha taught by the Rebbe, which carries an important message for our generation, connected to the core message of Lag B’Omer. Following the laws of the Sabbatical year - Shemittah, when fields in Israel must be left fallow, un-ploughed and un-worked, the Torah addresses a question that will, it says, definitely be asked: “When you ask ‘what will we eat in the seventh year, we will not be sowing seeds nor gathering the harvest into our homes?’(Vayikra 25:20)”  The Torah answers that Hashem will provide special blessings in the sixth year and the produce will be enough to last until the next year’s grain is harvested. Let’s analyze this verse for a moment.  This is the Torah speaking.  The Torah teaches

  Ever polished a day?  Have you ever gotten a “day shine” (as opposed to a shoe shine).  What on earth is he talking about, you’re probably thinking.  Well, in Hebrew there are many plays on words, because Hebrew is a rich language, and many of its words have meanings and sub-meanings and hints and allusions.  This is especially true of words in the Torah.  Our sages taught that there are 70 (Torah-true) ways to interpret every aspect of the Torah. Here’s an example:  In the section of this week’s Parsha that teaches us about the festivals, the Torah tells us about the Mitzvah of the “Counting of the Omer:”  Usefartem lachem… you shall count for you… seven weeks.  This is the Mitzvah to count the seven weeks, 49 days, from the second day of Pesach to Shavuot.  The word “Usefartem” means you shall count, but it also has another meaning.  The three letters samech fai and reish are related to the word “sapir,” meaning sapphire, implying a shining stone.   (*Pardon the Interruption* We ne

(*Pardon the Interruption* We need some cars for our summer program.  Would you have a car you can donate?  Used car values, and therefore also tax write-offs, can be pretty hefty, if the organization you donate the car to uses the car as opposed to selling it.) I have two questions.  First, why so many regulations?  The Torah seems to regulate every part of our lives.  Ok, it’s understandable why I should not kill or steal or lie or cheat.  But why regulate every detail of what I eat or how I behave in my private life? Second, what does it mean when the Torah tells me: “Be holy?”  This is the name of this week’s Parsha, Kedoshim, and if the Torah is speaking to each and every one of us, then I am being told to be holy.  Holiness, one would think, is the realm of the select few truly righteous people, not for me or you. Well, I think we can answer both questions together.  (By the way, this concept is related to my upcoming course “Beyond Right,” which shows the “soul” of the Torah’s r