Rabbi Levin's Blog

  What kind of blessing is “Cursed is their anger?”  Before his passing, our forefather Yaakov gathered his children to bless them.  The Torah tells us that he blessed them all (Bereshit 49:28):  “All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them and blessed them; each one, according to his blessing, he blessed them.”   Yet if we read the words he said to Shimon and Levi, it does not look like such a great blessing (Bereshit 49:5-7):   “Shimon and Levi are brothers; stolen instruments are their weapons.  Let my soul not enter their counsel; my honor, you shall not join their assembly, for in their wrath they killed a man, and with their will they hamstrung a bull.  Cursed be their wrath for it is mighty, and their anger because it is harsh. I will separate them throughout Jacob, and I will scatter them throughout Israel.”     What I am about to write are my personal thoughts based on Rashi’s commenta...

This Friday is the fast of the tenth of Tevet.  This is the only fast that can occur on a Friday, and it happens rarely. Fasting is generally forbidden on Shabbat, except for Yom Kippur, and we should not go into Shabbat fasting either.  If a fast day like the 17th of Tammuz or Tisha B’Av falls on Shabbat, the observance of the day is postponed to Sunday.  If the Fast of Esther falls on a Shabbat, however, we can’t postpone it to Sunday because that would push off Purim, so the fast is held earlier instead. But it is held on Thursday, not Friday, in order that we should not fast even for the first few minutes of Shabbat.  Nevertheless on the Tenth of Tevet we do fast on Friday and we go into Shabbat fasting. One reason given is because this fast commemorates the day that the Jewish people lost our independence, and many exiles and tragedies followed.  The tenth of Tevet is the day that the Babylonians, led by the evil Nebuchadnezzar, laid siege to the city of Je...

  It is a rare occurrence when we read the Haftorah of Parshat Miketz.  The Haftorah is a section from the prophets,read after the regular weekly Torah reading, with similar themes.  However, on special days like holidays and Rosh Chodesh, we read a section of the prophets relating to that special day.  Parshat Miketz almost always falls on Chanukah, so we read the special Chanukah Haftorah.  The only exception is when Chanukah begins on a Friday, as it did this year, and then we read the “regular” haftorah for Parshat Miketz.  It happens approximately four times in forty years!   (By the way, next week there is another very rare occurrence.  The fast of the Tenth of Tevet happens next Friday, and we go into Shabbat fasting.)   The Haftorah this week is the famous story of King Solomon’s wisdom.  Solomon became king at age 12, and Hashem appeared to him in a dream,offering him any gift he would like.  Rather than riches or fame, he ...

  Olive oil is the centerpiece of the Chanukah story, both physically and spiritually.  The main observance of the holiday (even more important than latkes and doughnuts!) is lighting the Menorah, commemorating the miracle of the olive oil that lasted for eight days.  In fact, though you are allowed to light with candles and other oils, the best way to observe the Mitzvah is to light with actual olive oil.   (Speaking of the miracle of olive oil and doughnuts, you may have heard of the modern day miracle when an eight-night supply of doughnuts lasted one night!  Sorry.)   There was another great miracle on Chanukah, of course -  the incredible victory of the Maccabees, also known as the Hasmoneans, over the massive Greek-Syrian army.   Yes, it  was a military victory against all odds, but the victory also shares a mystical connection to olive oil.   Oil is the essence of a plant.  And when you mix oil with other foods, it permeates ...