Rabbi Levin's Blog

  Today is Tu Bishvat, the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat. The Mishna tells us that it is the new year for trees, because when tithing fruits, farmers had to tithe each year’s fruit separately. The cutoff for the tithing year for fruit was Tu Bishvat.   The traditional way to observe Tu Bishvat is to eat many fruits, beginning with the fruits with which the Torah says Israel is blessed:  Grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates.    There is a tradition from the great Kabbalah master the Arizal to eat 15 different fruits. (We are talking fruits that have the bracha Ha’etz. Bananas, strawberries and pineapples are not in this category.). Tree nuts are also considered fruits for this purpose. It is also customary to try to eat a new seasonal fruit and say the blessing of Shehecheyanu.   As in all things in the Torah, every observance has a mystical component.  Since the Torah compared a person to a tree, as in the verse (Devarim 20:19) “for a human is the tree of the field,” t

  The Tenth of Shevat is the day the leadership of the Jewish people passed from one generation to the next. On that day in 1950 Rabbi Yosef Y. Schneerson passed away and his son in law Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson became the new leader. While he did not officially accept the position until the Tenth of Shevat of the following year, it was obvious from the beginning that he was the one for the position. See more about that in this fascinating video .  We will celebrate the anniversary of this auspicious day this Shabbat. These two leaders literally shaped two worlds and helped the Jewish people survive two major challenges. Rabbi Yosef Schneerson, whom we call the previous Rebbe, faced the murderous Soviet Union, who in the name of equality and fairness attempted to erase any vestiges of Judaism, using vicious methods including hard labor in Siberia and murder.  He sent emissaries around the country to run schools, yeshivas, synagogues, Mikvahs and more. These emissaries literally risk

  Moshe and Aaron wanted to get Pharaoh’s attention.  After many years of exile including hard labor, murder of children and other atrocities, the Jewish people would finally be redeemed.  The great leader and shepherd Moshe had the famous vision at the burning bush, when Hashem told him to go to Egypt and, with his brother Aaron, to approach Pharaoh and tell him to “let My people go.”   The first miracle they performed to show Pharaoh that Hashem sent them was when Aaron threw his staff (stick) onto the floor and it turned into a snake.  Pharaoh laughed at them.  “You’re bringing coals to Newcastle,” he said.  Well not exactly.  “You’re bringing sorcery to Egypt which is full of sorcery,” he said.  And he had his own sorcerers throw their staffs down and they too turned to snakes.  But, of course, what Aaron did was not sorcery, it was a Divine miracle, and his staff then proceeded to swallow up all the other staffs.   Note that I said “his staff” swallowed the others, not his snake. 

  The Jewish spirit.  We have been hearing a lot about it recently.  Jews supporting each other and protecting our land.  Jews rushing from all over the world into the war zone in Israel, putting their own lives in danger.  Jews who on October 7 went right into the thick of the terrorist attack to save others.  We have heard many stories of heroism and self-sacrifice that show the enduring Jewish spirit and show how we sacrifice to help one another.    Friends of mine who lived here many years ago now live in Jerusalem.  They have a son Doron who is a police officer,a relatively safe job.  As a member of the police he is exempt from reserve army duty.  Nevertheless he joined his former army unit and put himself literally at the forefront of the war in an extremely dangerous position, providing cover for the medical teams who go into the battle zones to pull out wounded soldiers.  He sits unprotected atop an armored vehicle, making sure the medical personnel are protected.  His mother t