Rabbi Levin's Blog

  This week we learn the laws of the Red Heifer when we read “Parshat Parah,” the third of the four special Torah portions that we read related to Purim and Pesach.  The connection between this week’s extra reading and Pesach is as follows:  Next Shabbat, before the month of Nissan begins, we will read about the Mitzvah of establishing the Jewish months by the renewal of the moon, and that Nissan is considered the first month.  That Parsha continues with the laws of the Paschal lamb sacrifice that was offered on the day before Pesach and eaten at the Seder. In order to be able to eat the meat of the Pesach offering, a person had to be in a state of ritual purity.  This meant that if a person had become ritually impure, they had to purify themselves before Pesach.  This is also related to this week’s regular Parsha reading, Tzav, which deals with the process of offering sacrifices, which all requires “Tahara” – everyone involved must be in a state of ritual ...

  Purim begins this Saturday night, marking the great miracle when the attempted genocide of the Jews was transformed into a successful war of self-defense.  The Megillah story is well known, and if you study the Talmud and Midrash it becomes truly fascinating.   Let me ask you a question:  How is it possible that Haman didn’t suspect something fishy going on when Esther twice invited him to dine with her and her husband the King?  Esther had just approached the king, at great risk to her life, to ask him “for something,” which she would share with him at a banquet with him and Haman. At the feast, with Esther looking pale and weak from three days of fasting, the king asks her, in front of Haman, what he can give her, even offering her half his kingdom..  Rather than telling him why she went to all this trouble, she instead invites both mento another intimate meal tomorrow!  What was Haman thinking?  Where was his antenna?  Didn't he sus...

  There were two lead designers in the building of the Mishkan - the portable Sanctuary that the Jews built in the desert.  The Torah says that Hashem “ imbued them with wisdom of the heart, to do all sorts of work of a craftsman and a master worker and an embroiderer with blue, purple, and crimson wool, and linen and [of] weavers, those who do every [manner of] work, and master weavers.” (Shemot 35:35.)  In other words, Hashem hand-picked these two men and gifted them with special wisdom and talents, as well as the capability to lead teams of craftworkers. Three times the Torah tells us that Betzalel from the tribe of Judah and Ahaliov of the tribe of Dan were chosen.  First,  when Hashem commands  Moshe to build the Mishkan, then when Moshe tells the people about the traveling sanctuary, and finally in this week’s Parsha, Pekudei, when the Mishkan is built.  The truth is that repetition is a theme when it comes to the Mishkan in general.  After ...

  The portable Sanctuary that the Jewish people built in the desert had many parts made of all sorts of materials.  The roof, for example, was a multi-layered masterwork.  There  was a beautiful, multicolored tapestry woven with linen and three colors of wool, blue, red and purple.  On top of that were two types of animal skins, and between the skins there was cloth of spun goat’s hair.  The goat’s hair cloth was woven, as the Torah says, by wise women.  “ And all the women whose hearts uplifted them with wisdom, spun the goat hair.” (Shemot 25:36.)  Not just wise, but “whose hearts lifted them up with wisdom.”  Sounds like more than just wisdom. This verse contains another interesting term.  In the Hebrew, it does not say that they spun the goat hair.  It says that they spun the goats.  How do you spin a goat?  Rashi explains that this was actually an exceptional skill.  The women spun the hair while it was still gro...