Rabbi Levin's Blog

I had a very interesting discussion with a person I have known for many years.  While he is not connected much to observance of Mitzvot, he described to me the great spiritual path he has found.  He told me about going deeper and deeper into various levels of consciousness, finding nothingness and then the light behind it.   After explaining to him that the ultimate mystical and spiritual secrets are found in the Torah, we discussed the primacy of practice.  We are here on Earth to fulfill Hashem’s will, and that is specifically to work within the darkness of the physical world.  Mystical meanings bring life to the Mitzvot, but without physical practice, there is no true connection to Hashem.  I was struck by the relevance of this discussion to this week’s Parsha, and it is actually a mystical teaching that brings this idea to light. One of the most beautiful pilgrimages to the Holy Temple that farmers in Israel would observe was the “Bikkurim,” bringing th...

  How often do we get “can’t miss” offers?  They used to come in the mail. “A sale you can’t miss.” “An opportunity for you! Don’t miss it!”  Now it seems we are bombarded with these urgent offers every day all day on our phones. We have become jaded and actually cautious. I hardly believe any of them.  But… there are in fact opportunities that we should take notice of and not miss. Sometimes we have a life-altering opportunity but we are too busy to take notice and let it slip between our fingers.  Rosh Hashana is hard to miss. It’s safe to say that any Jew who feels a connection to Judaism and Jewish communities notices Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. The synagogues fill up, the impressive voice of the cantor and the unique High Holiday liturgy and melodies move us. The sound of the Shofar penetrates our hearts and the priestly blessings uplift us. The special foods we eat, Challah dipped in honey, apple dipped in honey, and as I learned when I came to California...