Rabbi Levin's Blog

Every time we read this week’s Parsha, a troubling question comes up.  Why all the curses?  It’s very difficult to read, and in fact the Ba’al Kore - the Torah reader in the Synagogue - lowers his voice for this section and reads it faster than the rest.  The answer in Chassidic teachings is complicated, multi-faceted and probably difficult for many to comprehend.  The gist of it is that there are revealed blessings, and then there are blessings that are too lofty spiritually to be revealed.   It is written that no bad comes from G-d.  Some misinterpret that to mean that anything bad is not from G-d but from some other force.  This idea is inconsistent with the Torah view of the unity of Hashem.  Everything was created and is controlled by Hashem, including forces of evil.  So the only other interpretation is that what appears to be bad is really not bad.  As I said, this is something that is very difficult to comprehend, and I am n...

If I ask you what the Torah talks about, what is your first reaction?  I have asked several people this question, across the spectrum of Torah knowledge and connection.  One of the typical reactions is that it is a bunch of rules.  Others mention the stories.  Some focus on “fire and brimstone” and punishments.  Today I got a nice answer:  After the initial “a bunch of restrictive laws,” he said that the Torah teaches us how to live our lives. What I want to suggest today is that a major theme of the Torah is to be honest.  You must not withhold the wages of a poor or destitute employee... You must give him his wage on his promised day—the sun must not set on it, because he is poor, and he risks his life to earn it... You must not pervert the judgment of a convert or an orphan... You must not keep two supposedly identical but different weights in your pocket: a heavy one for buying and a light one for selling... You must possess a full and correct weig...

Over the centuries people have eaten whatever they had available. There was often no understanding of the relationship between particular foods and their health. There were those who studied this relationship and learned about which foods are healthy and which are not. Some chose to eat healthy foods, and they enjoyed the benefits, both short and long term.  It was always much easier to just eat whatever is easiest to prepare. The good stuff may not taste as sweet, salty or crunchy and requires more thought and self control.  Then came the fast food. Instead of planning and cooking, or spending a lot of money and time in an upscale restaurant, you could pick up some delicious food, not even needing to get out of your car. It was advertised as delicious and convenient and healthy. (You could even get a piece of lettuce with the burger!)  the idea caught on like wildfire and spread throughout the world. What an easy way to provide for our nutritional needs. What fun!  ...

  There are many different types of tests that we face in life.  There is the test of suffering and the test of abundance.  Will we continue to keep our faith and serve Hashem under duress, and will we recognize the great gift of abundance that Hashem has given us and respond with greater fervor in our observance?  There is the test of temptation to sin that we all face every day.  There was the test of the “Akeida,” when Avraham was called upon to sacrifice his son, and other tests that great Tzaddikim have faced to expose their deep, unshakeable faith. I think it is fair to say that the test that Moshe describes in this week’s Parsha, Re’eh, is a major challenge, especially for our generation.  “If there will arise among you a prophet or dreamer, and he gives you a sign or a marvel, and the sign or the marvel of which he spoke to you takes place, and he says, ‘Let us follow other peoples’ deities, which you have not known, and let us worship them.’ You mu...

“And now, Israel, what does G-d, your G-d, demand of you? Only to revere G-d, your G-d, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, and to serve G-d, your G-d, with all your heart and with all your soul... by keeping G-d’s commandments and rules, which I am commanding you today, for your own good.”  (Devarim 10:12,13.)  These are Moshe’s words in his parting words to the people, as he prepares them for life without him in Israel.   (Pardon the interruption.  We have invited a Scholar in Residence next weekend, Rabbi Avroham Jacks, August 7-8, in partnership with the Torah Science Foundation.  He is a very interesting speaker and will address some of the issues at the forefront of our consciousness these days.  Please see here for details.) This is somewhat shocking: “What does G-d, your G-d, demand of you, “ONLY” to revere G-d etc.?” As the Talmud puts it (Berachot 33b):  “Is reverence [of G-d] a small thing?”  For someone to live with reverence o...

On Tisha B’Av morning, (which happens this Thursday,) we read a special Torah reading.This reading is actually also part of this week’s Parsha, Va’etchanan (Devarim 4:25-40).  It begins with Moshe warning of exile in case we stray from Torah, and continues with a promise that we will never be cast away from Hashem.  Moshe reminds us of Hashem’s great kindnesses, taking us out of Egypt with great miracles and wonders, splitting the sea, giving us the Torah, and leading us toward the Land of Israel.  Moshe exhorts us to do Teshuva, to return to Hashem, and assures us that He will never forget His covenant with us. Then Moshe tells us to remember a very important and foundational principle of our faith (verse 39):  “You must know today and consider in your heart that G-d is the G-d in heaven above and on earth below; there is none other.  (Note that is only the simplest way to translate this very intricate and mulit-faceted verse.) There are books written to try to...

Moshe’s physical time on Earth was coming to an end.  He spent the last 40 days of his life preparing the Jewish people for their new life in Israel without his personal leadership.  Like a loving leader and shepherd, he reviewed the laws that would keep our people through all the lifecycles and challenges of the future.  He also talked about their missteps, and sometimes it can sound harsh.  But when we look a little deeper, with the perspective that Moshe had sacrificed so much for his people even when they had sinned, we can see the love in his words.   An example of his devotion to his people was after they had sinned with the Golden Calf, worshipping an idol 40 days after Hashem had revealed himself to them at Mount Sinai.  Hashem had threatened to annihilate them and make Moshe himself the patriarch of a new nation.  Moshe asked Hashem “if [you don’t forgive them] erase me from your book.”  The Torah which was Moshe’s great life’s accom...

  I have a question for you.  First some background.  The original land Hashem promised to the Jewish people was from the river to the sea, from the Mediterranean to the Jordan river.  This was the land that would be divided amongst the 12 tribes.  Then the two mighty kings on the east side of the Jordan made a fatal mistake.  When Moshe asked Sichon, the king of the Emorites, to let them pass through to enter the promised Jewish land, Sichon refused and went to war.  With Hashem’s miraculous help, the Jews won and took his land, as well as that of the mighty Og, who also initiated war against the Jews.   The tribes of Gad and Reuven saw luscious grazing land east of the Jordan river for their vast amounts of sheep and cattle, and came up with a novel idea.  How about we settle here instead of our designated lands on the west of the Jordan. Moshe was upset.  “Are you trying to do what the spies did, refusing to enter the land and tu...

  Today, Thursday, is the 17th of Tammuz, a fast day commemorating the Romans’ breaching the walls of the City of Jerusalem, leading to the destruction of the Holy Temple three weeks later.  There were several other calamities that happened on that day, and you can read about it here .  The fast is observed by not eating or drinking all day until nightfall (9:05 in Palo Alto), saying special prayers called Selichot and Aneinu, increasing Tzedakah, and spending time contemplating the meaning of the day.  We recognize the need to strengthen our bond with Hashem, and to turn the tide on the exile through Teshuvah.   There are different ways we can approach this.  One is to focus on the destruction and pain and suffering.  Another way is to focus on changing the situation and bringing about the redemption and the rebuilding of the Holy Temple (in a peaceful way).   We can take this second approach a step further.  When Moshiach comes, t...

“The world is not a jungle.  It is Hashem’s beautiful garden.”  “We each have a mission on Earth. To make it a home for Hashem.  Anything that stands in the way of that mission can only be a test, because the entire purpose of Creation is for that mission to be fulfilled.”  “Hashem does not expect more from a person than they can handle.  If you have a test, it means you have the strength to overcome it.” These are (paraphrased) some of the teachings of the previous Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson.  He taught and inspired us to strengthen the deep faith in Hashem that is ingrained in our soul, in the face of the many obstacles that come our way.  The world around us is not conducive to Torah observance, and many of us face real hardships that make it difficult to keep faithful to the Torah lifestyle. And then he was tested.  He was the one Jewish leader in the Soviet Union who refused to bow to the vicious, murderous Communists, who in the ...

I’m writing these lines at 35,000 feet, on my way to New York to mark the Third of Tammuz, the 32nd Yartzeit of the Rebbe. I plan to visit the Ohel and I was invited to speak at a gathering in Brooklyn Heights. At the 32nd Yartzeit of the previous Rebbe, the Rebbe pointed out the significance of the number 32. It is the numerical value of the Hebrew word “lev” which means heart. Rambam tells us that the leader of the Jewish people is considered the heart of the nation. The heart is one of the key organs that give life to the body, and in some ways is the most important because it provides the lifeblood to every limb in the body. A healthy heart must pump the blood to every arteryand every limb, and even helps the nails grow.  Our spiritual life force is the Torah, and it is interesting to note that “lev”, the letters lamed and beit, are the end and the beginning of the Torah. The last letter is lamed, and when we conclude the reading of the Torah on Simchat Torah, we immediatel...