Holy Days

Holy Days Archives

THE ELUL PROCESS Refoel Leitner "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine" (Song of Songs 6:3). The initials of the original Hebrew words, "Ani l'dodi v'dodi li," spell Elul. The month of Elul is the period of 'arousal from below,' when the initiation of the man/G-d interaction is from our side: "I am my beloved's." Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are the time of 'arousal from above,' G-d's response: "and my beloved is mine." The verse implies a causal relationship; the effulgence of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is a direct response to the arousal from below in Elul. That is why Elul is an acronym for "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine," since proper preparation in Elul invokes the revelation of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. [from Sefer Ha'maamorim Meluket, Vol. 3, p. 363.] "Prepare the holy throne" (Zohar). Holiness requires preparation. Our chief task is not to create it, but rather to become a receptacle for holiness, which comes about according to the manner of the preparation. Elul is also the month of soul-accounting. A businessman occasionally needs to calculate an overall profit-and-loss statement, as well as a detailed ledger. We too need to conduct an annual audit of the state of our spiritual 'business.' The entire year we are involved in accruing profit: serving G-d through Torah-study, mitzvah-observance, prayer and good deeds. In the month of Elul, we make a general reckoning of all we have done throughout the year. Further, the best possible time for this soul-accounting is the month of Elul, for then the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy shine (i.e. "...slow to anger and abounding in kindness and truth; forgiving iniquity, ..."). Admur Hazaken explains how this revelation may be compared to a king who emerges from his palace and goes out to the field in full view of his subjects. Only then is it possible to engage appropriately in spiritual introspection without the danger of sinking into hopelessness and despair. For, after all, the king is with him in the field-he has our benefit in mind. There are two things which distinguish the king's appearance in the field from his usual presence in his palace. 1) The majesty of the king, in all his pomp and glory, is most evident in his palace, where he wears his royal garb and crown. In the field, however, it is the king's person that attracts the most attention. 2) While he is in the palace, only privileged individuals are granted an audience; whereas when he is in the field, everyone is allowed (and enabled) to greet him, and the king receives them all with a cheery countenance and a smiling face. Even though a Jew's service of G-d in this month is characterized as an arousal from below ("I am my beloved's"), this arousal is itself inspired, by the revelation from above of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy. This revelation, which comes to every Jew, even one who is very far from divinity, facilitates the service of "I am my beloved's." However, this revelation is primarily only the facilitation; it does not initially arouse the individual. The actual effort comes from the person,"I am my beloved's." In this, Elul is superior to the Ten Days of Penitence. For during these days (and specifically on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur), the revelation arouses the individual, so that one's personal service is a direct result of that revelation. Thus, the theme and virtue of personal service, through one's own efforts,is maximal in the month of Elul. Rabbi Yitzchak Luria ['ARI'--the leading Kabbalist of 16th century Tsfat], said: "It is written (Exodus 21:13): 'If he did not plan to kill, but G-d caused it to happen, then I will provide,' [a place of refuge] etc. The initials of the last four Hebrew words, Ena Leyado Vesamti Lecha, spell out Elul. This signifies that Elul is a 'place of refuge': a month in which we can flee the negative results of our sins, whether inadvertent or pre-meditated, through sincere repentence."9 Traditionally, "place of refuge" also symbolizes Torah-study, which is even more special during this month. The 13 Rules of Biblical Exegesis, which typify Torah Study, correspond to the 13 Attributes of Mercy which are operative during Elul. A pre-requisite for a proper soul accounting is total acceptance of and self-subordination to the heavenly yoke. This self-subordination can produce a generous 'growth ,' just as a seed sown in the ground and covered sprouts a yield far greater than itself. Although engaging in such spiritual labor can be difficult, making a sincere, all-out effort helps to generate the necessary inner strength to make our actual, practical service conform with Divine expectations. Repentance requires regret of past and positive resolution for the future, yet the first step is repairing and properly organizing the present, so that it is good and correct in all aspects of action, speech and thought. Only then, when the present is as it is supposed to be, can one do the work necessary to compensate for lackings or undesirable elements of the past, and to create guidelines and disciplines for the future. In correcting and straightening out the present, it is easier to fix action and speech than thought. How do we correct and bring order to speech and deed? By being preoccupied with good deeds and being accustomed to proper speech, prayer and study. However, even before one gets to this level, one can at least refrain from negative action and speech: it is neither necessary nor advisable always to do what one wants to do and to say what one feels like saying. Not so with thought, which is constantly active and impossible to stop or silence. The only option is to turn to other thoughts, since a person can always choose to change the topic of his thought. Therefore, every Jew should have words of Torah engraved in his memory, so that at any moment he can switch from an undesirable thought to a holy one. The month of Elul is propitious for self-stocktaking, and for repentance in the three 'garments' of the soul--thought, speech and action. Divine service requires thorough self-knowledge. Just as ignoring our faults can be crippling, so can being oblivious to our strengths. One must know oneself well: both one's abilities and talents as well as one's deficiencies and weaknesses. [translated and adapted from the Introduction to Pokeach Ivrim] Laws and Customs of Elul HEAR THE SHOFAR. Beginning with the first day of Elul (this year: Aug. 13), until (but not including) the morning before Rosh Hashanah (Sept. 11), it is customary to blow the shofar [ram's horn] after the week-day morning prayer. The call of the shofar stirs the heart. Its daily blasts proclaim: "Awaken, you sleepers, from your sleep! Arise, you slumberers, from your slumber! Examine your actions and repent." SAY EXTRA PSALMS. From the first day of Rosh Chodesh Elul (Aug. 12) until and including Hoshanna Rabba (Oct. 1), we recite twice daily Psalm 27, "A psalm of David: the L-rd is my light and my salvation." This custom is based on the Midrashic comment, "the L-rd is my light" on Rosh Hashanah, "my salvation" on Yom Kippur, "He will hide me in His tent" on Sukkot. Chassidim and Sephardim include it in the Morning and Afternoon prayers; the Lithuanian custom is to say it during the Morning and Evening prayers. RECITE SELICHOT. The Sephardic tradition is to begin reciting selichot immediately after Rosh Chodesh Elul. The Ashkenazi custom is to recite selichot beginning with the Saturday night (Sept. 4) of the week in which Rosh Hashanah falls, provided that four days are left before Rosh Hashanah. Therefore, if Rosh Hashanah falls either on Monday or Tuesday of the week, the recitation of selichot is begun the Saturday night of the week preceding. INCREASE IN GIVING CHARITY. During Elul, charity is given liberally, since the merit of charity is a shield against evil decrees and prolongs life. It casts a mantle of protection not only over the giver but over the whole Jewish people. When a person transcends his natural instinct and gives when not beholden, G-d in turn grants him more than he would otherwise be worthy of receiving. RETURN IN PENITENCE. The fundamentals of repentance are threefold: forsaking the sin one has committed, regret and confession. Forsaking of sin consists of abandoning the sin in both practice and thought, coupled with a firm resolution not to repeat it. Regret is the understanding that separating from G-d is evil and bitter, and the intense awareness that there is a price for transgression. Confession must be expressed orally: "I have sinned, I have done such and such; I regret my actions and feel ashamed of them, and will never again revert to them." [based on Book of Our Heritage, s.v. Elul. ]

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