Equal Access - Elul 5785

We are about to usher in the month of Elul this weekend.  On Shabbat we will say the “Bircat Hachodesh” - blessing the new month.  Immediately after Shabbat we go into the first day of Rosh Chodesh.  While technically the last day of the previous month, it is referred to as “Rosh Chodesh Elul,” and we begin to say the additional Elul prayer, Psalm 27, twice a day. (The first day of Rosh Chodesh is kind of a transition between the previous month and the next.)  Then on Monday, the second day of Rosh Chodesh, is the actual beginning of the month, and we start blowing the Shofar every morning after services.

The month of Elul is a remarkable opportunity.  I’m going to use an analogy that many people can relate to during these summer days.  Imagine you are going on vacation for a few days to an exotic location that you have never seen before.  You can just go there and try to figure out  where to go and what to do when you get there.  Chances are you won’t get very much out of the trip.  Now, if you take the time in advance to do research about the place, to find out what the people are like, where the best sights are, what the most significant attractions are, etc., you will have a much more meaningful and deeper experience that will stay with you for many years.

The High Holidays, also called the Days of Awe, are happening in a month.  The Holiday of Rosh Hashana is a very inspiring time.  The sound of the Shofar touches us to the depths of our soul.  The customs, like apples in honey, the prayers, the special tunes of the services and the whole atmosphere lifts us to a new dimension.  Then we have the Ten Days of Teshuvah, culminating in the year’s greatest day, Yom Kippur.  How we experience those days is significantly affected by our work during the month of Elul.

We can potentially go through the month as usual and then Rosh Hashana comes and we try to get into the spirit and be affected in a positive way.  Or we can start preparing in Elul, taking stock of where we are in life, how our year has gone, what’s going well, what needs to be repaired and how to improve.  

It’s not only a practical thing to take account of the year and prepare for the upcoming holidays.  Elul is a time of special Divine revelation, a time when Hashem is closer to us and it is much easier to connect with Him.  The Alter Rebbe, founder of the Chabad movement, taught an analogy of the revelation of Elul - the King in the Field.  (Kings have lost their luster these days, but we can understand the analogy as referring to a truly benevolent king who is revered yet beloved by his people.)

When the king is in his palace, only certain people can come to see him.  It takes a long time to get an appointment, and when going to see the king it is an awesome experience.  The king sits on his throne in opulent surroundings, wearing his crown, surrounded by ministers and officers, and it is altogether a frightening experience.  But when the king is on his way back from a trip, before he gets to town he sits out in the field, wearing ordinary clothes.  At this time everyone can approach him, without an appointment and without any preparation, and ask him for whatever they want.  The king accepts them all with a pleasant countenance and shows them a smiling face.

This analogy, when we understand its implications, can inspire us to have a truly meaningful Elul, to not just “fall into” the High Holidays but to lift ourselves up and have a much more lasting and deeper experience.  No matter who we are, no matter whether we have lived a “palace worthy” life or are “out in the field,” (and for that matter even in the desert, a place where nothing grows, says the Alter Rebbe,) in the month of Elul Hashem is out in the field with us.  The Rebbe emphasizes that when the Alter Rebbe says that anyone can approach the king and he smiles to all of them, he is referring even to those who are not at all observing the Torah.  Just the fact that they have a desire to approach Hashem brings them Hashem’s kindness and blessings.  This is because the 13 Attributes of Mercy that come from the essence of the infinite light of Hashem, usually hard to access, are actually here with us.  

These are lofty mystical terms, but practically speaking it means very simply that any one of us can overcome our spiritual struggles now much easier than at any other time.  If you feel you are not worthy of Hashem’s blessings or that you are too spiritually distant to approach Hashem’s service, in Elul Hashem welcomes you.

Therefore during Elul it is appropriate to make an effort to come closer to Hashem and His Torah.  To try to add a Mitzvah or two to our routine; to pray with a little more intention; to make a special effort to attend a minyan daily or as much as possible; to hear the Shofar blown every weekday; to spend a little more time every day studying Torah; to do Mitzvot that we might otherwise think are beyond our capability or our spiritual standing. In Elul it is customary to make sure we have kosher Mezuzot on all our doors, and many people actually bring them to a scribe to check.  To give more Tzedakah - in its simple sense and to reach out and help others, to watch what we say about others and to forgive and ask forgiveness.

The Elul “tune-up”, when Hashem is so much more accessible to us and blesses our any effort, completely transforms our experience of these holy days. When we go into the Days of Awe we will be prepared to experience and internalize the holiness. The impact throughout the year will be significant and lasting.

May you be inscribed and sealed for a good and sweet year.