The month of Elul is a month given to prepare ourselves for the upcoming days of judgment, the Yemei Hadin.
We daven every day all year round. But in Elul we add more prayers to our regular davening. Many communities have the Minhag to say Selichos every morning from Rosh Chodesh Elul. Many add chapter 27 in Tehillim LeDavid Hashem. Then the week before Rosh Hashanah we all say Selichos. On Rosh Hashanah we have extra long prayers and on Yom Kippur we add another prayer, Ne'ilah.
For so many of us we are not sure what to do with davening all year round not to mention all the additions.
But all of us somewhere during these holy days wake up and are inspired to focus on our prayers as we realize that the future of the upcoming year is at stake and we need mercy that all goes well and smooth. And so many of us have our own personal challenges and prison that we are so desperate to be freed from.
We spend so much time praying and begging Hashem to have mercy on us and relieve us of our troubles.
However without realizing it, many times we take the wrong approach to Tefillah. We beg, we expect, after all, we davened so hard and then we are so disappointed if Hashem answered no.
Chazal instituted a certain order to Tefillah. The build up of davening until Shemone Esrei and Shemone Esrei itself. Chazal instituted the Seder Hatefillah as it is critical for the success of our Tefilos being answered.
Let us try and focus on a couple of points that will open our eyes to a new outlook in our prayers and change the way we approach Tefillah.
When we wake up in the morning we say 'Mode ani lefanechah', Thank you Hashem.
This one sentence is full of so many important messages. Let us try and focus on three points in 'Mode Ani' and try and institute them into our outlook to our prayers.
The first word we say in the morning is 'Modeh' - gratitude, thank you. We don't say 'Ani Modeh', we say 'Modeh Ani'. If were to say 'Ani Modeh' we would be starting the day with "I", that it's all about me. But no, it's not. 'Modeh' - gratitude for waking up in the morning. 'Modeh' - gratitude for being able to open our eyes, for moving our arms and legs, for our health, for our family; gratitude.
'Modeh' - gratitude for 'Ani' for being me. Hashem created such a big world and created each and every individual differently. There has never been and never will be two identical people. Each person is created uniquely with their talents, potentials and capabilities. Each person has their unique purpose in life. Hashem created me the way I am and I have a unique purpose in life that only I can fulfill.
'Modeh' - gratitude, 'Ani' for being me.
We start our day with gratitude and appreciation for everything we are blessed with and recognition of our uniqueness and our goal is to keep that positive outlook throughout the day.
It's not about what "I" deserve or what "I" expect. I don't have enough words or the vocabulary to be able to express the gratitude I owe to Hashem as I wake up in the morning and for the fact that I actually woke up in the morning.
However, so many times we wake up in the morning and we know up front that we have a grey or black day ahead of us. We are aware of the difficulties that await us during the day and very possibly, if we could, we would rather stay asleep disconnected from the troubles that await us.
In Tehillim chapter 27 that we add during Elul there is the following Passuk.
If a camp sets up against me, my heart is not afraid; if a battle rises against me, in this I trust.
The Mefarshim try to understand what is 'this' that David Hemelech has trust and faith in?
Rabbi Meir'l of Premishlan explains the following. Hashem never gives a person a challenge that they are incapable of overcoming. Otherwise Hashem wouldn't give the person that challenge. So the challenge a person has is the proof in itself that they are capable of overcoming.
That is what David Hamelech said. If I have a challenge, if there is a battle against me then I have trust in 'this'. This battle, if Hashem gave it to me then I have trust I will succeed, because if I didn't stand a chance to succeed then Hashem wouldn't have given me this test.
Rabbi Yechezkel Abramsky met Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, know as the Rebbe the Rayatz, in Poland. He told the Rebbe that he was arrested by the Russians and sent to Siberia. He wasn't given any time to pack anything to take along. He woke up in the morning the first day on Siberia and started saying 'Modeh Ani'. But then he started thinking to himself, why am I thankful for waking up this morning. What do I have to get up for. I have been torn away from my family and am here in Siberia with nothing. No Tallis and Tefillin, no Sefarim. What do I have to thank Hashem for?
And then he caught on to the last two words of 'Modeh Ani', 'Rabba Emunasecha' - I have Emunah and that no one can take away from me. And with that he was able to say 'Modeh Ani' and be grateful for waking up and having the privilege to be a Jew and have faith in Hashem.
The Rebbe himself had been in the Communist prisons and suffered greatly, nearly losing his life. The Rebbe replied with a very sharp and deep comment.
"It was worth while for you and me to go through such suffering to be able to come to that understanding and recognition."
We have a long way to go to reach such high levels of Emunah but we all have our challenges and on our level they are hard for us. But as we start the day with gratitude for waking up we all have something that no one can ever take away from us, our Emunah, our faith and trust in Hashem.
If we start off our day with such gratitude and faith and decide that it will be our outlook the whole day, we will be a different person.
But these important points are vital when we come to daven to Hashem. Before asking for what we need, before complaining for all our problems we have to remember 'Modeh', we owe so much gratitude to Hashem for what He has given us and we have to show our gratitude and thank Hashem. After that our prayers and requests will come across so differently, without bitterness, without expectations.
Similarly, as we approach Rosh Hashanah before thinking about next year we have to do some serious soul searching and spend time going back over the past year and finding the endless kindness and the abundance of mercy Hashem bestowed on us all year and thanking Him for it all. And how grateful we have to be that even during our dark times we are so lucky to have the gift of Emunah, that Hashem has it all worked out what is best for us. Then we can begin to daven and beg for our upcoming year that we merit a sweet new year, good health, good mazel, prosperity, Simchas and nachas for us, our family, our friends and all of Klal Yisrael.
By Rabbi Dovid Caro
