It should be noted, though, that Rav Meir of Apta zy"a, writes that in order to attain the madreigah of Teshuvah m'Ahavah, one must first do Teshuvah mi'Yirah. Only once he has repented out of Fear, will he merit to do Teshuvah me'Ahavah, as reward from Above (אור לשמים, פרשת שלח).<\/p>
With this idea in mind, we could perhaps explain another insight. One of the well known רמזים<\/strong> given for Elul, is the pasuk in Shir Hashirim "אני לדדי ודדי לי," I am to my loved One and my loved One is to me (שיר השירים ו', ג'). Based on the above, we could very well understand why Elul is hinted specifically in this pasuk. In this pasuk כנסת ישראל declares its allegiance to Hashem, expressing its love and commitment to Him. Thus, it is indeed this particular pasuk within which אלול is hinted, since, as explained earlier, it too is a time of love and closeness to Hashem.<\/p> The great tzaddik Rav Yisrael of Ruzhin zy"a (founder and patriarch of the Ruzhiner dynasty), offered his own novel roshei teivos of the word אלול. It alludes to five fundamental ideals in Avodas Hashem, both in one's attitude bein adam l'Makom [-between man and Hashem-], and in dealings of man with his fellow people.<\/p> The first letter, Tav (ת) refers to "תמים תהיה עם ה' אלוקיך," you shall be wholehearted with Hashem your G-d (דברים י"ה, י"ג). This is the commandment of relying totally on Hashem [refer to last week's issue for a lengthy discussion on this subject]. The following letter, Shin (ש) is for "שויתי ה' לנגדי תמיד," (תהלים ט"ז, ה'). Next, the Vav (ו) indicates the Mitzvah of "ואהבת לרעך כמוך," love your fellow Jew as yourself (ויקרא י"ט, י"ה). The Beis (ב) represents "בכל דרכיך דעהו," You shall know Him in all your endeavors (משלי ג', ו'). This means having an intention of l'shem Shamayim [for the sake of Heaven] in all we do. And finally, the letter Hei (ה) signifies "הצנע לכת עם אלוקיך," serve Hashem your G-d with modesty (מיכה ו', ח'). This too is in line with the discussion above, since it also emphasizes the vital importance of living with a conscience of closeness to Hashem.<\/p> May we all merit to do a proper Teshuvah, and with Hashem's assistance, even achieve some level of Teshuvah m'Ahavah.<\/p>גוט שבת<\/h3>