The King Is in the Field
HaKadosh Baruch Hu has given us the gift of this one month in the year in which we are granted special assistance to come close to Him; as we learn in chassidishe sefarim (see Likutei Torah Parashas Re’eh), the King is in the field during this month. HaKadosh Baruch Hu comes out to us, and He assists us in finding our way to Him.
Chazal have already taught us, “Who is a fool? One who destroys what is given to him” (Chagigah 4a). Thus, one who doesn’t take advantage of this incredible gift given to us is behaving like a fool. And, in addition, there is a complaint against him, as Hashem says, “I came to you, and I wanted to help you.” HaKadosh Baruch Hu reduces Himself, as it were, to the level of the person and his weaknesses, yet he doesn’t reciprocate?!
We must remember that, aside from being a hachanah for Rosh Hashanah, Chodesh Elul stands on its own as an opportune time for teshuvah, in a way that even Chodesh Tishrei does not—and a person must utilize this power. Some make the mistake of waiting until the end of Elul... but this is wrong, for when this exalted month arrives, it brings with it incredible ohr, light. That this time also serves as a hachanah to the Yom HaDin is a separate matter. This month must be utilized from its beginning until its end—each and every one of its days— for the endeavor of returning to HaKadosh Baruch Hu.
The Yetzer Hara’s Nightmare
And, as he does regarding all mitzvos, the yetzer hara does everything to conceal this light from us. And if this is true for all mitzvos, which are each one detail of ratzon Hashem, how much more so is this true for teshuvah, a general and overarching mitzvah that contains everything within it—for when a person does teshuvah, he becomes close to Hashem, his davening become elevated, his learning becomes different, his emunah, his bitachon, his deveikus... all are transformed as a result of his teshuvah.
Thus, we can imagine how much ammunition the yetzer hara will deploy to prevent a person from doing teshuvah, for what power does he have if a person can still return to his Creator after having sinned and yet is never pushed away?
The only thing the yetzer hara can do is to distract a person from ever engaging in teshuvah... to obfuscate and make it difficult for the person, and somehow thus ensure that he will find himself at the end of Chodesh Elul not having done teshuvah, and then the yetzer hara will do everything he can to ensure that even during the rest of the year a person will not give teshuvah serious thought, not to learn the Rambam’s Hilchos Teshuvah, not to learn Rabbeinu Yonah’s Sha’arei Teshuvah. “No, no, don’t learn those things... please... learn anything else,” he says. The bottom line is that the yetzer hara is very afraid of teshuvah, and he will do everything he can to distract a person from it.
Our avodah is to the contrary, to davkah immerse ourselves in this holy endeavor of teshuvah...davkah bringing more השכינה השראת to our neshamah and to This World. This bit of light that we will generate will push away any darkness and concealment with which the yetzer hara tries to blanket the world.
