Investigating One’s Actions:
Sefer Taamei Haminhagim quotes the Sar Shalom of Belz zy”a as explaining why this month is called “Elul” as follows:
Although Jews fear Hashem all year, our yirah increases exponentially when we recite Birchas Hachodesh for the month of Elul and we can feel Hashem’s presence amongst us. For this reason, the Arizal writes that the word “Elul” (with the Kollel) has the same gematriah as the word “chaim” (life). Since we feel Hashem amongst us during this month and we pour out our hearts and soul to Him, we are blessed with a life of health, parnassah, and all good things.
The Targum on the verse: “Vayuturu es ha’aretz (and they visited the land, Bamidbor 13:2)” is: “V’elilu yas artza”. This is a hint to the fact that during the month of Elul, Klal Yisroel revisit their actions and repent from their misdeeds. As a result, we are blessed with a year of true life.
No Understanding:
One year on Erev Rosh Chodesh Elul, after the conclusion of the recitation of Yom Kippur Koton, the Ropshitzer Rebbe walked out of the bais medrash but then turned and walked back in. He looked at a group of chasidim who were conversing near the door, gestured towards them with his hands and said, “Listen to me you fool. Come here you fool.”
The chasidim looked at each other in puzzlement, unsure who the Rebbe was calling. When no one stepped forward, the Rebbe again repeated, “Listen you fool. Come here you fool!” Again, they couldn’t understand who the Rebbe was speaking to in such harsh terms.
The Rebbe finally said, “We just finished the tefillah of Yom Kippur Koton and said the Vidui Hagadol of Rabenu Nissim zt”l. We recited the words: ‘I know myself that I don’t have Torah, chochmah, wisdom or understanding... But I am a fool and don’t comprehend. I am an empty person and don’t understand.’ But when I called for ‘the fool’ everyone turned to look at everyone else. No one imagined I was talking to him. Did you already forget what you just said?”
Chasidim Who Steal Aveiros:
In the times of Rav Levi Yitzchok of Berditchov zy”a, some people would refer to chasidim as “ganavim” (thieves). He explained that they were correct to call them by this name because the yeitzer hara collects people’s sins all year round and stores them in one place. When Rosh Chodesh Elul arrives, the chasidim go to the bais medrash to daven, fast and do teshuva, which causes all of the sins to be transformed into merits.
On Erev Yom Kippur, when the yeitzer hara goes to get the sins in order to bring them to Hashem, he finds that they are all gone. The chasidim have stolen them all! That is why they are called “ganavim” – because they steal the aveiros!
The Month of Elul Influences the Entire Year:
One year during the month of Elul, Rav Yoel Chapler zt”l, a student of the Lechovitcher Rebbe zy”a, heard a simple villager telling his friend, “If we don’t work the fields during this month, we will be hungry all year!”
Rav Yoel repeated these words for the rest of the month, “If we don’t work to do teshuva at this time, we will be ‘hungry’ all year!”
Hashem Waits All Year for Elul:
The pasuk states (Devarim 11:12): “The eyes of Hashem your G-d is upon it from the start of the year until the end of the year.” The Sefas Emes zy”a says that this is a hint that from the beginning of the year, Hashem waits for the end of the year, when His children will do teshuva and come back to Him.
Teshuva During This Month:
The beginning of the month of Elul is an “eis ratzon”, an auspicious time to do teshuva and improve our middos. Sefer Shaar Hamelech (Shaar 1, Perek 1) writes: “Shlomo Hamelech tells us (Koheles 9:8): ‘Your clothing should be white at all times.’ This means that throughout the year one should contemplate and investigate his actions to ensure that there is no ‘stain’ upon him. If one didn’t do teshuva all year, at the very least he should do teshuva starting from the beginning of Elul. This is hinted to by Dovid Hamelech with the words (Tehillim 27:13): ‘Had I not believed (lulei he’emanti) in seeing the good of Hashem in the land of the living!’ The word lulei has the same letters as the word ‘Elul’ (as is stated in Baal Haturim, Devarim 30:6), but the letters are inverted. (The word ‘lulei’ is the word ‘Elul’ backwards.). This is akin to a deer that runs with its head facing backwards. So too, a man runs all year without seeing where he is going. We need this month to turn our faces forward to determine what we did wrong all year and to rectify it.”
Teshuva at the Beginning of the Month:
One day during Elul, Rav Yissochor Dov of Belz zy”a turned to his shamash, R’ Shmuel Betzalel z”l, and asked him, “When during the Yamim Noraim are you aroused to do teshuva?”
He answered, “When we recite ‘Min Hameitzar’ right before tekiyas shofar.”
The Rebbe responded, “Shmuel, Min Hameitzer is already late!”
One Who Delays Teshuva, Has to do it Twice:
Sefer Arvei Nachal writes that if one does an aveirah and fails to do teshuva all year, he is not punished for delaying his teshuva. This is because an individual cannot repent from his sins on his own except during the Yemei Ratzon that begin with Rosh Chodesh Elul. But if one allows those days to pass without doing teshuva, he now must do teshuva twice – once for the actual sin and once for the sin of failing to repent in the proper time.
He sees a hint to this from the verse (Bereishis 43:10): “For had we not (lulei) delayed, by now we would have already returned twice.” Since the word “lulei” is a hint to the word “Elul”, the pasuk can be understood to be saying that if one delays and does not do teshuva during Elul, he must “return twice” by doing teshuva both for the sin and for delaying the teshuva.
Trembling During Elul:
Sefer M’Zekeinim Esbonen quotes the elder chasid, R’ Yehuda Leib Kastinelitz zt”l as saying that he heard the Kobriner Rebbe relate how he started to devote himself to avodas Hashem. He said that when he was 6-years-old, on the Shabbos when Birchas Hachodesh was recited for the month of Elul, he was shmuzing with some of his friends when his older sister called to him and said, “Moishke, we already bentched the month of Elul. Even the fish in the lake are trembling in fear. And you are playing with your friends?”
The Rebbe said, “My sister was a big tzadekes. Her words entered my heart and I began to tremble. I remember it until today. From then on, I devoted myself to avodas Hashem.”
Do Not Rely on Hashem:
One should not rely on Hashem to mercifully forgive him of his sins without expending his own efforts to improve himself. It is related by Rav Mordechai Chaim of Slonim zy”a (quoted in Sefer Maamar Mordechai-Slonim) that Rav Levi Yitzchok of Berditchov zy”a once asked the Savriner Rebbe zy”a, “How are you preparing for the Yomim Noraim?”
The Savriner replied, “I am relying on the Eibishter to take care of Klal Yisroel!”
The Beridtchover told him, “You cannot rely on Him. He is not a human being. He doesn’t need to eat or sleep. We have to put forth our own efforts!”
The Magid of Kozhnitz’s Tikun Haneshama:
Sefer Yalkut Avodas Yisroel relates the following story:
There once was a wealthy man who lost all of his money and was left with nothing. He came to the Magid of Kozhnitz and said that he has many complaints against Hashem. He said, “I gave so much tzedakah and did so many good things with my money. Why did Hashem take it away from me?”
The Magid told him, “I think that if you would look deeply into your actions, you would see that what Hashem did was correct. If you can’t think of any sins you committed, I can reveal to you everything you did wrong in your entire life. If that isn’t enough for you, I can reveal to you everything you did in your previous gilgul.”
Since this man was a brazen person, he had the audacity to tell the Magid that he was willing to take him up on the deal, as he didn’t believe he had done anything that would make him deserving of losing his wealth. The Magid then began to list every aveirah he had done in his entire life until the man finally fainted from anguish and regret.
When the Magid saw that he truly regretted his sins, he said, “I think I can advise you how to rectify yourself so that you can be successful again. Go home and get some rest and come back to me tomorrow.”
The next day, the Magid told him to wander from town to town for one full year. He should go to places where no one knew him and accept to give maaser from whatever money he made, as well as from everything he had already lost, as this would be a fulfilment of the dictum that one must bless Hashem for the bad just like one blesses Him for the good (Brachos 54A). He said that if he does this, he will rectify the damage he had caused to his neshama throughout his life, and he would also learn how traveling beggars feels so that he could give tzedakah with a more caring heart. He also would merit the blessing that all those who give maaser will become wealthy.
With Every Step Taken For Another, One Saves Himself 500 Steps:
In our times, there is a way that one can have his sins forgiven without having to go into golus. This is to accept upon oneself to collect money for others, which is considered like golus. It is known that the Rebbe Rav Elimelech of Lizhensk zy”a would say that golus atones for sins that make one liable for the four forms of capital punishment. Additionally, Rav Shloimke of Zhevil zy”a said that every step one takes for others saves a person from having to take 500 steps for himself.
Goodness From Blessing Others:
The Magid of Trisk zy”a heard from his grandfather, the Meohr Einyaim zy”a, who heard from the Baal Shem Tov zy”a the following words that were told to him by his rebbi, Achiyah Hashiloni:
From the day of the 15th of Av until Rosh Hashanaha, there are numerous times when a person blesses his friend with the words “Kesiva V’chasima Tovah.” Each time one does so, an angel is created that defends him and speaks well of him. For example, if someone blesses 100 people, he creates 100 defending angels. When Rosh Hashanah arrives, when every man is judged, this person will have many angels defending him in Shomayim.
I too bless all of my readers and all of Klal Yisroel with a bracha of “Kesiva V’chasima Tovah” and a good, sweet New Year.
