Day and on that day our judgements are sealed. And we circle the bimah seven times to subdue the power of the Sitra Achra – the ס"מ. Yericho was one of the central locations for these powers of impurity and evil, and when Bnei Yisrael wanted to conquer them and the city, they encircled it and then performed seven hakafaot around it while sounding the Shofar. Balak said to Bilaam: לְכָה־נָּא אָרָה־לִּי אֶת־הָעָם הַזֶּה. Curse them for the נא (51) days between ה'אָ רָ – וֹשׁ ַעְנָא רַ ' בָּה'לוּל ה'אֱ, Rosh Chodesh Elul and Hoshana Rabba, the time where they have an escape through Teshuva. Balak asked him to return Elul to its place alongside Tammuz and Av as months of trouble and pain.
A beautiful idea brought by the Megaleh Amukot in Parshat Vayeira connects to this equation and adds a new layer to our holiday calendars. After Hakadosh Baruch Hu informed Avraham Avinu of His plans to destroy the city of Sedom, Avraham’s reaction was to seek a way for Sedom to escape punishment. At first, he asked to spare the city if fifty righteous people could be found within its borders. When these criteria could not be met, he repeated his plea, but this time asking to spare the city if forty-five tzaddikim could be found. He then lowered the threshold again, to forty tzaddikim. The logical next move would be to lower the bar to thirty-five, but Avraham instead asked for thirty, then twenty, and finally ten. In putting forward this formula, Avraham Avinu established the benchmark fifty days of Teshuva for us. He was speaking about Sedom at a micro level, but Sedom was just a sidebar to the macro and real conversation taking place. Avraham was talking about his children. He was saying they’d receive fifty days from Rosh Chodesh Elul until the end of Sukkot, and together with the extra day given on his behalf, fifty-one days in total. What if a person were to come and connect with Hakadosh Baruch Hu for fifty full days from Rosh Chodesh Elul through Sukkot, but then goes off the path.
“The Lord answered, ‘If I find within the city of Sedom fifty innocent ones, I will forgive the whole place for their sake.’”
Fifty days of righteousness will suffice to save them and bring them atonement for their sins. But what if they connect for only forty-five days, from Rosh Chodesh Elul to the start of Sukkot?
“And He said, If I find there forty five, I will not destroy it.” And what if they only connect for forty days, from Rosh Chodesh Elul through Yom Kippur, before straying?
“And He said, I will not do it for the forty’s sake.” Here is why thirty comes next. What if they connect to Hakadosh Baruch Hu for only thirty days, between Rosh Chodesh Elul and Rosh Hashanah, and after all the singing and dancing in Uman they leave and forget it all?
“And He said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” How about those who only wake up when they hear “Hamelech!”, and then connect for the twenty days between Rosh Hashana and Hoshana Rabba?
“And He said, I will not destroy it for the twenty’s sake.” The final plea was for those who can only muster up the passion, energy, and commitment to connect during the Aseret Yemei Teshuva – for ten days, upon coming to the Kotel and seeing the hundreds of thousands gathering from all over to pour out their hearts in prayer and tears.
“And He said, I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”
Avraham was worried about not about Sedom but about the generations of his children that would follow. He set up these fifty-one days for us, for all generations, and for all types of yiddin. Conversely, what did Balak try to do? LECHA NA ARA LI – he schemed to take away these fifty-one days from us, so that we have no opportunity to strengthen, or re-establish anew, our bond with Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Bilaam responded that it was futile, as these days were already taken and mapped out by Avraham and as a result, Hakadosh Baruch Hu will not anger during that period.
There is another story in Sefer Bereshit to connect to this idea as well. When Rivka Imeinu approached Yaakov and informed him of her prophecy, namely, that he is destined to receive his father’s Brachot and not his brother Eisav (Targum Yonatan), why did she not instead turn to her husband and let him know? She could have just as easily said to Yitzchak, “I was just informed by a very-reliable heavenly source that your Brachot should be diverted to Yaakov.” Instead, she devised an elaborate plan to dress Yaakov up as Eisav and fool her husband into delivering the Brachot. I heard an amazing reason given by Rav Yerachmiel Kram z"l, who quoted a source that I do not recall. Rivka knew that Am Yisrael through the generations would not have the appearance of Yaakov Avinu. She knew they wouldn’t all look, or outwardly act, righteously. She knew they’d even appear like Eisav at times, despite being pure like Yaakov deep inside. These generations needed to receive the Brachot, as they were.
Rabbotai, I don’t know if you’ve ever had the opportunity to witness what takes place on the nights of Selichot at the Kotel. Hundreds of thousands gather and the ground beneath them rumbles as they cry out loudly: רַ חֵ ם עָלֵינוּ חָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיך. Where were all these people just a few weeks earlier? Similarly, I was once visiting a shul at some point in the middle of the year, and there were barely fifty people there on Shabbat, in a shul with over five-hundred seats. Each person could have their own row and some a full section to themselves! I asked the gabbai if I could reserve a seat for Yom Kippur, and he replied, “Sorry, we’re full.” I thought he was joking. He then added, “There is no space. Every seat is taken, and we add three hundred plastic chairs too!” He told me I could come anyway and pointed to one seat he knows will be vacant at night because its owner goes to Modzitz, and another that would be vacant in the morning because its owner goes to Sadigura. I followed through and went, and sure enough, the place was jam-packed. Every seat was taken, and the aisles too. Do you know what happened when Motzei Yom Kippur arrived? Kaddish was barely completed when the gabbai stood up to announce, “Kol Nidre next year begins at 6:10pm sharp.” Why was he announcing Kol Nidre a full year in advance? It was because nearly everyone there hadn’t been in shul since last Kol Nidre, and this was the only chance to inform them!
Avraham Avinu saw this coming. Rivka Imeinu saw this coming. Avraham said to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, “There are those who do not know You all year round. The yetzer hara pulls them in all sorts of directions and drags them down. But for fifty-ones days each year, they are with You.” From Rosh Chodesh Elul until they drift away like the wind upon hearing the words מ ַ שׁ ּ ִ י ב ה ָ ר ו ּ ח ַ ו ּ מ ו ֹ רִ י ד ה ַ ג ּ ֶ שׁ ֶ ם right after Hoshana Rabba. And there are some who cannot even hang on for that long, and others for even less time. Avraham Avinu sought mercy for them all and set up this time of year for us all. This is the time of year Balak and Bilaam looked to take away and return to Eisav.
Next week, we will read about not accepting the Amoni and Moavi into Klal Yisrael. One of the reasons given is that Balak hired Bilaam to curse Bnei Yisrael, and the quick recounting of that episode closes with (Devarim 23:6):
“But the Lord your G-d would not listen to Bilaam; and He turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your G-d loves you.”
There are two extra words in this narrative – אֶ ת לְּך. Remove these two words and the pasuk makes perfect sense. Why are we told Hakadosh Baruch Hu flipped the curse into a blessing for us? The Megaleh Amukot asks and answers this question. It was precisely the 50 of לְּך that Bilaam tried to curse – the fifty days between Rosh Chodesh Elul and Hoshana Rabba. And how did Hakadosh Baruch Hu respond to his act? The months of אֶ ת – בא and מוזת – were given to Eisav, but now the months of אֶ ת – לולא and שרי ת – would be given to us. That is the meaning of הַקְּלָלָה לִבְרָכָה אֶ ת לְּ ך לֹהֶיך- ה' אֱ ַהֲפֹך וַי. Hakadosh Baruch Hu did not let the month of Elul become a cursed month, but rather one connected to Tishrei and intertwined in the missions of Teshuva and closeness. Yaakov’s grabbing of Eisav’s heel enabled the month of Elul to be in our hands.
Let’s take one more step with an idea from sefer ha'Lekach ve'Halibuv that will provide us with a few brilliant thoughts. Yaakov and Eisav’s battle, from birth, was over the month of Elul. When Yaakov was told Eisav was approaching with 400 men, what did he do? He prepared gifts and instructed his messengers that Eisav will ask three questions:
... לֵאמֹר לְמִ י וִשׁ ְ אֵלְך ׃ וּלְמִי אֵלֶּה לְפָנֶיך אַתָּה וְאָנָה תֵלֵך ...and asks you saying, To whom do you belong, and where are you going; and who is the owner of this that is before you?
He instructs them to answer that they belong to Yaakov. Observe closely and you will see the name Elul appears three times in that pasuk. The first letters of לֵאמֹר לְמִ י אַ תּ ָ ה וִשׁ ְ אֵלְך form the word אלול. The same is true for לְ מִ י אַ תּ ָ ה וְ אָ נָה תֵ לֵך, and once again וּלְמִ י אֵלֶּה לְפָנֶיך לֵאמֹר. Three questions reflecting Elul, during an encounter that is part of a larger battle over the month of Elul, is a sign of the three questions we must ask ourselves this month. What are these questions. The Shela Hakadosh says (Vayishlach), the three questions put forward by Yaakov Avinu correspond to the Mishna in Avot (3:1):
Akavyah ben Mahalalel said: mark well three things and you will not come into the power of sin: know from where you come, and where you are going, and before whom you are destined to give an account and reckoning. From where do you come? From a putrid drop. Where are you going? To a place of dust, of worm and of maggot. Before whom you are destined to give an account and reckoning? Before the King of the kings of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.
The questions that Eisav will ask are not just historical questions once asked of Yaakov’s messengers. They are the same questions the yetzer hara asks every day in attempting to throw us off and lead us to despair: “Where do you come from – what happened that suddenly now you want to do Teshuva? Where are you going – you failed to get there and even took steps backwards, yet you are still trying? Who are you standing before in judgment – Hakadosh Baruch Hu will never forgive you. Just forget about it.” And what must our response be? לְיַעֲקֹב וְאָמַ רְ תָּ לְעַבְדְּ ך – We are the children of Yaakov Avinu. These questions strengthen our resolve and approach in the month of Elul. We started at the bottom and now have an audience directly in front of Melech Malchei Hamelachim.
הוּא אַחֲרֵינוּ וְהִ נֵּה גַם – we must also know Hakadosh Baruch Hu is behind us. There is nothing standing in our path to Teshuva which cannot be overcome.
Entering Elul, we need to know that Avraham Avinu set this special period up for us, and Yaakov Avinu fought for this month and took it back from the hands of Eisav. This idea ties back to our Parsha through one line. In Parshat Ki Teitze, we will read that prior to going to war, the Kohen will say to the people, “וֹם לַמִּלְחָמָה אֵל אַתֶּם קְרֵבִים הַישְׁמַע יִשְׂרָ – Hear, Israel! You are setting out today to battle.” Rashi says, even if the only merit to your names is that of Shema Yisrael, that is enough. What is Shema Yisrael? Yaakov Avinu is Shema Yisrael!
We must also always remember the opening words of our Haftarah: אָ נ ֹכִ י אָ נ ֹכִ י הוּא מְ נַחֶ מְ כֶ ם. The Alsheich HaKadosh explains, Hakadosh Baruch Hu said to Yaakov Avinu before his descent to Egypt: גַם־עָלֹה אַעַלְך וְאָ נֹכִ י מִ צְ רַ יְ מָ ה אֵ רֵ ד עִ מְּ ך אָ נֹכִ י – I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again. Egypt represents the lowest level of impurity and the destination of choice for the yetzer hara. Yaakov was forced to go there, but Hakadosh Baruch Hu was right there with him in his descent. Similarly, the yetzer hara looks to take us there every moment of every day, but Hakadosh Baruch Hu is with us and will always help us climb back up from our own falls. Even during dark times when we feel as though we’re in a state of הַ סְ תֵּ ר אַ סְ תִּ יר פּ ָ נַי וְ אָ נֹכִ י – with Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s presence hidden from us, we must remember גַם־עָלֹה אַעַלְך וְ אָ נֹכִ י – He is, and will always be, with us.
◊
