Summary

Not every prayer is the same. The fourty days from the beginning of Elul until after Yom Kippur are days of special closeness between G'd and the Jewish people. We can utilize this period to ask G'd for forgiveness for our past sins and pray for all of our communal and personal needs. G'd makes it easier for us to prepare for the Days of Awe, and thus gives us the opportunity every year to connect with Him at the time when we need it the most. In every community the shofar is blown on Rosh Chodesh Elul and throughout the month to arouse everyone to the special nature of this time so that we all can repent our sins and prepare for the Days of Judgment. "I am my Beloved's, and my Beloved is mine." G'd expects us to take the first step. Let us hear and internalize the daily sound of the shofar and utilize the opportunity of this powerful month, so that we can enter the coming year with confidence that we have done what we can to be inscribed for a year full of G'd's blessing.

Not every prayer is the same

For a number of weeks we have discussed the power and significance of our prayers, and how every prayer makes a difference, either immediately or later. However, not every prayer is the same. Some prayers are more powerful than others, and there are times when it is more likely that our prayers will be answered and our requests granted.

Fourty days of special closeness

This past Sunday we entered the month of Elul. The fourty days from the beginning of Elul until after Yom Kippur are days of special closeness between G'd and the Jewish people. This was established after the sin of the golden calf. When Moses came down from Mount Sinai on the seventeenth of Tammuz, and saw the dancing around the golden calf, he threw the two tablets down and broke them. Rashi (Devarim 9:18) explains that on the eighteenth of Tammuz, Moses re-ascended the mountain and prayed for fourty days that G'd should forgive the Jews their grave sin. Finally, G'd accepted Moses' prayer and agreed to give the Jewish people a second set of tablets with the Ten Commandments. G'd instructed Moses to come up on Mount Sinai for a third period of fourty days to receive the new tablets. This time Moses ascended on Rosh Chodesh Elul and came down with the tablets on Yom Kippur. The whole period was one of appeasement and favour and on Yom Kippur, says Rashi, G'd forgave the Jewish people for serving the golden calf.

Ask G'd for forgiveness

In our prayers, we refer to Pesach as the time of our freedom. This does not just commemorate the exodus from Egypt, but describes our ability to free ourselves from foreign influences and develop into who we really are. In the same way, we refer to Shavuous as the time of the giving of our Torah. This is much more than a remembrance of the revelation at Mount Sinai. Rather, Shavuous is a time when each of us has the special opportunity to accept the Torah and its commandments upon ourselves. This is also the case in regards to the fourty days from the beginning of Elul till after Yom Kippur. Just like Moses succeeded to appease G'd with his prayers and achieved that G'd forgave the Jewish people the sin of the golden calf. In the same way, we can utilize this period to ask G'd for forgiveness for our past sins and pray for all of our communal and personal needs.

Prepare for Days of Awe

It is obviously not coincidental that this period consists of the last month of the Jewish calendar and leads us into Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the Days of Judgment. G'd orchestrated it in this way to make it easier for us to prepare for the Days of Awe, and thus gives us the opportunity every year to connect with Him at the time when we need it the most.

Selichos and shofar

Both as a community and individuals, it is important that we maximize our effort to benefit from this special time. In the Sefardi communities, Selichos (special penitential prayers) are recited from the beginning of Elul. The Ashkenazi custom is only to start on the Sunday prior to Rosh Hashanah (for a minimum of four days). In all communities, the shofar is blown every day throughout Elul followed by Tehillim (27). The Tur Shulchan Aruch (Ohr HaChaim 581) quotes from Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer that this custom dates back until the time in the wilderness. When G'd told Moses on Rosh Chodesh Elul to ascend Mount Sinai for the third time to receive the second set of tablets, the shofar was blown in the camp of the Jewish people to announce this great event. Our sages therefore instituted that in every community the shofar should be blown on Rosh Chodesh Elul and throughout the month to arouse everyone to the special nature of this time, so that we all can repent our sins and prepare for the Days of Judgment.

"Ani ledodi vedodi li"

This special nature is hinted at in Shir HaShirim (6:3) where it says: "Ani ledodi vedodi li." The Book of Shir HaShirim is written as a poetic serenade describing the relationship between G'd and the Jewish people as a couple deep in love with each other. This is encapsulated in the above verse that translates: "I am my Beloved's, and my Beloved is mine." Here the Jewish people announces the unique love that exists between us and our Beloved, G'd. This relationship is most intense throughout the month of Elul and the Ten Days of Repentance, when G'd makes Himself available to us more than any other time of the year. The acronym of the words "Ani ledodi vedodi li" spells out the word "Elul", and the numerical value of the last letter of these four words is 40, hinting to these 40 days from Rosh Chodesh Elul until Yom Kippur.

First step

In order to fully understand this special relationship of love between G'd and every Jew, it is significant that we carefully analyze the wording of the above verse. It starts with "I am my Beloved's" and only then continues "and my Beloved is Mine." G'd is always waiting for us and ready to establish and develop the mutual love. However, G'd expects us to take the first step. To the extent that "I am my Beloved's" and I make an effort to get close to G'd through prayer and observance of the commandments, to the exact same extent G'd makes Himself available to "me".

Inscribed for a year full of blessing

Let us hear and internalize the daily sound of the shofar and utilize the opportunity of this powerful month, so that we can enter the coming year with confidence that we have done what we can to be inscribed for a year full of G'd's blessing for ourselves, the Jewish people and the whole world. Amen.

These words were based on a talk given by Rabbi Avraham Kahn, the Rosh Yeshiva and Founder of Yeshivas Keser Torah in Toronto.

These words were based on a talk given by Rabbi Avraham Kahn, the Rosh Yeshiva and Founder of Yeshivas Keser Torah in Toronto.

Shalom. Michael Deverett