Embracing Elul

This past Shabbat (my first as Interim Rabbi at the Young Israel of Ottawa) we announced the month of Elul, which begins at the end of the week. Many sources identify the word Elul as an acronym for "Ani L'Dodi v'Dodi Li" - "I am for my Beloved and my Beloved is for me" (Song of Songs 6:3).

Elul is heavily associated with teshuvah, and many practices developed during the month to inspire the desire for introspection and repentance. While many people associate this with feelings of fear and dread, Rav Asher Weiss calls on us to remember that Elul is fundamentally a month of love and longing for Hashem's care and refuge.

Love and longing, though, do not equate to expecting automatic salvation as they do for some other religions. Judaism understands that "Ani l'Dodi" comes before "Dodi li" for a reason. In the words of Rav Asher Weiss, "While Hashem will carry us... it is up to us to reach the necessary heights in order to be worthy and to ascend. And even when we do rise, we must work hard to safely dwell there - which will only occur if we hold on with all our strength so we do not fall, Heaven forbid."

While Hashem is ultimately there for us, it is up to each and every one of us to get to a point where we are worthy of such assistance and to stay there despite the challenges. The month of Elul and the High Holy Days that it precedes are an incredibly auspicious time in which we are primed to hear the knocking of our Beloved Hashem on the door if we know to listen for it.

Rav Asher cites a powerful midrash (Song of Songs Rabbah 5:3) which says to "open for Me an opening the size of a needle and I'll open for you doorways which are large enough that wagons and caravans can enter." He then continues to write that "my heart tells me that these wagons and caravans are not empty wagons but are, rather, full and overflowing with all the good in both the upper and lower worlds... But only if we open in our hearts an opening the size of a needle - and return to Hashem with all our heart and soul."

This idea serves as an excellent reminder for all of us that New Years Resolutions and the like are only as strong as our own resolve. We can rise to tremendous heights, but only if we put in the work to climb the ladder. Are you ready to start climbing?

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I you appreciated this insight, many more like it are available in Rav Asher Weiss on Mo’adim – Elul and the Holidays of Tishrei (Mosaica Press, 2021). It's a wonderful, accessible, and easily digestible English translation of many of Rav Asher's timely ideas - perfect for the Shabbat/Yom Tov table or pleasure reading.