Coming Closer To Hashem From Rosh Chodesh Elul Until Yom Kippur

Just some Halachot and ideas that apply to the upcoming Rosh Chodesh Elul. Rosh Chodesh Elul until Yom Kippur is a 40 day period that Chachamim tell us are days of mercy, and days of Selichot (plea for forgiveness). Historically these were the 40 days that Moshe Rabeinu went up to Hashem and beseeched him and prayed for repentance for the Jewish people’s sin of the Egel (golden calf.) After 40 days Moshe’s prayers were answered on Yom Kippur, when Hashem told Moshe, “Salachti Kidvarecha” -- “I forgive you.” Therefore, Moshe Rabeinu prepared those days for eternity, for Jews to come to Hashem and also ask forgiveness for his sins that they did during the year. Chachamim gave many different hints in their wisdom to the month of Elul. There is a famous lesson that ELUL stands for- Ani Lidodi Vedodi Li. I am for my beloved and my beloved is for me. The beloved is Hashem. This is a month that we come closer to Hashem, and Hashem comes closer to us. In that Pasuk, each of the 4 words ends with the letter Yud, which is equal to the number 10. When multiplied 4 times, once for each word, the total comes out to 40, which corresponds to the 40 days from Elul to Yom Kippur. And therefore, Chachamim tell us that it’s time for Teshuva (repentance). We once learned a lesson that Elul also stands for, Oy Li Vay Li. Which means that when a person gets to this month, already he starts to think about his day of reckoning, and he starts to say, Oy Li Vay Li, what’s going to be with me? This is also the abbreviations of Elul. There’s a story with Rav Yisroel Salantar, that on the night of Pesach, he fainted. When they woke him up, they asked what happened, and he answered that Elul was coming. So, you see already that Chachamim were concerned about this month way before the Day of Judgment. And therefore, one must take the month extra seriously in prayers, and supplications.

 By Rabbi Eli Mansour