Elul Newsletter 5775

Tapping into the Forty Days of Awesome Divine Favor

Some days we awake with words of praise and prayer. At other times, a dark film of spiritual laziness clings to us as we mumble our prayers hurriedly with our mind on the forthcoming breakfast meal topped with the latest Facebook newsfeed. Now, is the chance to face our higher selves during the forty days from the first of Elul until Yom Kippur, for these are days of עֵת רָצוֹן/et ratzon, (Divine Favor). During this period Moshe went up to the mountain again to atone for the Golden Calf and Hashem forgave Israel by giving us a second chance with a second set of tablets (The Ten Commandments). Since then, every year during this time we have a special potential to return to who we really are in the land of our soul.

From the day when Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge, good and evil became entrenched within all of us, and often this evil succeeds in disguising its ugly face behind a mask of goodness. Now during Elul, we have a heightened ability to distinguish between good and evil, and can more easily return to recover our inherent good. This concept is encapsulated by King Solomon by the following statement, “He who found a woman found a great good, and obtained רָצוֹן/ratzon (favor) from Hashem” (Mishley 18:22). In this month, the astrological sign of Virgo – the only woman in the zodiac– we have the special opportunity to get in touch with our greatest good, at this time of Hashem’s favor (רָצוֹן/ratzon), when His right hand is stretched forth to receive our repentance (B’nei Yissaschar, Elul 1).

The main ways of serving Hashem are through יִּרְאָה/yirah – awe, and אַהֲבָה/ahava – love. During the Divinely Favorable time of Elul, we emphasize ‘Love,’ while Tishrei opens the ‘Days of Awe.’ When we repent during Elul for sins committed the previous year,we can receive the holiness of the upcoming year during Tishrei. Hashem in His mercy and kindness accepts our purification and holiness throughout the month of Elul and considers it as if we purified the entire past year (Toldot Aharon, Parashat Re’eh). Taking advantage of this time of Divine Favor gives us the opportunity to rectify our Torah, tefilah and other mitzvot, halfheartedly done during the past year, and raise them all up in complete holiness (Toldot Aharon, Likutim Chadashim).

During Elul,we receive Divine Favor and abundance from beyond time. Just as Shabbat imparts blessings for the entire week, the month of Elul, prior to the renewal of the year, includes all the spiritual abundance for the upcoming year. Therefore, it is עֵת רָצוֹן/et ratzon (the time of Divine Favor) when we may cleave to holiness that is beyond this world even within the physical world. However, the goodwill needs to be mutual. We need to get in touch with our higher will during the month of Elul. When we elevate our will, we can devote ourselves totally to Hashem as impliedbythe initials of the month of Elul, אֲנִי לְדוֹדִי וְדוֹדִי לִי/Ani l’dodi v’dodi li –“I am for my beloved and my beloved is for me…” (Song of Songs 6:3). This is the opportune time to dedicate our “I” – ego to become “for my beloved” – Hashem (S’fatEmet, Parashat Vayelech year 5634).

Purifying ourselves during Elul enables us to crown Hashem as King over all of our limbs on Rosh Hashana, and brings us to complete unity with Hashem on Yom Kippur. This process of return is alluded to in the following verse from the Rosh Hashana prayer, שְׂאוּ שְׁעָרִים רָאשֵׁיכֶם וּשְׂאוּ פִּתְחֵי עוֹלָם וְיָבֹא מֶלֶךְ הַכָּבוֹד – “Lift up the gates of your heads, O gates, lift up the everlasting openings; so the King of glory may enter” (Tehillim 24:9). The שְׁעָרִים/she’arim – gates allude to the month of Elul, the gate of the year. Rather than being the last month of the previous year, Elul is actually the beginning and the gate of the new year. Therefore, it states, “Lift up the gates of רָאשֵׁיכֶם – your heads (beginnings),” meaning lift up the month of Elul – the gate of the year through removing evil by means of doing good. This purification enables us to enter Rosh Hashana in total coronation of Hashem as the King of our entire being. While the “gates” are external, the “openings” are more internal, they allude to the Ten Days of Repentance about which it states, “Seek Hashem while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near” (Yesha’yahu 55:6). By means of working on ourselves this way during this period of Divine Favor, we can remove any blocks so that the “King of glory, [Hashem] may enter” into our entire being on Yom Kippur (Netivot Shalom, Devarim p 247). I look forward to a lovingly awesome semester with the students of Midreshet B’erot Bat Ayin experiencing Divine Favor and returning to the land of our soul. May Hashem bless you allwith a favorable and awesome year of both spiritual and physical abundance!

We welcome former B’erot alumna, Liba Rosen (Katz), and her husband Yoel who will be the new dorm parents this upcoming year at Midreshet B’erot Bat Ayin.

Originally from New Haven, Connecticut, Liba was a student at B’erot four years ago and has since lived in Jerusalem where she taught English and went back to school for her masters in creative writing. Yoel, grew up in Monsey, NY and has been living in Israel on and off for about 10 years. He attended yeshiva at Lev Aryeh and Mayanot, served as a lone soldier in the Israeli army and has since been working and living in Jerusalem. The Rosens have been married for almost two years and they are now expecting their first child.

Liba is enthusiastic about giving back to the B’erot community that gave her so much when she was a student. She looks forward to offering guidance and counseling about post-seminary life: making aliyah, learning Hebrew, working and living in Israel, shidduchim, marriage…etc. Liba’s desire to return to Bat Ayin and her wish to give additional support for the students throughout their time in B’erot will add to the overall atmosphere on campus. Liba also looks forward to the possibility of teaching Jewish Creative Writing to interested students. The Rosens are very excited to join the B’erot Bat Ayin community this year and we look forward to having them on staff!