We are all familiar with the teaching that the word “Elul” – the name of the Hebrew month devoted to repentance in preparation for the High Holidays – is an acrostic representing the verse, “Ani ledodi vedodi li – I am for my Beloved, and my Beloved is for me” (Shir Hashirim 6:3). This allusion points to the notion that acknowledging Gd’s great love for us is crucial for the teshuvah experience.
This idea comes into sharper focus when we considered another – far less known – allusion to Elul in the Bible.
Consolation Before Repentance
Each morning, in the final section of the shaharit service, we recite a series of verses that begins with a verse from the Book of Yeshayahu (59:20): “Uva leTzion goel, ulshaveh fesha beYaakov – And the redeemer shall come to Zion, and to those in Jacob who have repented from sin.” The word goel ends with the letters alef and lamed, and the next word – ulshaveh – begins with the letters vav and lamed. These four letters, of course, spell the word “Elul.”
What is the special significance of this allusion? Is this verse associated with Elul simply because it mentions repentance – “Ulshaveh fesha” – or is there a more specific point of connection?
To answer this question, let us look at the sequence of the haftarot read on the Shabbatot during the summer and early autumn.
During the period of the Three Weeks, which we spend reflecting upon the destruction of Jerusalem, we read a series of haftarot prophesying the calamity. On the first two Shabbatot, we read prophecies from the Book of Yirmiyahu, and on third Shabbat, the Shabbat immediately preceding Tishah B’Av, we read the famous first chapter of Yeshayahu (“Hazon Yeshayahu ben Amotz…”). Then, on the seven Shabbatot that follow Tishah B’Av, we read haftarot of nehamah – consolation. These are seven beautiful, uplifting prophecies from the Book of Yeshayahu that speak of Gd’s eternal and unconditional love for the Jewish Nation, and His promise to ultimately end our sorrow and bring our final redemption.
Then, on the two Shabbatot after these seven weeks, as we begin the new year, we read two haftarot devoted to the theme of teshuvah, prophecies exhorting us to repent and to return to the service of the Almighty.
Surprisingly, the Rabbis who instituted this sequence determined that we should first focus on the theme of comfort and redemption before focusing on teshuvah. We would have expected that after the period of mourning and grief, we should be immediately urged to do teshuvah, to work to improve so we are worthy of redemption. But instead, we are first repeatedly reminded of Gd’s promise of redemption before we hear the call to repent and make ourselves deserving of it.
The reason for this is that we need Gd’s encouragement and reassurance to motivate us to repent.
For thousands of years, we’ve been despised, ridiculed and targeted. We’ve been accused – and are still accused – of all kinds of horrible wrongs. We have been told that we cannot possibly be Gd’s “chosen people,” and that even if we had been chosen in the past, we forfeited this status through our misconduct, and we are now His rejected people. We have always been a tiny minority viewed with suspicion and disdain – and this is increasing, alarmingly, in our time.
At a certain point, Jews might begin asking themselves if perhaps there is some truth to all this. They might consider yielding to this pressure, and thinking that perhaps Gd truly did reject us, perhaps the rest of the world is right and we’re wrong, perhaps all the tragedies and persecution that we’ve suffered prove that Gd has forsaken us, that our nation has no future, that it is time to move on and forget about Gd and His Torah.
We would likely have entertained such thoughts – if not for the beautiful, stirring words of our prophets that we read each and every year during the weeks after Tishah B’Av. After reflecting on the fall of Jerusalem and the numerous catastrophes that have befallen our nation ever since, we are immediately reminded of Gd’s unconditional love for us, and reassured that a glorious future awaits us. The prophecies we read during these weeks emphasize that Hashem has not abandoned us, He has not rejected us, and He will redeem us. This message is necessary to motivate us to repent and do what we can to be worthy of redemption.
This idea may help us explain the verse “Uva leTzion goel…” and its connection to the month of Elul.
This verse begins with the promise of redemption – “Uva leTzion goel” – and then continues with the theme of repentance – “ulshaveh fesha beYaakov.” Once we are assured of the future redemption, after we receive Gd’s promise that He has not rejected us, we have the motivation to move forward and to put in the work needed to make ourselves worthy of redemption.
The word “Elul” is embedded in this verse for the same reason it is embedded in the verse “Ani ledodi vedodi li” – because this month is about reminding us of Gd’s unconditional love for our nation. In order to be driven to repent, we need a reminder not to believe to what the antisemites say about us. We need a reminder that we are unconditionally loved by Gd, that we are a special nation, that our many imperfections do not define us and do not break our everlasting bond with the Almighty. During the month of Elul, we prepare for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur by reminding ourselves of Hashem’s love for us, by reminding ourselves that “Uva leTzion goel,” that He is still committed to us, that He cherishes us and wants us to improve. In fact, on the Shabbatot during Elul, we are still reading the haftarot of consolation – because this is the crucial first step to teshuvah: realizing that Hashem still loves us is prepared to bring our redemption.
The Redemption Unfolding Before Our Eyes
In our times, this love can be easily seen – because we are, very clearly, already deep into the redemption process.
Although this has not received much publicity, the Jewish Nation has recently reached a major milestone, a historic tipping point. For the first time since the end of the First Commonwealth, there are more Jews living in Eretz Yisrael than throughout the rest of the world.
For millennia, Jews read the promises in the Torah and the Prophets about kibutz galuyot – the ingathering of the Jewish exiles – and wondered how this could possibly happen. How could Jews from across the globe, dispersed among so many different countries, and in places so far from Israel, all return there? But this is, in fact, happening, right before our eyes. The Prophets foresaw the Land of Israel lying barren and then suddenly coming to life with the return of its people – and this is happening. For example, on the second day of Rosh Hashanah we will read Yirmiyahu’s prophecy (31:4) – delivered before the destruction of the First Temple – about how vineyards will again be planted in Shomron (Samaria). Sure enough, today you can visit several successful wineries in Shomron that grow grapes and produce award-winning wine. Prophecies that our ancestors believed were true when they seemed impossible are being fulfilled right before our eyes.
We are witnessing the process of “Uba leTzion goel” – and we must therefore respond with “ulshaveh fesha beYaakov,” with greater efforts to improve. The more Hashem shows us His eternal love for us, the greater the responsibility we have to show our love and dedication to Him. Now that we see with our very eyes the fulfillment of the prophecies of redemption, it behooves us to invest in teshuvah, in the process of spiritual growth.
A Time for Giving
We conclude with one final allusion to Elul in the Tanach.
Toward the end of Megilat Ester, the Megillah tells of how Purim was established as a day of festivity, and a day for “mishloah manot ish lere’ehu umatanot la’evyonim” – sending food packages to one another, and giving gifts to the poor (9:22). The first letters of the final four words of this verse (“ish lere’ehu umatanot la’evyonim”) spell the word “Elul.”
Of course, Purim is celebrated in Adar, many months before Elul. But Elul is alluded to in this verse – which speaks of the mitzvot of giving that apply on Purim – because generous giving is a crucial part of the Elul experience. We show our commitment to teshuvah and our desire for closeness with Hashem through sacrifice – by giving of our time, of our energy, and, yes, of our money, to important causes.
This includes giving to those on the “front lines” of the process of “ulshaveh fesha beYaakov,” those who devote their lives to outreach and to Jewish education, to bring Jewish children and adults closer to observance. They are leading the effort to accelerate the process of redemption, and they deserve our full support.
A verse in the Book of Daniel (12:3) says that matzdikeh harabim – those who bring merit to the public – are comparable to the stars. The Gemara (Baba Batra 8b) explains that this refers to the schoolteachers, those who invest a great deal of time and effort to educate Jewish children so they become knowledgeable, committed Jews. It has been suggested that schoolteachers are compared to the stars because they are often undervalued. A star appears in the sky as a tiny dot, but it is actually enormous, several times larger than our planet. Likewise, too many people view educators as “small” and unimportant – when in truth they are doing the most vital work of all, teaching our children. They deserve our recognition and appreciation – and, most of all, a respectable income. People doing the most important work should not be earning the lowest salaries.
As part of our teshuvah efforts, let us together resolve to give more to those who are leading our nation’s spiritual growth, and leading the struggle against the pervasive negative influences to which our youngsters are exposed. Let us do what we can to embolden the matzdikeh harabim of our time, so they can succeed in their work to bring the Jewish People forward and make us worthy of our final redemption, amen.