How to Be a Better Person, Month by Jewish Month
We are now firmly in Elul, the last month of the Hebrew calendar—a sort of dress rehearsal of repentance in preparation for the High Holidays (they’re heeeere). It’s a time when we reflect on our shortcomings of the past year, resolve to do better in the coming one, and to complete those last-minute extra-credit projects (mitzvot, e.g.) to bring up your life GPA.
According to Jewish tradition, God is receptive to us in a more open and compassionate manner during Elul than in the rest of the year. The concept is generally explained by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi’s metaphor, “The king is in the field.” Usually, the king’s place is in the palace. Anyone wishing to approach him must go through the appropriate channels of palace bureaucracy, not to mention actually journeying to the capital itself. They have to dress and speak the part and adhere to the exacting royal protocols of conduct. However, there are times when the king comes out to the fields outside the city. And at such times, he is approachable by anyone. By the same token, Elul is the time God is the most accessible to the Jewish people. During Elul we’re supposed to take advantage of this proximity to God and this last chance granted to make up for our actions over the past year, by putting our efforts into creating a mood of repentance and course-correction that builds up to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and hopefully through the rest of the new year.
Continue reading "How to Be a Better Person, Month by Jewish Month" at...