B"H

THOUGHTS FOR THE MONTH OF ELUL

Ani l'dodi v'dodi li [1] .... I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine.
This is Elul.
This is the season of Teshuva.

According to Rabbi Matisyahu Salomon [2] , the Chofetz Chaim said there would be three great wars before Moshiach comes, the First World War being the first.  The Chofetz Chaim, who died in 1933, went on to predict the Second World War and the horrors associated with it.  Then, he said, there would be a longer period without war, followed by the Third War, which would occur just prior to the coming of Moshiach.

There is more: he also said the Third War would be different from the previous two.  During the First and Second World Wars, as we know, the Malach ha Mauves, the Angel of Death, was given power to harm both rasha and tzaddik, evil people and holy people.  No one was immune.  The First and wars destroyed the ancient and holy European Jewish community. 

But in the Third War, said the Chofetz Chaim, the Angel of Death will be partially restrained.  Those who cleave to the Torah and reject the ways of the alien cultures in whose midst we live, will be saved from harm. 

My dear friends, what does Elul mean?

G-d should spare us from war, but if the Third War comes to pass -- and the present condition of the world, the increasing isolation of Israel and Jews, the increasing violence, the breakdown of morality and the strengthening of Islam make it seem ever more likely -- then there is good reason to believe that no one will be spared.  There will be no island of tranquility, no hiding place.  The only hiding place will be under the wings of the shechina, the protection of G-d.  

The line between the Torah and the ways of the alien cultures among whom we live is very fine.  We must be careful.  "Whoever touches the mountain shall surely die," [3] said G-d to Moses at Mount Sinai.  We must understand what is holy and what is not.

I spend several hours each day at a great yeshiva.  There are young boys who come there to learn with older yeshiva boys on summer mornings.  Very commendable, but there was a problem: these young boys started to arrive in combination sneakers/roller blades and sail through the study hall on their wheels.  I am not related to these young boys any more than I am to any other Jew, but I took it upon myself to speak to them [4].  The question is: can someone who fears G-d and His Torah sail through the yeshiva as if he is in a gym or an amusement park? 

It is subtle, is it not?  But our entire system of laws, through which we have survived the centuries, is also subtle.  Many laws of the Torah are compared to "mountains suspended by a hair." [5]   That is why we labor over the Gemora from morning to night.  Our entire survival as the Eternal Nation hangs from fine threads delicately examined by minds and hearts trained to pick up the nuances of G-d's utterances at Mount Sinai. 

My friends: it is time to wake up.  This is not a game.  The world structure as we know it is crumbling.  The rumble of anti-Semitism is just one symptom of the coming upheaval.  G-d is sending signals through drought, wildfires, global warming, scorching heat, torrential rains.  G-d is sending signals through hatred of Israel and hatred of Jews.  G-d is sending signals through war and threats of war.  The end will of course be good, because we know that Moshiach ben Dovid will usher in an era of peace and lead his nation back to our home in the Holy Land where we will dwell under the wings of the Presence of G-d.

THE QUESTION IS: WILL WE BE THERE?

From the answer of the Chofetz Chaim, it seems that our ONLY TICKET to the world of Moshiach is our fervent cleaving to the Life of Torah.  Issues were much clearer when we lived in ghettos and were not permitted to enter the alien cultures, even clearer when we lived in the presence of the Holy Temple in the ancient days of our glory.  It was never easy to climb the ladder to G-d, but at least then the line was drawn.  The "invitation" of the European world to the Jews to enter their culture, and the so-called "enlightenment" that followed, was possibly the greatest attempt in history to destroy us forever, G-d forbid! 

THEIR CULTURE IS NOT OUR CULTURE.

THEIR CULTURE IS CRUMBLING; OURS IS ETERNAL.

We have a choice.  As we are soon to read in the Torah, we are required to "choose life." [6]   That, I believe, is what Elul is all about.  It is up to us to perceive the difference between the alien cultures in which we live -- the pleasure-worshipping, fun-seeking, money-loving culture totally focused on acquisition of material advantage - and the world of Torah, lehavdil.  In total contrast, the culture of the Children of Israel focuses on eternal bonding with the Source of all life, the Ribono shel Olam, the Master of the Universe, Who is approached only through the pathways of Torah study, chesed and prayer.       

If we are not conscious of our own incredible puniness compared to the challenge of standing before our Creator, then we are in big trouble.  If our attitude is so nonchalant that we can rollerblade through the yeshiva, then we are in big trouble.  

"Whoever touches the mountain shall surely die."

The challenge of Elul, I believe, is that we should become aware of how terribly far we are from where we should be.  Elul is serious business.  Elul is survival.  Ani l'dodi v'dodi li.  We belong to G-d and He belongs to us.  As we say on Friday night, "L'cha dodi likras Kalla," let us go out to meet our bride, let us usher the presence of G-d into our lives.  Then we will indeed fulfill our mission in this world, using the sanctity of Elul so that we may survive in the coming convulsions and struggle on through to the eternal and perfect world of Moshiach ben Dovid and the Holy Temple in the Rebuilt Yerushalayim Ir ha Kodesh, may we see it soon in our days!

With hope for a speedy Redemption!

Roy S. Neuberger