Q & A about Elul
Q:
Hello Rabbi I am once again a little confused.
If the month of Elul is when G-d is accessible to us, what is he for all the months preceeding it? I have always felt that G-d should be a daily part of my life, a thought for all of my days. That my connecting with him is an always existent part of life, not that I need to be especially deserving to gain his attention.
When the King is in the castle and in his chambers I find it hard to believe that the peasant even acknowledges his existence. The peasant would only think of him when the peasant is doing wrong-doing. The same as in a business model a good person may be keeping tabs on the overall idea, but most focus is on the day-to-day. I feel as though G-d should be in the day-to-day always. Why is it that in this month he is supposed to be more accessible?
Is it really that in this month we want to think of him as more accessible, because we know of the impending decisions he will make regarding the Book of Life. That in this month our minds have realized that we will be coming before him in a very different way, and we seek to believe that he is more understanding. That G-d is truly as accessible this month as he was last month, only in this month we see him differently?
Thank you for reading my reply. I look forward to meeting you soon.
A: Sorry once again for the delayed response. Things are very hectic beginning of the school year. But thanks for writing – I love the opportunity to think.
BTW, if you don’t already have plans for Friday night we’d love if you could join us for Shabbat dinner. Let me know.
So the question is: Isn’t G-d always there for us? Isn’t He supposed to be part of our every day life? How could we say that He is available one month and not others.
Consider for a moment a relationship you have. It can be a child’s with a parent, a person with their spouse, a sibling. There’s a relationship there. They are – at least on some level – always available to one another, always connected. But that doesn’t mean that all times are equal. An anniversary, a birthday, a family reunion, a holiday – all of those are things that bring the relationship out into the open. The love that was there all along is suddenly in greater focus, sharper, more real.
Or even consider something so mundane as a doctor’s office. The doctor may be on call at all times for emergencies. He/she may be available always for an appointment, if the patient only chooses to come looking. But open clinic hours create a different type of opportunity – a certain ease of entry and accessibility that, though it might really be there at all times, is tangible and clear on a whole different level.
G-d always exists. He is always “there” for us. To stick with the analogy, even when the King is in his palace, his entire being is completely and totally wrapped up in being king to his people. His days are spent on improving their lot. And the peasants, too, are essentially and really subjects of the king. (We don’t relate much to the whole monarchy analogy any more because it’s almost ceased to exist on a real level in the Western world.) So the connection is always there and the reality is always there.
But then there comes a “special time.” In this case, a special month. A month during which, in addition to the constant ability to turn towards G-d in prayer and bring Him into our lives, we’re actually given an even greater pass, a sharper focus. A month during which G-d makes a point of making it easier, of removing more of the obstacles, of getting rid of even imaginary obstructions. It is the anniversary, or the birthday; a time when “love is in the air” and there’s just such an opportunity to connect.
But He still leaves it up to us. The month of Elul isn’t about G-d reaching out to us, revealing His glory as it were, as He does during the High Holidays. It’s about Him making Himself available for us to reach out to him. The accessibility is there – to use the relationship analogy, the candles are lit, the table is set, the bottle of wine is open – but He’s still waiting for us to make the first move.
Hope this helps,
Dov
Hello Rabbi I am once again a little confused.
If the month of Elul is when G-d is accessible to us, what is he for all the months preceeding it? I have always felt that G-d should be a daily part of my life, a thought for all of my days. That my connecting with him is an always existent part of life, not that I need to be especially deserving to gain his attention.
When the King is in the castle and in his chambers I find it hard to believe that the peasant even acknowledges his existence. The peasant would only think of him when the peasant is doing wrong-doing. The same as in a business model a good person may be keeping tabs on the overall idea, but most focus is on the day-to-day. I feel as though G-d should be in the day-to-day always. Why is it that in this month he is supposed to be more accessible?
Is it really that in this month we want to think of him as more accessible, because we know of the impending decisions he will make regarding the Book of Life. That in this month our minds have realized that we will be coming before him in a very different way, and we seek to believe that he is more understanding. That G-d is truly as accessible this month as he was last month, only in this month we see him differently?
Thank you for reading my reply. I look forward to meeting you soon.
A: Sorry once again for the delayed response. Things are very hectic beginning of the school year. But thanks for writing – I love the opportunity to think.
BTW, if you don’t already have plans for Friday night we’d love if you could join us for Shabbat dinner. Let me know.
So the question is: Isn’t G-d always there for us? Isn’t He supposed to be part of our every day life? How could we say that He is available one month and not others.
Consider for a moment a relationship you have. It can be a child’s with a parent, a person with their spouse, a sibling. There’s a relationship there. They are – at least on some level – always available to one another, always connected. But that doesn’t mean that all times are equal. An anniversary, a birthday, a family reunion, a holiday – all of those are things that bring the relationship out into the open. The love that was there all along is suddenly in greater focus, sharper, more real.
Or even consider something so mundane as a doctor’s office. The doctor may be on call at all times for emergencies. He/she may be available always for an appointment, if the patient only chooses to come looking. But open clinic hours create a different type of opportunity – a certain ease of entry and accessibility that, though it might really be there at all times, is tangible and clear on a whole different level.
G-d always exists. He is always “there” for us. To stick with the analogy, even when the King is in his palace, his entire being is completely and totally wrapped up in being king to his people. His days are spent on improving their lot. And the peasants, too, are essentially and really subjects of the king. (We don’t relate much to the whole monarchy analogy any more because it’s almost ceased to exist on a real level in the Western world.) So the connection is always there and the reality is always there.
But then there comes a “special time.” In this case, a special month. A month during which, in addition to the constant ability to turn towards G-d in prayer and bring Him into our lives, we’re actually given an even greater pass, a sharper focus. A month during which G-d makes a point of making it easier, of removing more of the obstacles, of getting rid of even imaginary obstructions. It is the anniversary, or the birthday; a time when “love is in the air” and there’s just such an opportunity to connect.
But He still leaves it up to us. The month of Elul isn’t about G-d reaching out to us, revealing His glory as it were, as He does during the High Holidays. It’s about Him making Himself available for us to reach out to him. The accessibility is there – to use the relationship analogy, the candles are lit, the table is set, the bottle of wine is open – but He’s still waiting for us to make the first move.
Hope this helps,
Dov
posted by Rabbi Dov | 9:31 AM
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