Days on the Jewish Calendar: Elul
Why Elul's Psalm Is Really About Two of Hashem's Names
A class on Tehillim's Elul-associated psalm, connecting its opening verse to the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy and the two modes of Hashem's name active before and after a sin.
Why Yeravam's Merit Still Counts, Despite His Sin
Explores why the wicked King Yeravam is still counted among the kings of Yehuda, the merit of avoiding lashon hara even amid serious sin, and the ongoing battle against the yetzer hara in Elul.
Month of Elul: Part 1
The month of Elul's tzeiruf of the four-letter Name, hinted in the pasuk 'u'tzedakah tihyeh lanu,' points to tzedakah as its defining mitzvah, a theme the Rambam's Hilchos Teshuvah applies to the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah and which is extended, via the Bach's forty-day unit of 'ani l'dodi v'dodi li,' to the whole month. Beyond tzedakah's simple role as an unlimited kaparah for aveiros, a deeper look at the Gemara's two models of receiving from Hashem, bizroa for the deserving versus tzedakah for everyone else, argues that even the righteous ultimately depend on an unearned gift, since no human action can truly obligate Hashem. Giving tzedakah during Elul therefore expresses the very bitul needed to crown Hashem as King on Rosh Hashanah.
Month of Elul: Part 2
Recited twice daily for the entire month, unlike its partial use in Tishrei or the partial months of Sefirat HaOmer, Ledavid Hashem Ori v'Yishi is identified as Elul's defining tefillah, and its opening words are read as an even deeper klal than 'achat sha'alti,' the basic recognition that Hashem alone is the emet. The perek's double use of Hashem's Name is traced to the two levels of Havayah behind the Yud Gimmel Midos HaRachamim, one for a Yid before he sins and a deeper one reached specifically through teshuvah. Applied practically, 'Ori v'Yishi' answers the yetzer hara's claim that resistance is futile, while 'Me'oz Chayai' answers its claim that it's too late to bother trying, arming a Yid against both arguments throughout Elul.
Shabbat Preceding Rosh Hashanah
Every other month gets its Shabbos Mevarchim blessing — except the one before Tishrei, and several other things (like blowing shofar on Erev Rosh Hashanah) are also skipped, all said to be "in order to confuse the Satan." A look at what that phrase actually means, since obviously an angel isn't fooled by a skipped blessing.