BS’D

As we remove the negative traits we make room for Hashem’s love to enter and our desire to bond to Him increases.  The reason being self-discipline is the tool which breaks the yetzer hara and breaks down the barriers that block Hashem’s presence.

The call of the teruah is not only the call of Hashem to us but also our call to Hashem.  The tekiah is a long unbroken blast, the shevarim are three blows and the teruah is nine blasts.  The tekiah represents a sigh of love, the shevarim symbolizes a sort of groan that comes before the tears and the teruah is similar to uncontrollable sobbing.

The teruah is seen as a fusion of love and awe which brings Klal Yisrael to sigh over the lack of revealed Kingship in this world.

The shevarim are felt in the form of Hashem great fiery love for us to which we let out groans and tears.

The teruah injects us with Hashem’s great love which causes us to love Hashem even more leading to a greater love between us.

The powerful sounds of the Shofar should fill us with awe mixed with great longing to return to Gan Eden where we felt Hashem’s closeness and love and never doubted His continuous presence.

Today’s daily dose of emuna is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Rav Yaakov ben Chaya Fradl Esther.  May Hashem bless him with a complete healing b’riut hanefesh v’b’iut haguf among all of Klal Yisrael who are sick and suffering b’karov, b’rachamim, Amen.

BS’D

We may begin this month of Elul with our backs turned away from Hashem, wondering whether Hashem has ‘turned His back’ on us as well. Yet, if we turn around, we will see that Hashem is still facing us, with endless compassion, patience and grace.

Healthy relationships are built on unconditional giving, treating others’ needs as equivalent to our own. Unfortunately, our yetzer hara often puts the ‘me’ in front of the ‘you’, leading us to become frustrated or disappointed in life and how we are treated. Elul is the month to minimize our egos, this part of us that likes to ‘play G-d.’ Instead, we can strive to place Hashem’s needs before our own.

Hashem created teshuva before He created existence. He knows we are not perfect and that we need a method to ‘return’ to Him. The Zohar teaches that there are 3 powerful tefillot (all in Tehillim): tefilla l’Dovid, tefilla ;l’Moshe and tefilla l’Ani. Yet, even more exalted than the tefillah of Dovid HaMelech or Moshe Rabbeinu are the prayers of the “ish ani”, the downtrodden and broken-hearted man. Hashem considers a person who prays heartfelt words of desire to come back to Him and repair the damage he caused via his transgressions as the most beloved of all!

BS’D

Despite the daunting nature of facing our sins and the spiritual work we may need to do during the days of Elul, embedded in this month is also a remarkable opportunity for closeness to Hashem. The energy of this month is represented by the words “Ani l’Dodi v’Dodi li” (I am for my Beloved and my Beloved is for me).

But why don’t we always feel and intense love and closeness to Hashem? Hashem is always yearning to be close to us. It is only our sins that block us from this closeness. During the year our egos blocks our hearts or souls and therefore we struggle to feel Hashem’s love for us and our love for Him. However, in Elul when we manage to confront our sins and admit our mistakes, we are humbling our egos and admitting “We need You Hashem in our lives. We can’t live without You anymore!” This ego-busting, humbling process of repentance serves as the most powerful force to clear the block between our hearts and Hashem.

Rav Kook ztk’l teaches that there is a flow of life force that emanates from the soul’s longing to purify the world. Our souls desire to do teshuva even while we transgress, since our soul knows the truth that constantly cleaving and connecting to Hashem is our greatest true desire. We want to trust in Hashem, yet we are in conflict when we feel we ‘need’ certain things that Hashem does not ‘give to us’. We think to ourselves, “Surely we know ourselves and our needs best?”

Actually, deep inside our neshamot know that Hashem knows best. Though our souls know what we need, we are blinded by our body. Hashem knows our needs better than we do. His restrictions are His way of protecting us. Hashem has infinite wisdom and is the Source of creation. As we increase our emuna, we repair our relationship with Hashem and learn to trust that He sees everything and knows what is in our bests better than we do.

Today’s daily dose of emuna is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Chaya Raizel bat Dina. May Hashem bless her with a complete healing b’riut hanefesh v’b’iut haguf among all of Klal Yisrael who are sick and suffering b’karov, b’rachamim, Amen.

BS’D

We are all in need of tremendous rachamei Shamayim, both individually and collectively as a Jewish nation. It is a mitzvah to respond to every crisis which we face by crying out to Hashem in tefilla.

All our emptiness and feeling of lack originally stems from a lack of spirituality. Our neshamot are crying to be heard and paid attention. Teshuva is a gift which is the antidote to this spiritual sickness. “For I am Hashem who heals you” (Exodus 15:26). As we come to understand ourselves and strive to fulfil ourselves spiritually, we bring comfort to our soul.

Elul represents 29 days of fixing and restoring our broken marriage with Borei Olam. Repairing our relationship with Hashem starts with 3 simple words, “I’m sorry”. We have 29 days to explore our true state, our misdemeanors, and to outline the reasons why we are sorry.

Elul represents a spiritual turning point of the year. It is a time of self-accounting and contemplation reflected through prayers and the blowing of the shofar. We seek refuge in Hashem and hope that He will hear our heartfelt prayers and accept our true regret.

During Elul, we can ask ourselves deep and honest questions such as:

• Am I upset with Hashem, chas v’Shalom?
• Do I have complaints?
• Do I need to ‘forgive’ Hashem before He forgives me?
• In what areas do I continue to make mistakes?
• What can I do to improve?

The AriZal teaches that the true Elul experience is the fleeing of one’s sins in fear and desperation and the search for Divine protection. Rav Soloveitchik ztk’l teaches that the selichot we daven during Elul are different than everyday tefillot. They are a tza’aka (a deep cry). Selichot are more intense and compulsive. They are encapsulated by the words, “Aneinu Hashem Aneinu!” a plea for Hashem to answer us.

Today’s daily dose of emuna is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Eliyah ben Yeshua. May Hashem bless him with a complete healing b’riut hanefesh v’b’iut haguf among all of Klal Yisrael who are sick and suffering b’karov, b’rachamim, Amen.