Category Archives: Elul

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The Craving Soul

September 13, 2016
Orit Esther Riter
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BS’D

This month is filled with bracha. What is a blessing? Rashi explains a bracha simply: getting a lot when you do a little. We merit great abundance without having to invest a lot of time and effort. This is the power of Elul.

Unfortunately many of us don’t open up the gift called Chodesh Elul. We hide from ourselves and from Hashem. Adam and Chava also tried to hide from Hashem. How can we imagine hiding from ‘Eyes’ that see it all? We can’t. Admitting our mistakes and feeling the pain of embarrassment is part and parcel with the atonement process.

Let us not assume that the teshuva process is a one-time event. It is a gradual process. Development and self-growth occurs in stages and requires patience. It is an up-and-down process, no instant change. We are not expected to finish it, but to start. Teshuva is based on one founding principle; ratzon, a heartfelt desire to make the wrong right. In fact Rebbe Natan ztk’l the foremost disciple of Rebbe Nachman ztk’l teaches the entire reason the soul comes down into this world is for her to crave and seek Hashem and His Torah. The farther away from the object of love, the greater one’s desire to have it.

In this world our soul achieves wholeness through her ratzon to unite back with Hashem. Our longing to bond with Hashem is what opens the pipeline of bracha this month.

Today’s daily dose of emuna is dedicated to the complete refuah of Dov Nechemya HaCohen ben Rachel Chaya Sara a beautiful young man who has been battling a horrible spout of cancer for so long.  May Hashem send him a complete healing, b’riut hanefesh v’b’riut haguf among all Klal Yisrael who are sick and suffering b’rachamim, b’karov, Amen.

The Grand Ballroom

September 12, 2016
Orit Esther Riter
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BS’D

I recently heard an amazing vort given by Rav Lugasi Shlit’a. It describes the unbelievable opportunity Hashem gives us during Elul to recount and realign ourselves emotionally and spiritually.

Think of this month in the following manner. You are invited into a grand ballroom rented for a month by Hashem Himself. This room is filled with top lawyers. It is equipped with comfy chairs, air conditioning, background music and all the works. We are all invited to enter this room from Erev Rosh Chodesh Elul without charge until Yom Kippur. Everyone is invited; no racism.

In this room the lawyers give insights on how to be acquitted on our day of judgment. These lawyers in affect come in the form of sifrei mussar, Torah classes, our ratzon to right the wrong and times we allot to do cheshbon nefesh (self-accounting). We have one month to get our ‘act’ together and do some serious thinking and realigning.

Who opened this room and service to Klal Yisrael? The prosecutor Himself, Hashem our Beloved Father. Hashem wants to close the books and have us cleared of all charges. All year long we need to find our own lawyers and prepare the case on our own. This month we receive a special flow of Divine assistance from Hashem Himself. Thank You Hashem!

Today’s daily dose of emuna is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Dovid Yosef ben Leah. 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.

Elul ~ Yamei Ratzon

September 5, 2016
Orit Esther Riter
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BS’D

The month of Elul are also called Yamei Rachamim and Yamei Ratzon (days of Heavenly compassion and days of desire). This is hinted even in the gematria of the word Elul = 67 (6+7=13 middot rachamim). This is the month we inhale the entire year, gather in the whole year and recount. Hashem is continuously creating the world anew. Particularly this month we are given an opportunity to refresh our spirit; work on old relationships and create new ones.
These are days to develop our ratzon – what do we really want from life? Where do our genuine desires lie? What was Hashem’s intention when He created us? We need to ask questions that help transform us. How would you answer the following questions?

1) Do we look at what happens in our lives with angry eyes?
2) Do we view challenges as punishment questioning Hashem’s fairness?
3) Can we see compassion in every struggle and see the benefit, the ultimate good in what we us are going through?
4) Does it bring us to a higher level of consciousness and motivate us to reach higher?

We are in exile and cannot see Hashem’s goodness readily in all life’s events; we are disconnected from our inner psyche. Our psychological balance is compromised and our calling is to correct the way we perceive our reality.

This month we are gifted with special Siyatta D’Shmaya, Divine assistance that enables us to see life through emuna eyes. Thank You Hashem for this amazing month!

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