Divrei Torah Chodesh Ellul
Divrei Torah Chodesh Ellul
Torah Table of Contents
Ellu - The Friendly Month, The Rebbe Shlita in Ma'amarei Oraysoh Why We Begin Selichos Right After Shabbos Divrei Torah from Reb Motti Rosen z"l, Chodesh Ellul
excerpted from a ma'amar by the Rebbe Shlita in Ma'amarei Oraysoh, Parshas R'ei
A major aspect of Divine service [avodas Hashem] in the month of Ellul is dibbuk chaverim, strengthening and developing our friendships. Everything depends on this, and it paves the way for proper teshuva [repentance] in this month. It is well known that the Arizal promoted the custom of saying, before the daily Shacharis [morning] prayers, that one accepts upon himself the positive mitzva of "V'Ahavta L'Reiacha Kamocha," loving one's fellow man as himself [Vayikra, 19:18].
Just as this practice is a preparation for tefilla [prayer] on a daily basis, so is Ellul the month-long preparation for the prayers and Divine service of the Yamim Noraim [High Holy Days]. So the avoda of Ellul is to perfect this mitzva of loving one's fellow man. This is even hinted at in the verse itself - the first letter of each word of "V'Ahavta L'Reiacha Kamocha Ani Hashem" is equal in gematria to "Ellul". In addition, the first letters of the verse in Megillas Esther [9:22], Eesh L'Reiahu Umatanos L'Evyonim [each man to his fellow, and gifts to the poor] spell out Ellul, signifying the main aspect of Divine service for this month.
There is a popular saying, "In Ellul, even the fish in the sea tremble." The Rebbe Shlita questions the significance of this, since the fish's very existence is in cold water [of course they tremble!]. One could answer that it is known that although even the animals perverted their ways at the time of the Great Flood [Mabul, Parshas Noach], the fish did not sin then, and were therefore not punished. Nevertheless, in Ellul, they too tremble, because of the fear of the Divine Judgment about to take place.
However, the Rebbe Shlita concludes, we can answer somewhat differently. The fish survive by feeding on each other - the larger fish swallow the smaller. This is quite the opposite of dibbuk chaverim. So even though this is how the Creator made them, nonetheless, their deeds are far from perfect. Therefore, they tremble in the month of Ellul, in which the avoda is that of dibbuk chaverim.
That being the case, what redeeming factor can we find for these poor fish? Just about every other food substance has a mitzva associated with it - grains, vegetables and fruit have Terumos, Ma'aseros, etc. [the mitzvos of tithing various agricultural produce]; while meat and fowl have the mitzva of shechita [ritual slaughter before being permitted to be eaten]. Since the fish were left without a mitzva, our Sages ordained that we should eat them on Shabbos, to fulfill the mitzva of Oneg Shabbos [having pleasure on Shabbos]. Thus the fish, too, can attain their perfection.
Translated by Reb Yitzchak Dorfman of Yerushalayim, a Modzitzer Chassid
based on a ma'amar by the Imrei Shaul in sefer Yisa Bracha
It's an established custom that Ashkenazi Jewry always begins reciting the penitential prayers of Selichos on a Motzaei Shabbos. The main piyut [liturgical poem] of the first night's Selichos begins, "On the exit from our day of rest, we have preceded You at first..." Rebbe Shaul Yedidya Elazar asks, "preceded You at first" is redundant. Also, why do we always begin Selichos specifically on a Motzaei Shabbos?
At the beginning of the Torah in the story of Creation, Rashi tells us that Hashem originally intended to create the world using the midda [trait or quality] of Din [strict judgment], but he preceded it with that of Rachamim [mercy]. R. Shaul explains that the precedence of Rachamim means Shabbos - which preceded Creation. Even though Shabbos came into being only at the end of Creation [on the seventh day], we say about it in the prayer "Lecha Dodi": "From the beginning, with precedence, it was anointed - last in deed, but first in thought." Shabbos represents the quality of Rachamim, as the Zohar [Parshas Terumah, 135a] says, "All dinim depart from it...and all the dominions of anger and masters of Din flee..."
So as we approach the Yom HaDin [Day of Judgment, Rosh Hashana], which corresponds to the time of the world's creation, we precede it with the kedusha [sanctity] of Shabbos, to arouse and precede the judgment with Rachamim. Now the piyut makes sense: "On the exit from our day of rest, we have preceded You at first..." means that we have given the quality of Rachamim precedence via the holiness of Shabbos, before the "first" - that which was the original intention, to create the world with the quality of Din.
Translated by Reb Yitzchak Dorfman of Yerushalayim, a Modzitzer Chassid
Divrei Torah from Reb Motti Rosen z"l, grandson of Harav Shaul the Second Rebbe
1. The Nesivos (a Mifarash on the Chumash and Megillah) says that in order for one to be successful in Teshuva one must reach a level of Oyen - nothingness. One has to feel that Hashem is everything and man is nothing. We can say that when a person thinks much of himself, when he thinks he is great, he uses the word Ani, I am. The word Ani in Hebrew is spelled Alef, Nun, and Yud. The gematria of the letter Nun is 50, the same gematria as the word HeAdam, the man, spelled Hay, Alef, Daled, Mem. When a person thinks of himself as something great he says Ani - putting the Nun - the man - before Hashem. When a person is striving to do Teshuva and he sees the greatness of Hashem, when he realizes that he is nothing, then he has reached a state of Oyen, spelled Alef, Yud, and Nun, putting Hashem before the man.
2. The Ramban in a discussion on the topics of Yiras Hashem and Ahavas Hashem says that Yirah must come first. Only when a person has successfully reached a level of Yiras Hashem can he begin to work on Ahava. It cannot work the other way. One cannot work on Ahava and then work on Yirah. There is a remez, a clue, to this in the words themselves. The word Yirah is spelled Yud, Resh, Alef, Hey and the word Ahava is spelled Alef, Hey, Bais, Hey. At the end of the word Yirah, you have the Alef and Hey that begins the word Ahava. Whereas, the letters at the end of the word Ahava do not begin the word Yirah. Ahava is a direct continuation of Yirah. (Editor's note: if you note the spelling of the words in English you find the same remez. At the end of the word Yirah, you have the beginning of Ahava.)
3.This vort was said on the 27th day of Ellul 5750, for the 56th Yarzheit of Rebbetzin Nechama Taub, z"l, the Moditzer Rebbetzin.
And all the nations of the land will see that the name of Hashem is called on you and they will fear you (Parshas Ki Savo, 28:10).
During the davening on each day of Rosh Hashanah we blow 100 Tekiyot. These 100 Tekiyot contain 300 different kochos or kolos
(sounds). The Tekiya is 1, the Shefarim is 3, and the Terua is 9. There are 10 different sets of Tekiyot.
Each set contains the following:
4 Tekiya, Shefarim, Terua, Tekiya
3 Tekiya, Shefarim, Tekiya
3 Tekiya, Terua, Tekiya
10 Tekiyot
There are 10 of these sets throughout davening.
Each of these sets contains:
6 Tekiyot
6 Shefarim
18 Teruot
30 sounds in total. x 10 sets = 300 sounds throughout the day.
The Pasuk says Ki Shem Hashem Nekrah. The Roshei Teivos of the words Shem Hashem Nekra are Shin, Yud, Nun which spells the word Shin, whose gematria is 300, a remez to the 300 sounds. The last letters of the same words are Mem, Hey, Alef, which spell the word Meah, whose gematria is 100, a remez to the 100 Tekiyot.
This Parsha discusses the Inyan of Malchos, of accepting the Malchos of the Ribbono Shel Olam. We do this when we blow Shofar.
In the zechus of accepting this Malchos may we be zocheh to see the malchos of Mashiach speedily in our days
