{"id":51700,"date":"2021-08-23T15:37:38","date_gmt":"2021-08-23T15:37:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/holidays\/?p=51700"},"modified":"2021-08-23T15:37:38","modified_gmt":"2021-08-23T15:37:38","slug":"weekly-tefilah-focus-special-elul-series-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/holidays\/weekly-tefilah-focus-special-elul-series-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Weekly Tefilah Focus Special Elul Series \u2013 Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The month of Elul is a great gift of love from Hashem.\u00a0 The four Hebrew letters of the month of Elul (<span dir=\"RTL\">\u05d0\u05dc\u05d5\u05dc<\/span>) are used to provide us with an understanding of what this great month of opportunity is all about.\u00a0 Perhaps the most well-known one is \u201c<span dir=\"RTL\">\u05d0\u05e0\u05d9 \u05dc\u05d3\u05d5\u05d3\u05d9 \u05d5\u05d3\u05d5\u05d3\u05d9 \u05dc\u05d9<\/span>\u2013<em>Ani l\u2019dodi v\u2019dodi li<\/em>\u00a0(I am my beloved\u2019s, and my beloved is mine).\u201d\u00a0 The first letter of each of the four words together spell the letters in the word\u00a0<span dir=\"RTL\">\u05d0\u05dc\u05d5\u05dc<\/span>\u00a0(Elul).<\/p>\n<p>Many write that the days of the month of Elul are days of \u201c<em>rachamim<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>ratzon<\/em>\u201d \u2013 days of compassion and favor.\u00a0 These days have been embedded with compassion, favor, love, and opportunity since Moshe Rabbeinu went up to the summit of Har Sinai for 40 days, starting with the beginning of Elul and culminating with Yom Kippur, when he brought down the second set of\u00a0<em>Luchos<\/em>.\u00a0 At that time, Hashem accepted our\u00a0<em>t\u2019shuvah<\/em>\u00a0and we were completely forgiven for the sin of the golden calf and were consequently reunited with Hashem.<\/p>\n<p>These are days of closeness to Hashem.\u00a0 While the opportunity for\u00a0<em>t\u2019shuvah<\/em>\u00a0is present year-round, the availability and opportunity are by far greatest in the 40 days starting with Rosh Chodesh Elul.\u00a0 HaRav Aharon Kotler\u00a0<em>zt\u201dl<\/em>\u00a0writes:<\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"RTL\">\u05d5\u05e0\u05e4\u05ea\u05d7\u05d9\u05dd \u05e9\u05e2\u05e8\u05d9 \u05d7\u05e1\u05d3 \u05d5\u05e8\u05d7\u05de\u05d9\u05dd, \u05d5\u05d0\u05e4\u05e9\u05e8 \u05dc\u05d4\u05e9\u05d9\u05d2 \u05d1\u05d9\u05df \u05d1\u05ea\u05e9\u05d5\u05d1\u05d4 \u05d5\u05d1\u05d9\u05df \u05d1\u05ea\u05d5\u05e8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05e2\u05d1\u05d5\u05d3\u05d4 \u05d1\u05de\u05e2\u05d8 \u05e2\u05de\u05dc \u05de\u05d4 \u05e9\u05e6\u05e8\u05d9\u05da \u05e2\u05de\u05dc \u05e8\u05d1 \u05d1\u05d6\u05de\u05df \u05d0\u05d7\u05e8&#8230;<\/span><br \/>\n\u2026and the gates of\u00a0<em>chesed<\/em>\u00a0[loving-kindness] and\u00a0<em>rachamim<\/em>\u00a0[compassion] are opened, and it is possible to achieve in the areas of repentance, Torah, and service [to the Almighty] with minimal exertion as compared with other times when [this achievement] would require significant exertion. \u00a0[quoted from\u00a0<em>Yerach l\u2019Moadim<\/em>, by HaRav Yerucham Olshin]<\/p>\n<p>Certainly one of the greatest opportunities of these days lies in\u00a0<em><span class=\"markhjw4hl85x\" data-markjs=\"true\" data-ogac=\"\" data-ogab=\"\" data-ogsc=\"\" data-ogsb=\"\">tefilah<\/span><\/em>.\u00a0 The\u00a0<em>Tur<\/em>, quoted by the\u00a0<em>Beis Yosef<\/em>\u00a0in the\u00a0<em>Shulchan Aruch<\/em>, writes that it is a great merit for one to increase asking Hashem for compassion in this month.\u00a0 One of the primary purposes of\u00a0<em><span class=\"markhjw4hl85x\" data-markjs=\"true\" data-ogac=\"\" data-ogab=\"\" data-ogsc=\"\" data-ogsb=\"\">tefilah<\/span><\/em>\u00a0is \u201cthe longing of the soul for Hashem\u201d [<em>Chovos HaL\u2019vavos<\/em>].\u00a0 Clearly in this month of closeness to our beloved, it behooves us to step up our intensity, mindfulness, and heart in our\u00a0<em>tefilos<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>brachos<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Coming early to\u00a0<em>davening<\/em>\u00a0and spending even one minute of silence and contemplation before we start our\u00a0<em>tefilos<\/em>\u00a0can have a dramatic impact on our\u00a0<em>tefilos<\/em>.\u00a0 HaRav Shimshon Dovid Pincus, in his\u00a0<em>sefer Gates of Prayer<\/em>, quotes the\u00a0<em>Bach<\/em>\u00a0(<em>siman<\/em>\u00a098), who references the\u00a0<em>pasuk<\/em>\u00a0in\u00a0<em>T\u2019hilim<\/em>\u00a0(10:17):\u00a0<span dir=\"RTL\">\u05ea\u05bc\u05b7\u05d0\u05b2\u05d5\u05b7\u05ea \u05e2\u05b2\u05e0\u05b8\u05d5\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05e9\u05c1\u05b8\u05de\u05b7\u05e2\u05b0\u05ea\u05bc\u05b8 \u05d4&#8217;; \u05ea\u05bc\u05b8\u05db\u05b4\u05d9\u05df \u05dc\u05b4\u05d1\u05bc\u05b8\u05dd, \u05ea\u05bc\u05b7\u05e7\u05b0\u05e9\u05c1\u05b4\u05d9\u05d1 \u05d0\u05b8\u05d6\u05b0\u05e0\u05b6\u05da\u05b8<\/span>\u00a0(The desire of the humble You have heard, Hashem; guide their heart, let Your ear be attentive.)<\/p>\n<p>We see from this\u00a0<em>pasuk<\/em>\u00a0that it is only if Hashem directs our minds and hearts, that we can\u00a0<em>daven<\/em>\u00a0with the mind and heart necessary to have Hashem be attentive to our\u00a0<em><span class=\"markhjw4hl85x\" data-markjs=\"true\" data-ogac=\"\" data-ogab=\"\" data-ogsc=\"\" data-ogsb=\"\">tefilah<\/span><\/em>.\u00a0 However, the\u00a0<em>Bach<\/em>\u00a0says that we need to do our part to merit Hashem\u2019s assistance.\u00a0 \u201c<span dir=\"RTL\">\u05d4\u05d1\u05d0 \u05dc\u05d8\u05d4\u05e8 \u05de\u05e1\u05d9\u05d9\u05e2\u05d9\u05df \u05d0\u05d5\u05ea\u05d5<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 He who comes to purify, he is assisted.\u201d \u00a0We need to come, even one minute early, and sit quietly and reflectively, desiring to connect with Hashem in the upcoming\u00a0<em><span class=\"markhjw4hl85x\" data-markjs=\"true\" data-ogac=\"\" data-ogab=\"\" data-ogsc=\"\" data-ogsb=\"\">tefilah<\/span><\/em>.\u00a0 If we desire it and put in at least the minimal effort, then Hashem will assist us and be attentive to our\u00a0<em>tefilos<\/em>.\u00a0 Preparation for\u00a0<em><span class=\"markhjw4hl85x\" data-markjs=\"true\" data-ogac=\"\" data-ogab=\"\" data-ogsc=\"\" data-ogsb=\"\">tefilah<\/span><\/em>\u00a0is a crucial ingredient.\u00a0 HaRav Pincus writes that when we come early to think about what we are about to do, we are demonstrating to Hashem that we truly desire to\u00a0<em>daven<\/em>\u00a0with mind and heart.\u00a0 When Hashem sees that we really want it, then He brings us close to Him.<\/p>\n<p>The opportunity is before us.\u00a0 Let us show Hashem that we truly desire His closeness, and let us take maximum advantage of the great gift of Elul that\u00a0Hashem has bestowed upon us.<\/p>\n<p>NOTE:\u00a0<em>B\u2019ezras Hashem<\/em>, for the next few weeks, we will focus on the 13\u00a0<em>Midos<\/em>\u00a0that we recite so often, starting with\u00a0<em>S\u2019lichos<\/em>\u00a0and culminating in\u00a0<em>N\u2019ilah<\/em>\u00a0at the close of Yom Kippur.\u00a0 We will,\u00a0<em>b\u2019ezras Hashem<\/em>, present both the meaning of the words as well as what we should be working on, in order to implement these words in our lives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The month of Elul is a great gift of love from Hashem.\u00a0 The four Hebrew letters of the month of Elul (\u05d0\u05dc\u05d5\u05dc) are used to provide us with an understanding of what this great month of opportunity is all about.\u00a0 Perhaps the most well-known one is \u201c\u05d0\u05e0\u05d9 \u05dc\u05d3\u05d5\u05d3\u05d9 \u05d5\u05d3\u05d5\u05d3\u05d9 \u05dc\u05d9\u2013Ani l\u2019dodi v\u2019dodi li\u00a0(I am my [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133662,"featured_media":51701,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cloudinary_featured_overwrite":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[375],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-elul"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Weekly Tefilah Focus Special Elul Series \u2013 Part 1 - Jewish Holidays<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/holidays\/weekly-tefilah-focus-special-elul-series-part-1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta 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