From BtB archives, a path that for some reason always pulls on my heartstrings... somewhere in the Golan.
To any and all remaining loyal readers of BtB, a Good Shabbes. This blogger is sick, so please put in a good word for me with Hashem in your prayers this Shabbes.
'm sorry for the lull but with Gd's help, it will be only temporary. For some miscellaneous fleeting thoughts, see my twitter (in my low-energy state, it feels easier than blogging).
What else can I tell you? It's Elul.
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As the last month of the Jewish year, Elul is traditionaly a time of introspection and stocktaking -- a time to review one's deeds and spiritual progress over the past year and prepare for the upcoming "Days of Awe" of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.
As the month of Divine Mercy and Forgiveness (see... Elul 1) it is a most opportune time for teshuvah ("return" to G-d), prayer, charity, and increased Ahavat Yisrael (love for a fellow Jew) in the quest for self-improvement and coming closer to G-d.
Chassidic master Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi likens the month of Elul to a time when "the king is in the field" and -in contrast to when he is in the royal palace- "everyone who so desires is permitted to meet him, and he receives them all with a cheerful countenance and shows a smiling face to them all."
Specific Elul customs include the daily sounding of the shofar (ram's horn) as a call to repentance.
The Baal Shem Tov instituted the custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms).
Click here to view today's Psalms: Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24
(P.S.) Elul is also the time to have one's tefillin and mezuzot checked by an accredited scribe to ensure that they are in good condition and fit for use.
See also this tidbit from Jewish history ~ George Washington, in a letter to the Jews of Newport Rhode Island, 219 years ago today:
"...May the Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and figtree, and there shall be none to make him afraid..."
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Amen, amen.
Posted by: Vlad | Friday, 28 August 2009 at 10:24 PM