Q&A: What About the ‘Elul Cow’?!
What About the ‘Elul Cow’?!
Question
Hello Rabbi, A
I think the time has come for you to write a post about the sacred cow of Elul. The fear, the dread, the trembling before the Day of Judgment. It seems to me these are all parables and assorted nonsense that nobody is really afraid of. The time has come to blow them up with a great noise.
So?
Answer
Discussion on Answer
Mr. So-Called Elul, it sounds like you took Elul so hard back then that even now, in Av, you’re thinking about Elul.
But the difference is that after you supposedly “woke up,” you’re looking for “revenge” on that period, instead of “tormenting yourself” during that period. This period falls during the break between study terms, and sometimes there are a few individuals who, God forbid, descend into wild behavior, each according to his level; while on the other hand it’s the period just before the peak of strengthening, growth, and all the repentance of Elul.
Thank God, you still have more than a month to repent.
It may be that a person learns only from a place his heart desires. There are some Breslover types who claim that the weak need repentance out of love. I’m not versed in their teaching, but it sounds like that would be better for you than your current state… a combination of self-hatred, antagonism, and alienation.
What do self-hatred, antagonism, and alienation have to do with anything? A person sees only what comes from the thoughts of his own heart.
All we’re trying to do is dispel the smokescreen.
Haha, nice! You should have written more!