Greetings for the month of Elul. This is the end of a year. From now on, we begin to count down the days. In the Sephardic communities, this is felt even more strongly, but even those who do not begin saying Selichot on the first day of the month, which falls this week, feel the atmosphere changing.
Especially if we are talking about yeshiva students who are starting the Elul season this week.
The lucky number for the month of Elul is "Virgin," which alludes to the Knesset of Israel, referred to by the prophet Jeremiah as "Virgin of Israel," who stands and waits for her aunt, the Holy One, blessed be He.
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I have already written here in the past that in the marriage between the Knesset of Israel and God, the women preceded the men, as proven by the language of the Torah, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the children of Israel." First the house of Jacob and only then the children of Israel. Which brings me to the conclusion that this special month – the month of mercy and forgiveness – whose sign alludes to the Knesset of Israel and its connection to God, is connected to us – women, especially in light of its sign – Virgo.
The month of Elul is the period of preparation. The period of preparation for Rosh Hashanah. The period of preparation for Yom Kippur. Forty days separate Rosh Elul and Yom Kippur. Forty days that Moses, peace be upon him, spent in heaven, before he brought the forgiveness of God to the people of Israel, through the two tablets – the Holy Torah – which symbolize the marriage covenant between the people (the Jews) and the king (the King of the World).
These days are days of preparation for the long-awaited wedding. A permanent wedding. Eternal. After all, the first tablets did not last, while the last ones did not break, and here, in these days, is the time of readiness to make good and great decisions, and to carry them out from here on out. Because the King – the Bridegroom – is in the field, closer to us than any other month of the year.
Let's take advantage of this month to the fullest and remember that we are all allowed and should go out and welcome the King regardless of our social status, for he is in the field, a place where everyone is literally equal.
My private army
I have three sons (and three daughters). Two of them are soldiers. Both grew up in the same home. To the same loving parents. Both studied in the same Talmud Torah and each of them chose a different path.
The paths may be different, but they are similar, because both are rooted in the divine command to do and be heard. Both strive to fulfill the Jewish calling in this world.
Did I say two soldiers? That's exactly what I meant.
One is a soldier, literally and figuratively. He serves in the Israel Defense Forces and I pray for him all the time that he will not be melted in the melting pot of Israeli society, that he will not lose the pure education he received at the Tomchei Tamimim yeshiva (which, by the way, was founded on the 15th of Elul). Don't worry, he won't.
The second is also a soldier in the literal sense, but not by his appearance. He is a soldier in the army of God. The real army that protects the people, Israel, and the Israel Defense Forces. He is currently studying law, after completing his rabbinate. He lives within the firing range, what is called "between 7 and 40 kilometers," according to the Home Front Command's instructions.
I also never stop praying for him, that he will persevere in studying the Holy Torah, like every Jewish mother.
I also pray for my third son, and he also determines a blessing for himself. They are all my sons and they all need my prayers, and each one fulfills his mission in this world in his own way.
But one prayer overshadows all my private prayers, and that is the prayer for peace to come to Israel. No. Don't get me wrong. I am not praying for peace to come now, but for Messiah to come now!
An army of children
The following article was published in the newspaper 'Davar' more than thirty years ago, which I will present to you with necessary abbreviations and changes.
""Like 'Peace Now' in the secular world, the slogan 'Messiah Now' hangs in space in the Chabad world. This slogan was raised by the Lubavitcher Rebbe on Simchat Torah and is accompanied by a 'military operation' with all its details and grammar. The army is called 'Armies of God' and it turns out that the Armies of God have a 'Supreme Commander' and he is the Rebbe himself. The 'soldiers' are the babies of the House of Rabban, because of whom the end of the exile is approaching and the world is ripe and moving towards the complete redemption that will be very soon.".
In the Chabad of Israel and abroad, there are 'recruitment bureaus'. Thousands have already registered with these bureaus. After registration, a 'military parade' is held, in which the soldiers recite a declaration of allegiance, play a recording of the Rebbe, read 12 verses and Torah verses, sing their 'anthem', which is: 'I am a soldier in the armies of Israel,'' daily orders are read, and a 'soldier's certificate' is handed out.
""The recruits carry out 'military' operations, they conduct training, surprise alarms, raids. Many of them, who faithfully followed the instructions and fought God's war bravely, which aims to ensure the success of the 'attack' on the inclination in order to bring the coming of the Messiah closer, have already received medals. There are commanders, instructors, sergeants among them, all according to military terminology.".
In Tishrei 5741, the Rebbe ordered the establishment of the Armies of God. The Rebbe ordered special gatherings for children and special gatherings for girls and explained that every Jew, from a young age, is a soldier whose job is to "conquer" the world by illuminating it with the true light, the light of the Torah. So that the entire world will know and feel that it has a Master and that He is the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.
The Rebbe gave three talks to the young "soldiers." The adults were not allowed in, except for the soldiers' "commanders.".
In the first conversation, the Rebbe clarified the purpose of the army and called on the children to influence their friends to join the armies of God. In the second conversation, the Rebbe explained that this was not a game, God forbid, but a serious matter – a war of wills, and made it clear that soldiers must obey orders even when they do not understand them. The Rebbe also said that only the commander of the army – God, the Blessed One – knows what is truly right to do, and therefore one should not act according to what one understands with the intellect, but according to the Torah.
In the third conversation, the Rebbe continued the military outline and applied it to the physical army. Just as in a regular army, formations are held, parades are held, and ranks and medals are awarded, so too will it be done in the armies of God. At that time, new concepts were created in the terminology dealing with the war of instinct. Here are some of them:
""The Supreme Commander" is the Holy One, blessed be He; "The Book of Commands" is the Holy Torah; "Order of the Day" is the special instruction for that day (every day is a day of duty); "Special Mission" means a special mission - a decision to strengthen oneself in a particular mitzvah, and "parade" or "order" means a gathering of soldiers for the purpose of strengthening oneself in matters of Torah and mitzvah as part of the ongoing war in the wilderness.
They don't say who blessed.
In many letters, the Rebbe notes the great privilege that is afforded to the soldiers who protect the residents of the Holy Land.
The Rebbe encourages them to add to the Torah and mitzvot by virtue of the great responsibility placed upon their shoulders. It is no wonder that throughout history one can find quite a few Chabad soldiers who participated in Israel's wars and took advantage of their time among the soldiers to bring them closer to Judaism.
At the same time, the Rebbe has repeatedly clarified the simple fact that yeshiva students' Torah study protects the residents of the Holy Land and IDF soldiers, and defined those who evade Torah study as those who are being promoted in their military duties.
Two years ago, following the renewed discussion surrounding the issue of 'equality of burden', Chabad rabbis reiterated the Rebbe's words and clarified that it is the role of a yeshiva student to persevere in his studies.
On the other hand, despite the warm words the Rebbe said about the men serving in the IDF, the Rebbe spoke out strongly against the conscription of women into the army, defining it as "an accessory to the spread of urbanity." Like many of the great Jewish leaders of the previous generation, the Rebbe determined that one's soul should be sacrificed for this, "let it be killed and not let it pass.".
The Rebbe repeatedly returned to the divine assistance given to the soldiers of the Jewish army and said that the assistance was conditional on maintaining the sanctity of the camp - "And your camp shall be holy, and no nakedness shall be seen in you, and no one shall turn back from you.".
And again, despite the great appreciation that IDF soldiers received from the Rebbe, it is not customary in Chabad synagogues to say "He who blessed the IDF soldiers," which was corrected by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. Although there is no doubt that soldiers who risk their lives to protect the Jewish people deserve it.
The reason for this lies in the fact that the prayer text of Chabad Hasidim was fixed by the founder of Chabad Hasidism, the Rebbe of the Elder, the author of the Tanya, a disciple of the Maggid of Mezritch and a fellow disciple of the Rebbe of Vitebsk. Chabad took great care not to change the prayer order established in the Rebbe's siddur, not even for a major need.
Part of the column is adapted from the talks of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
• The writer is the owner of "My Choice", an event host, lecturer and radio broadcaster: [email protected]
