The shofar blasts that began echoing through the air this week should make us all stop.
The media will continue to bombard us with political news, the constant clashes, the toxic and blunt discourse that has accompanied our lives in recent years. But do we have to consume all these 'pearls of wisdom'? And is this the air we want to breathe, especially during the days of Elul?
Indeed, beyond politics, there are important things at stake here, but it is possible and recommended to take a break at least during the days of Elul and the holidays of Tishrei. It is a time to clear our heads, to transcend the temporal and the fleeting, and to place our spiritual and moral lives at the center of attention.
Strange thoughts
Hasidism interprets the concept of 'foreign thoughts' in an original way. It is customary to interpret this as invalid, inappropriate thoughts. But if so, they should have been called 'forbidden thoughts.' 'Foreign thoughts' can be good and appropriate, but they are foreign to the particular time and place. Thinking about a question in the Gemara is a wonderful thing, but when it bothers a person during prayer - it is a 'foreign thought.'.
Now, during the days of Elul, all political matters are considered 'foreign thoughts.' This is not the time for clashes, for slandering each other, for wringing hands. This is the time when the Creator of the world showers us with love and stirs our hearts to draw closer to Him, as "I am to my uncle and my uncle to me," and we need to seek common ground and prepare our hearts for the Great Day.
In about a month, on Yom Kippur, we will stop the polemics and arguments. The media will be silent. The sounds of fighting will fade. Every person in Israel will gather within themselves, stand before their Creator, and think about their lives. In their hearts will pass reflections on the inner essence of life, and how to bring about real change in everyday life.
But a speeding train doesn't stop all at once. Yom Kippur is a culmination of a profound process that begins in the month of Elul. The brakes should be applied now, not five minutes before 'Kol Nidrei.'.
Real life
The month of Elul is a time for personal introspection. Attention should turn to ourselves. With all due respect to all public matters – there are other issues that are no less important. What do our lives look like? How much do we invest in studying Torah, in spiritual ascension? To what extent do we deal with our instincts and succeed in refining our virtues? And do we really give due attention to the education of our children? And what about the investment in the family unit, which is the foundation of the Jewish home?
Ultimately, this is real life. It may not make headlines and earn hours of airtime, but it is where personal happiness and the fulfillment of our true life purpose lie. The blasts of the shofar of the month of Elul are a wake-up call. To stop, to calm down, to lift our heads above the surging current. To shift the center of gravity to ourselves.
This is the time to think about the purpose of our lives, as Jews, a link that continues the golden chain of the people of Israel. This is the time to strengthen the connection with our Father in Heaven. And this is also what will bring us good writing and signing, for a good and sweet new year.
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