Chapter II

Herein lies the reason why the first four letters of the Hebrew words comprising the statement: "I am [drawn] to my friend and my friend is [drawn] to me" form the word Elul, for the month of Elul is a time of spiritual stock-taking. During Elul, one takes stock of one's life during the past year, recalling things he should have done but didn't, as well as things he did but shouldn't have.

It is written:1 "Turn away from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it." The Baal Shem Tov2 explains this in the following manner: Within every permissible object is found both good and evil; the material object itself is evil, while the divine life-force that animates it is good. The individual who utilizes any object must thus "turn away from evil," i.e., he should not desire the physical pleasure which the object provides, and "do good," i.e., desire to be sustained and helped by the divine life-force found within the physical. "Seek peace and pursue it," means that the person who successfully turns away from physical pleasures and instead desires the sustenance of the divine life-force should seek out and actively pursue the goal of "making peace" between the physical object and the divine life-force that animates it. [This is achieved by elevating the physical so that its desires are similar to the spiritual]. Indeed, this is the ultimate purpose of man's creation and descent into this world that he elevate the physical to the level of the spiritual.

The spiritual inventory during the month of Elul should take into account not only a person's deeds during the past year, but also his words. When a person speaks ill of another, he is in reality speaking about himself. The Gemara says:3 "A person should never speak in a manner that gives Satan an opportunity." That is, a person should not say something unkind about oneself. In general, we find that Torah expects an individual to be careful in his speech, talking only in a clean and refined manner.

For example, the Torah writes4 with regard to Noach's taking animals into the ark: "And from the animals that are not pure...." Now, had the Torah simply said "And from the impure animals," it would have saved a considerable number of letters. This comes to teach us that we should always speak in a refined manner. We find in various books of Jewish ethics the severe punishment an individual receives for cursing another (and conversely, the great reward an individual receives for blessing another).

[That the reward for blessing and the punishment for cursing is so great is] due to the fact that "Beloved are the people Israel, for they are called children of G-d. It is an even greater love that it was made known to them that they are called children of G-d, as it is said:5 'You are children of the L-rd, your G-d.' "6 A father who loves his child will handsomely reward the individual who blesses the youngster, and punish the person who curses him. So too regarding G-d's children, the Jewish people: he who blesses them will be well rewarded, while he who curses them will be severely punished.

One should guard against uttering a harsh statement even about oneself. The Baal Shem Tov7 explains the Mishnah:8 "And payment is exacted from man with or without his knowledge [of the debt]" in the following manner: "With his knowledge," refers to instances in which a person makes a harsh statement against himself. We observe that when one suffers, or experiences hardships from his children, or in matters of health or sustenance, G-d forbid, [it is possible that] he will utter a harsh statement such as "life is not worth living," Heaven forfend. Or he may, G-d forbid, say that rather than continue the life he is living, he desires the opposite of life, and other similar expressions.

"Without one's knowledge," refers to those instances in which an individual says of another that because he has spoken so evilly or has done such a dastardly deed, he deserves such-and-such a punishment. To speak in this manner is to pass judgment, not on the other, but on oneself. "And payment is exacted without his knowledge," means that though the individual is not aware of it, by so speaking against another he has unwittingly passed judgment on himself.

In summary: Elul is a time of spiritual stock-taking. Every physical object itself is evil, while its divine life-force is good. Therefore one must "turn away form evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it." There is severe punishment for uttering a malediction, and great reward for a blessing or words of consolation. The evil judgment we pass upon others is in reality judgment passed upon ourselves.