Sir Moses Montefiore was a religious philanthropist who worked tirelessly on behalf of his brethren worldwide, and especially in the Land of Israel. He dispensed large sums toward charitable causes and founded numerous establishments and institutions. Sir Montefiore traveled far and wide to visit Jewish communities and interceded on their behalf before rulers such as Queen Victoria, Czar Alexander the Second, the Ottoman Sultan, and the pope. He lived to the ripe old age of 100, passing away on 16 Menachem Av 5645 (1885).
Read a biography: Sir Moses Montefiore
In the month of Elul, the month before Rosh Hashanah, a signal goes out to every Jewish soul that it is time to return to the palace that is home.
It is a signal both subtle and loud.
Subtle, because it does not awaken even those who are closest—every soul must awaken itself. Loud, because it reaches those who have been thrown to the edge of the universe.
Loud, because it is a signal of love and joy. Subtle, because it is an intimately personal call.
Loud, because it provides immeasurable powers to break out of whatever holds you back, lift you above all obstacles, and carry you all the way home. Subtle, because the power is there, but latent, quiet, awaiting your determination.
How can a signal be both subtle and loud, joyful and intimate, empowering and latent?
Because this signal originates from the very origin of your own soul, that place from which your soul was torn but has never truly abandoned. And as distant as a soul may stray, as lost as she may be, she will always remain one with her Beloved.
And now she hears her Beloved call, from a place deep within herself.