Marriage of the 6th Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn (1880-1950), to Rebbetzin Nechamah Dinah (1882-1971).
Elul 13 is the yahrtzeit of Rabbi Yosef Chaim of Baghdad (1835-1909), the renowned Sephardic Halachic authority and Kabbalist, known as "Ben Ish Chai" after his work by that name.
Links:
The Ben Ish Chai, A Biography
The Ultimate Employee (from the teachings of the Ben Ish Chai)
As the last month of the Jewish year, Elul is traditionally a time of introspection and stocktaking -- a time to review one's deeds and spiritual progress over the past year and prepare for the upcoming "Days of Awe" of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.
As the month of Divine Mercy and Forgiveness (see "Today in Jewish History" for Elul 1) it is a most opportune time for teshuvah ("return" to G-d), prayer, charity, and increased Ahavat Yisrael (love for a fellow Jew) in the quest for self-improvement and coming closer to G-d. Chassidic master Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi likens the month of Elul to a time when "the king is in the field" and, in contrast to when he is in the royal palace, "everyone who so desires is permitted to meet him, and he receives them all with a cheerful countenance and shows a smiling face to them all."
Specific Elul customs include the daily sounding of the shofar (ram's horn) as a call to repentance. The Baal Shem Tov instituted the custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms). Click below to view today's Psalms.
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Elul is also the time to have one's tefillin and mezuzot checked by an accredited scribe to ensure that they are in good condition and fit for use.
Links: More on Elul
On the outside, Torah is water. On the inside, it is fire.
The text, the instructions, the practical side of Torah--that is water.
People come to water. When they are thirsty, they gather around.
But what if you have no thirst for Torah? What if you find the water cold? What if dos and don’ts don’t excite you?
Then you must enter within, to the hidden meanings, to the mysteries of Torah. To its fire.
But what if you fear fire? What if you fear the unknown, the spiritual, the transcendental?
Then, you must know: This fire does not burn. It ignites the soul. It is life itself. In truth, it is your fire.
Enter within. Do not be afraid. “G-d, your G-d is a consuming fire.”