R. Boruch Mordechai Ettinger was a follower of the first three Chabad Rebbes, R. Schneur Zalman (the Alter Rebbe), R. DovBer (the Mitteler Rebbe), and R. Menachem Mendel (the Tzemach Tzedek). He served as head of the Talmudic academy in Vilna (Vilnius) and then as rabbi in Babruysk, a post he filled for fifty years. Toward the end of his life he immigrated to Jerusalem, where he passed away.
R. Boruch Mordechai was known for his witty sayings and remarks which reflected his sharp perception and deep wisdom.
Links: Skin Deep, A Muddy Opinion, The Heel of a Person Who Prays (a scholarly exposition of a saying of R. Boruch Mordechai)
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 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
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
The Baal Shem Tov taught:
You must know that everything depends on you. That with your every mitzvah, the universe resonates in blissful harmony that heals and nurtures. That with a single sin, the entire cosmic symphony falls apart in a cacophony.
Because if you pretend to be humble, saying, “Who am I, this lowly creature, that anything I do should have significance in the cosmic scheme of things? Who am I, that the Creator of this infinitely-sized operation should take notice of my deeds?”
—with those words, you will free yourself to do however you please, bringing your entire world down with you.
But when you are aware that the Master of the Universe kisses your lips with every word of Torah or prayer that you utter, then you will say each word just as it should be said, with love and with awe. And when you truly believe that with each mitzvah you are in embrace with the Infinite Light Himself, then your entire day will be filled with beautiful deeds that shine.
As for misplaced humility, the Talmud tells us, “The humility of Rabbi Zecharia ben Avkilus destroyed the Holy Temple and exiled us from our land.”