The King and I

The month before Rosh Hashanah, taught Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, is a precious month. For thirty days, you can find the Ultimate King awaiting you outside the city, on a rustic path that winds through an empty meadow.

What’s the advantage of meeting the King in a meadow?

Because when you meet the King in His palace of the Days of Awe from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur, much stands between you and Him—the carpet, the throne, the royal robes, the protocol, the language you must use, the awe and magnificence of the palace…

But in the field, the King wears blue jeans. And so do you. He even greets you with a smile, and expresses His delight that you came out to see Him.

Now it’s just you with the King.

Maamar Ani L’dodi 5726.

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Call From Within

A Gentle Voice Inside

By Tzvi Freeman

From the wisdom of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory; words and condensation by Rabbi Tzvi Freeman. Subscribe and get your dose daily. To order Rabbi Freeman’s latest book, Wisdom to Heal the Earth, click here.

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18 Comments

Brenda Toronto, ON Canada September 5, 2024

Before you visit G_d, the King in His palace, you must aquire the behavior appropriate to be in His palace.

We have to first meet Him in the 'field' which symbolizes our uncorrected egoism.
Our desire to work with him invites His light to work with all our desires, intentions and attitude so that they are transformed to His ways.
We plant, sow and then we can reap the benefits of entering His palace. Reply

Rita Forbes Clinton September 5, 2024

Good🌻Morning,

Wherever you are, wherever you meet GD, whether in the fields or whether in His courts; whether it is day, or whether it is night, being in the "presence" of The King of Kings and The LRD of LRDs will change your life forever.

May your day be filled with GD's Glory,

🕊💜 Reply

Liba Toba CA September 5, 2024

in response to Rita Forbes:

Yes Reply

Ron Cohen Arad, Israel August 17, 2023

Perhaps meeting G-d in the field in Elul is a meeting in nature, naturally both parties look each other in the eye and have a tête à tête exchange. Reply

Shlomo The field August 23, 2022

This is really sweet and inspiring, I’ll keep this message with me for elul :) Reply

Maurice Purcell Houston August 23, 2022

Our relationship with Hashem is really very uncomplicated. What we wear in the meadow or the forest does not affect that relationship. Hiking in the forest or walking in the meadow is emotionally very deep, in FEELING Hashem at our right hand. Listen to the birds and the rustling of the leaves. Reply

anonymous August 23, 2022

is this speaking of the Ein Sof? Reply

Rajiv Rajan Pune August 3, 2021

But in the field, the King wears blue jeans.:- oi forgive me but could we have another way of expressing the openness displayed by the King, instead of the 'blue jeans' example? Something doesn't seem right about it...why not something more like: meeting Him in the grass under one's feet in the air you breathe under blue skies in each morsel you chew...oi Rabbi anything but 'blue jeans' ... Shalom Av 25 Reply

David Harold Chester Petach Tikva, Israel August 23, 2022

in response to Rajiv Rajan:

Meeting with G-d informally is fine, but I find it confusing because when we meet him on Shabbat in the synagogue, we always wear our best clothes. I doubt if we do this thing only for the others who we may meet, so why (considering your blue jeans idea) do we have to meet G-d in this way on that day? Reply

Brenda Toronto, Ontario, Canada August 23, 2022

in response to David Harold Chester:

David, G_d is only interested in your heart-to-heart sincere connection!
G_d feels the sincerity and truth of our desire to correct our nature during the High Holidays.
Our words and clothing do not touch His 'heart'! He responds to the 'service of the heart'. This is the prayer He accepts. Reply

David HaroldChester Petach Tikva, Israel August 24, 2022

in response to Brenda :

Thanks Brenda. That is what I have been saying too. Yet the orthodox Jews seem to have a number of rules about what one wears and in association with it, how one behaves in company--even as to how many men-folk are needed for the recital of certain prayers and blessings.

To my way of thinking these symbolic things and activities reduce the ability to pray from the heart, so I presume Brenda you would also agree with this claim.. Reply

Rita Forbes Clinton August 20, 2020

Rabbi Freeman,

Before you find G-d within, you must first engage with G-d from without. I hadn't thought about that pattern before. In the Tanakh you see Moses meeting G-d on the crevice of a mountain before being commissioned to build the Tabernacle and establish the levitical priesthood. King David met G-d attending sheep in the meadows before being recognized as a man after G-d's heart and becoming king. His vision was to build a better temple accomplished through his son Solomon. Jacob wrestled with G-d in a field and G-d changed his name to Israel. Joseph received a vision of sheaves in a field bowing to him before he became second in command next to Pharaoh and saved his nation. The Temple has the outer court, the inner court, the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies, and the list goes on. You can't put the cart before the horse! There is a process from out to in!

Anyways, Rabbi Freeman, the words of today's devotion gave me a true epiphany!

Thank You! Reply

Dinah Ganor Vienna/Austria-Europe August 24, 2020

in response to Rita Forbes:

But there also is a process from in to out possible. Not all people react like you, every human has his own pattern do meet G-d. Reply

Rita Forbes Clinton August 28, 2020

in response to Rita Forbes:

Dinah,
I want to bring a little more clarity to my previous response to you, "before you find G-d within [temple/church], we generally are engaging with G-d from without [where we are in our environment, or within ourselves]." From time-to-time, we all have challenges such as with Moses, Jacob, Joseph, and David did [examples]. There are some females too like Esther, Ruth, and Naomi. When we come into temple, the rabbis are there to help us strengthen our spiritual relationship with G-d and our personal journey. Thank you, Dinah.

Be blessed. Reply

Ron New Zealand August 28, 2020

in response to Dinah Ganor:

Having come from a Christian upbringing and now on a journey to find my Hebrew roots, I tend to agree that we all have a very personal connection with G-d
Shalom from Auckland, New Zealand. Reply

Rita Forbes Clinton August 28, 2020

in response to Dinah Ganor:

Hi, Dinah
I appreciate your response! Actually, I was making an observation from biblical stories. Yes, you are correct to say that the struggle comes from within [by asking questions to find answers to challenges]. As an observer, I don't see the inner process of a person, but I may see the outer revelation such as with Jacob or Joseph in the Tanakh. Two different people and two different stories. In the Tanakh or the Bible you may not know the whole story about people's situation(s), and we have to get the information from rabbis, sages, or commentaries to get a clearer picture. Of course, everyone's story or spiritual journey is different. That's what makes us unique, relatable, and unable to judge. Yes, Dinah. G-d meets us where we are and when we see each other [people] or in a temple or a church, we can be grateful together to have met G-d. So, the pattern is within [self], without [the environment], within [worshipping G-d]. Wherever we are, G-d is there. Thank you. Reply

Dinah Ganor August 20, 2020

A wonderful imagination Reply

David Harold Chester Petach Tikva, Israel August 20, 2020

So the King does not necessarily wear formal clothes. I sometimes wonder when meeting him this way in prayer we too don't need to wear the costume of a formal interview celebration. In fact this matter seems to me to be so relevant that any (or even no) items of clothing should not matter when this "Meeting of the King" is concerned. Yet I know that orthodox Jews are expected to be formally dressed when they pray, and I find this particularly difficult to accept because it was only after Mankind got knowledge of good and evil that he/she realized that nakedness was inappropriate. Reply

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