Awed by Impending Judgment

“In the month of Elul, even the fish in the sea quake in fear.” This characteristic Jewish adage describes the traditional approach to Divine service during this month. Nor is this merely man’s natural emotional response; it is anchored in our Rabbis’ teachings. Thus the Tur states:1 “Our Sages ordained that the shofar be sounded from Rosh Chodesh Elul for the entire month every year, to warn the Jewish people to repent, as it is written,2 ‘Is it possible that when a shofar is sounded in the city, the people will not tremble?!’ ” Similarly, Rabbeinu Yonah highlights the theme of fear, stating,3 “From the entry of the month of Elul until Yom Kippur, one should tremble and fear, in awe of [G‑d’s] judgment.” In this spirit, R. Moshe Alsheich interprets4 the verse,5 “She shall weep for her father for thirty days,” as alluding to the tears of teshuvah to be shed in the month of Elul.
And in fact, what else could be expected? After all, on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, the Days of Judgment, “All the inhabitants of the earth pass before You like a flock of sheep. As a shepherd examines his flock, making his sheep pass under his staff, so do You make the soul of every living being pass, and You count and reckon them….”6 Surely, any person who is at all spiritually sensitive, and who realizes that his turn will soon come to pass before his Creator, “will shudder; fear and trembling will seize him.”

A New Focus on Our Divine Service

That said, there is a time-honored aphorism among chassidim:7“Chai Elul is the day that infuses vitality (chayus) into Elul.” Chai Elul, the 18th of Elul, is the birthday of the Baal Shem Tov (5458/1698) and of the Alter Rebbe (5505/1745). The implication is that their teachings and those of the Rebbeim who continued their legacy infused new energy into the month of Elul, enabling it to be imbued with love and joy.8 They taught our people to approach Elul not only with awe and reverence, but also with happy anticipation, inspired by the expectation that soon they would be in G‑d’s presence. True, G‑d is our King and Judge, but He is also our loving Father.
One of the classic teachings that inspired this approach is the Alter Rebbe’s seminal maamar with the title Ani LeDodi that appears in Likkutei Torah – the maamar that gave the Jewish world the renowned parable of the king in the field.9 To quote: “Before a king enters a city, its inhabitants go out to greet him and receive him in the field. At that time, anyone who so desires may go out and greet him. He receives them all pleasantly and shows a smiling countenance to them all.” With that image, the Alter Rebbe fanned the flames of the inherent love for G‑d that lies hidden in the heart of every Jew.

King in the Palace, King in the Field

For the last two centuries, the Alter Rebbe’s parable has inspired chassidim to heartfelt Divine service during Elul. Without minimizing – rather, while enhancing – the dread and awe that traditionally characterized Elul, the month has come to be appreciated as a month of deep love, in which through sincere prayer, one can “greet the king.”
Year after year, as the Rebbe taught and retaught the Alter Rebbe’s analogy, a new insight came into focus – that Elul, when the King is in the field, is not merely a month that leads to inspired Divine service. Beyond that, it reflects the ultimate purpose of creation as a whole, which is the construction of a dwelling for G‑d within our material world.10
On Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, the King is in His palace; at that time, He reveals Himself in all His awesome majesty, above our ordinary level of spiritual awareness. During Elul, by contrast, the King is in the field; He reveals Himself in a manner that a man can appreciate within the frame­work of his everyday reality. And that is the purpose for which all existence was brought into being.

Who Initiates the Intensification of the Love Relationship?

In the maamar that follows the Rebbe focuses on two seemingly conflicting themes of the month that prevail in the month of Elul: On one hand, as reflected by the verse for which it letters form an acronym, the Divine service of Elul is characterized by the approach: “I am my Beloved’s,” i.e., that the intensification of the love relationship between man and G‑d is initiated by man. Conversely, however, it is explained that during Elul, G‑d’s Thirteen Attributes of Mercy are revealed and this revelation makes it possible for even someone who is distant from G‑dliness to be aroused in love for Him.
The Rebbe explains that the Alter Rebbe’s parable of the king in the field enables us to resolve the seeming contradiction between these two themes. By going out to the field, the king makes it possible for man to approach him. Nevertheless, as he presents himself in the field – without his crown or regal robes, he does not inspire the people. To approach him, the people must take the initiative. Thus, despite the Divine revelation, the king going out to the field, it is man’s service – “I am my Beloved’s” – that prompts the intensification of man’s love relationship with G‑d in Elul.

When Sequence is No Longer Important

The Rebbe, however, does not suffice with that explanation. Firstly, man’s Divine service quite often needs a “helping hand.” There are many who desire to greet the king, but cannot overcome the spiritual inertia that prevents them following through and doing so on their own initiative. Because G‑d (the King) is sensitive to their inner desire and to refer to the Alter Rebbe’s wording, “receives them all pleasantly and shows a smiling countenance to all” – in the analogue, the revelation of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy – they are empowered to overcome their inner obstacles and turn to Him in teshuvah. Thus, it cannot be said that it is man’s service alone that provides the initiative to deepen and intensify the love relationship.
Moreover, the people’s knowledge that the king is found in the field, in the place where they are located, arouses within them the desire to greet him. True, the king is not wearing his crown or his regal robes, but he is the king and he is nearby. Who will care about the garments or the crown, when he has the opportunity to greet the king!? How then is it possible to say that the deepening of the love relationship in Elul is a result of man’s initiative?
In resolution: Even though the arousal of the Jewish people’s love for G‑d comes about because of a revelation from Above, that revelation is merely a precipitator calling forth the Jews’ inner G‑dly essence. And when that essence is revealed, sequence is no longer important. Hence, the service of Elul is described as “I am my Beloved’s,” for in this month, “I,” a Jew’s inner core, bonds with “my Beloved.”

Seeing the Biggest Picture

To take these concepts to an even deeper level: True, the revelation of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy in Elul generates the potential for the Divine service of “I am my Beloved’s,” man’s Divine service. Nevertheless, in the original verse, “my Beloved is mine” (which refers to the revelation of these Thirteen Attributes) is stated after “I am my Beloved’s,” because “I am my Beloved’s” (man’s service) possesses an advantage over “my Beloved is mine” (revelation from Above). For even the most sublime spiritual revelations exist for the purpose of enhancing the Divine service of the Jewish people.
“I am my Beloved’s” receives precedence because it – the bonding of a Jew with G‑d, essence to Essence, “in the field,” in this material world – is the ultimate purpose of all existence.
It is our earnest hope that the study of this maamar will inspire each of us and our people as a whole to maximize the potential of the month of Elul and go out to the field to meet the King, so that ultimately we will behold Divine pleasure, “the consummate revelation of G‑d’s ‘smiling countenance.’ ”11 And then, “at that time our mouths will be filled with laughter”12 – when we return to Eretz Yisrael, “the King’s palace,”13 together with Mashiach.