Giving Our Investment Portfolio a Boost on Chai Elul
By Rabbi Shimon Raichik
This past Thursday was Chai Elul, the birthday of the two great luminaries the Baal Shem Tov in 5458-1698, and the Alter Rebbe in 5505-1745. What does this mean to us today in 2021? The Previous Rebbe said that Chai Elul is the life of our service in Elul, the service of Ani L'Dodi V'Dodi Li.
Each of the last 12 days of Elul, beginning with the 18th, Chai Elul, are dedicated to retrospection and teshuva for an entire month of the past year. The day of Chai Elul corresponds to both the past and the coming month of Tishrei.
Nowadays, we are looking for inspiration from others. We are waiting to get motivation and encouragement from others to take us through the month of Tishrei. Because of today's fast pace we are rushed and distracted. We wait for the jolt of finely crafted 30 second sound bites to do the trick. We don't have enough focus for more.
The Baal Shem Tov revealed the essence of emuna within the neshama of every Jew. The Alter Rebbe's Torah brings that emunah into our hearts and minds when we apply ourselves to avodah.
The Baal Shem Tov revealed that emunah is already ingrained and a part of us. It may be covered or concealed at times but it's always there; it's our life and our essence. It's the same for everyone. In our core we know that Hashem is the essence of all of life. We arouse this essence through stories of Tzaddikim.
The Alter Rebbe guided us on how to make ourselves a vessel, a keli, to incorporate this into our daily intellect. The purpose of Chassidus Chabad is to become a keli; to focus on growth and development of our minds and hearts. We need to learn and contemplate Chassidus in order to arouse our hearts to serve Hashem with true sincerity in the month of Tishrei.
Even though we feel the great inspiration of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkos and Simchas Torah nevertheless all too often this inspiration fades after Tishrei. What can we do so that the inspiration will last throughout the year? We need to prepare by making ourselves into a keli with the avodah of "Ani L'Dodi” in the month of Elul. Then when we are inspired in Tishrei, the time of “Dodi Li” it will have a lasting effect.
In a Sicha, the Rebbe speaks about the connection between Chai Elul and parsha’s Ki Savo. Chai Elul always falls either in the week, on the Shabbos of, or immediately after parsha’s Ki Savo.
The parsha begins:
“It will be when you come into the land (eretz) that the Eternal your G‑d gives you for an inheritance, and you will inherit it and dwell in it.”
This parsha refers to the mitzvah of bringing Bikkurim, the first fruits after settling the land. The words Ki Savo is translated, “When you will come (to the land)”. Spiritually this refers to being completely immersed, to fully enter. There is no part of the person that is missing from being involved within the act of the mitzvah. This is similar to immersing in a mikvah. If even one hair is not immersed in the waters, then purification is not effective. So too with the mitzvah of Bikkurim. The Jewish people did not practice this mitzvah until everyone received their portion and was settled and had inherited their particular portion of the land. The land was not considered settled until everyone had their portion and was fully within the land. This teaches us a lesson about Chai Elul, as it says; Chai Elul came to bring chayos, renewal and energy into Elul. The Wellsprings of Chassidus were revealed to be spread over the entire globe to prepare the world for Moshiach. This is because Chassidus brings out the inner life and G-dliness in every neshama and in the world. This helps every neshama to fully engage with both mind and heart with all aspects of the Torah and mitzvos in their fullest sense.
This is the meaning of entering, to fully enter, not only to dispense one’s obligation. Through Chassidus the neshama doesn’t stay separate, rather becomes united as one with Hashem through the Torah and mitzvos. This is because Chassidus is life and life is all one with no dichotomy or separation. There are two aspects of life; general life force, meaning that one is alive. This is true for every part of the body equally. Then there is a specific life force that is unique and discreet for every part of the body. There is life for the eyes to see which is different from the life of the ears to hear, the mind to think, the heart to pump or the feet to walk. The Baal Shem Tov emphasized and revealed emunah into the heart of every Jew. This is a general life force that is the same for everyone. The Alter Rebbe revealed that emunah into the intellect and from there into the heart and then into every aspect of our being. This is a specific life force. This relates to the parsha of entering the land, getting fully into it. Entering the land corresponds to the teaching of the Baal Shem Tov.
Our avoda is (as the parsha continues) "...you will dwell in it" - to internalize all you have attained, "bringing it down" in a settled manner."You shall take...and place it in a basket," - draw down the (spiritual) lights into (appropriate) vessels. This corresponds to the teachings of the Alter Rebbe which is a specific way of life. Both the Baal Shem Tov and the Alter Rebbe whose birthdays are on Chai Elul bring to us this life and enable us to prepare the world for the highest revelations of Moshiach.
The point of this teaching that Hashem has inherited to each one of us the desire to serve Hashem. When we get inspired we need to place it in a basket, a tena. The word tena is an acronym for taamim, nekudos and osios, the letters, vowels and cantillations of the words of the Torah. This is why we are given inspiration in the month of Tishrei; in order to invest. We invest well wherever we go by using every opportunity to make a dwelling place for Hashem.
This is our service in the month of Elul. We focus, review and contemplate how we managed what Hashem invested in us both physically and spiritually in the last year and how to best manage our “investments' in the coming year.
Are we utilizing them for what they were intended? This is our ultimate purpose and this is what brings Moshiach.
A Good Shabbos