Faith, Fate & Faithfulness: Inspiring Stories & Lessons for The Month of Elul - Rabbi Moshe Borger

We're in Ll as uh you're probably all aware. Um and an amazing thing is that when I was in Tel Aiv uh last year um I noticed as we were driving along that there was a tower there and on the tower bright letters lol alf lammed vav lammed e l u l. So I thought what is this? Is this some like uh you know hidabra rebby trying to get everybody inspired because it's lol. Um whatever it was I never found out the answer to this question. But that inspired me. It woke me up. Here we were beginning of lol. What uh what are we supposed to be focusing on? So I was privileged to be at a wedding last week in Lakewood. Um and I heard a very very beautiful idea. Um, Rabbi Fry Shapiro from Miami um says an amazing idea about ELOL. We all know that LOL is an acronym for ani vi. I'm to my beloved and my beloved is to me. That is obviously referring to our relationship with Hashem and how we are dedicated to Hashem and as much as we're dedicated to Hashem, Hashem will be dedicated to us. But rever Shapiro actually had a very very unique idea about this. What was it? Well, if you take Lashesh the beautiful deep holy Hebrew language that we have take a word like Beni, my son. So the word Beni really means haben shali the son that is mine. If that is true then in that case the word ani must also be the anal. What's an an what is my an? So in the mishna says where are you going to? This is the question that we often ask ourselves. Where are we going to? What direction are we going in? Who do we want to be? So, the word an means to where an means where. Therefore, ani is my direction. Hali, what is my direction? That's what we're all asking ourselves. That's what we're all aspiring to change. We want to be better. That's what Ell's all about. In fact, actually, Lol is actually uh each month has its own star sign. The zodiac is actually is a Jewish thing. And the star sign interestingly enough of this month of El is actually is betula. Beta means a virgin. What is the significance of aaha in this particular month? So um elim from dinov explains that the significance is that a bulla is a woman newly married with tremendous infinite potential. What children will she have? What family will she rear? What will be her future? Tremendous, tremendous potential that can come from this one woman. And that is the significance of this month. What will come from this month? What will the following year be? We're in tough shin pay 5785. Now we look back at our year. What was this year like? What did we achieve? What did the Jewish people? What did we become? We saw tremendous tremendous miracles this year. And we have to think to ourselves, where is my direction? My direction is towards Hashem, my beloved. And as much as mine and your direction is towards Hashem, that's how much Hashem is going to give back to you. If you show Hashem in this month that you're determined to be different, if I show Hashem, I'm going to be more careful about my speech. I'm going to be more invested in doing I'm going to put more time into my learning. I'm going to put more time into my family. Then in that case, that's what my future year is going to be. This is the bullah. This is the potential. I heard from raisment. He says uh he says that the month of is the dream. This is the month of the dream. It's where we dream of who we want to be. Think to yourself now, who did you want to become this year and look at yourself honestly and think to yourself? Did I achieve those goals? Did I become that person I wanted to be? Did I do what I wanted to do? Did I accomplish certain goals that I had? It's the dream. And you know what? The dream is sometimes even more important, infinitely more important to Hashem than even the reality. It's an interesting thing. The Bameikdash, the temple is called Sukas David, the tabernacle of David. Who actually built the first Ba Mikdash? You would say it was David. Must have been King David. And the answer is no. It was his son Schlommo. So why is it called Sukat Davidid? It should be called Sukat Schlomma. And the answer is because the beta mikdash was David Hamelik's dream. He got together all of the materials. He had all the wood and the stone and the silver and the gold and everything that was needed in order to build this temple for Hashem. Everything was ready. But in the end, it did not come to fruition. However, our rabbis tell us that even though it didn't come to fruition, the dream remains. And the dream says Raisel Riseman is even more important than the reality. That's the reason why Hashem did not allow it to happen. Yes, there's all other reasons re given that u that King David was a wararmonger. He made many wars. He had blood on his hand. But there's many explanations of the Torah, Shiva Torah. So another explanation is that Hashem didn't want to build it. Because often our dreams and the reality are very different but the dream is very very precious. So at this time of year you need to think to yourself who do I want to be? What do I want to be? And even if you had incredible dreams last year and you didn't achieve them, in Hashem's eyes, your dream was very important. And your dream for this year is also important. And we should have tremendous success in our dreams and them turning into realities. But even if they turn 70% into reality or even 30% into reality, that's still something great. And that's really what is really is all about. What direction are we going in? I heard a beautiful idea as well asks we we all have a custom to say I'm not sure actually all of us but many communities have a custom to say hashem ori chapter 27 inim throughout the month of el and all the way through until after sukkot What is the significance of the David Hashem or Vishi? So one of the things there very clearly tells us what King David wanted for himself. What was King David's dream? And over there it says, "There's one thing that I ask from you, Hashem. This is what I request. This is what I want. What was King David's one request? I'll tell you what it was. I want to sit in the house of God all of the days of my life to see to perceive the pleasantness of Hashem and to visit in his sanctuary. We're not going to get into the question that it really sounds like three things was really one ultimate desire to get closer to Hashem in three different areas. We're not going to get into that exactly right now, but it's really connected to the three pillars to Torah and to Torah and to prayer and good deeds. That's really what it's connected to that David wanted to be a wholesome servant of Hashem, a wholesome ever Hashem, which is what he was despite all of his challenges. And they say had the hardest life of anybody that ever lived. And yet he still say stayed faithful to Hashem asked an interesting question and what we just said there's one thing as fromem it should just tell us what what it was but then it says it is what I request. So you don't need to say that. Say this one thing that I ask of Hashem and say what it is. What's so says a beautiful idea? He says is what David was asking for before he was a king. is talking about after he was the king after he became the king of Israel. You may have thought that King David would have changed from the time before he was a a king and he was a shepherd and after he became the greatest of the Israelites, a king, the first king from the tribe of Judah. You would think he would have changed, but no. David's goal stayed the same. He wanted to be close to Hashem. He wanted to do the will of Hashem. He wanted to sit in the house of Hashem. He wanted to be connected to Hashem's Torah. They say the house of Hashem is referring to the bed midrash. Bet midrash, by the way, can be in your home. Can take your table and you can sit there with a safer. That's your bed midrash. Can be in your office. Doesn't have to be necessarily in an actual bed midrash. But the main thing is your goal is your desire to want to be close to Hashem to improve in my I want to talk to Hashem. I want to feel the connection to him. I want to know that he's listening to me. I want to be a more altruistic, more kind person. Hashem listens to that. Hashem wants us to succeed. Hashem loves us. Just want to finish with with one idea or maybe two. We'll see. And uh Ravugasi says that if you want to know the difference between a Jew and a member of the other nations. The Gomorrah describes the difference. The truth is it could be talking about a truly connected Jew and a Jew who's not truly connected. And that, by the way, doesn't necessarily always depend on one's level of observance. Shem judges everybody differently. He wants us to be our best. We should strive to be our best. But what's the difference? The difference is the says you should be shal. You should be complete with Hashem, your God. Be wholesome, simplicity. We're very good at asking questions. We're very good at complaining. In fact actually I heard that there's a great cabalist of Gaml Rabinovich and he says that um a beautiful idea said somebody asked him what like uh Arav what are we supposed to be working on during Edel and he said you know what the cottel go to the coel okay there's lots of people that go to the coel all the time what happens if you go to Kotel every day said go to the cotel but thank hashem thank hashem for everything that you have because unfortunately the cotel for many people has become the world's complaints department. Hashem you didn't give me this. Hashem you didn't give me that. Hashem I need this. Hashem I need that. It's uh it's one big shopping list. I want this, I want that, I want that. What about what you got? What about what you already have? What about the braha that you just had in this last year? So, we should go to the cotel. And if you're not in Israel or if you're not inimi, but wherever that wall is, could be in your sh, could be in your home, you go there and thank Hashem. Pour out your heart to Hashem, thanking him for all the things that he's given you. means understanding that Hashem's plan is the perfect plan. It means understanding that what happens the outcomes of our lives of our actions is being perfectly and precisely worked out by Hashem. Even when it involves challenges and even when it involves pain, it's being worked out by Hashem. And that the Gmorrah says is the difference between a Jew and an idol worshipper is that the Jew will say he'll give saddaka. He'll say, "Please, Hashem, my son should live. He should recover. He has a sick child, Lenu." What happens? If the son recovers, he's very grateful. What happens if the son doesn't recover? You know what? A Jew, a believer in Hashem, even if the son doesn't recover, he won't regret the fact that he gave charity, that he gave saddaka, he'll be happy. He'll still be shamed that he gave saddaka. Hashem's will was not what he would have liked it to be, but he accepts Hashem's will. Whereas an idol worshipper a doesn't mean every non-Jew of course there are many believers amongst the nations there's sadikum the righteous gentiles but what will somebody who is not truly not truly a believer in Hashem what will he say if the son recovers it was is a transaction. I gave that money so my son should recover and he got better. And if he doesn't recover, what does he feel? He regrets that he ever gave the money. Why did I bother giving that money? The whole point of the money was in it was a transaction that his son should get better. So either way, it's not to daka. I either it was a transaction or it's regret. So that's what we need to have. We need to be tim we need to be at peace with what Hashem is doing to us. And the more at peace that we are with Hashem's plan, the better it is for us. That's what we need to focus on. Need to focus on the good and the positive that we have. We need to focus on the braha that we have. One final idea about is that many and others take different words which start with the four letters. Yeah. Four words beginning with alf but actually there's another there's another word which is actually l backwards. If only lle if only I would have believed to see the goodness of Hashem there in the land of life really referring to the next world why is lle if only why is it ever backwards and I believe that the answer is because it's teaching us that in order to see what hashem has truly done for you you need to look backwards Ell backwards. Look backwards at your previous at the whole year that you've just been through. See the bra that you've had. Believe in Hashem's plan. Know that Hashem has a great plan for you and that your dreams that you have this all are important. Many raanims say how important it is to say. The great says uh he says that actually everybody should try and go to the hotel every day if you can during the month of Ed and it's a special thing and every time you can it's a powerful thing to say love David Hashem. So there were two mothers that went there to the cotel and each of them was daming and one said to the other why are you here she said well you know said that you should come to the kota and say it's a big that's why I'm here and you know I have a son and he's already getting older he's not married so I came here in the marriage of this toi that he should find his ze find his soulmate why are you here she said well funnily enough ra I'm here same reason I actually I have a daughter she's not yet married she's already getting older and of course you guessed it they exchanged details the boy and girl met and they got married to something interesting. That's not the end of the story. End of the story is a year later she had twins and she named one of them Ori and the other one Yishi. Our dreams can come can become reality. Hashem should help you to have a beautiful L and that your dreams should come true in this coming year.