…Torah is acquired with 48 Elul Enrichment: qualities. These are: , listening, Study Aug 12|Elul 1 – Study (Talmud) verbalizing, comprehension of the “Study is greater, for it leads to action.” (TB. Kiddushin 40b) heart, fear, awe, humility, joy, purity, serving the sages, bonding The Israelites heard the 10 commandments at Sinai on the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, but with friends, debating with th students, tranquility, study of text just 40 days later (on the 17 of the Hebrew month of Tammuz) the first set of stone tablets & context, minimizing engagement was smashed as a result of the sin of the golden calf. For another 40 days, Moses returned in business, minimizing superficial to the summit of Sinai pleading successfully with God on Israel’s behalf. With the beginning socialization, minimizing pleasure, of Elul, Moses again ascended for a final 40 days. There he was taught the thirteen minimizing sleep, minimizing talk, attributes of mercy (recited during the traditional Selichot liturgy), and obtained complete minimizing levity, slowness to Kapparah (atonement) for the Jewish people as manifest with the ‘renewal of vows’ anger, good heartedness, trust in embodied in the second set of tablets which Moses returned with on Yom Kippur (10th of the sages, acceptance of Tishrei). Since then, the period between the 1st of Elul and Yom Kippur has been a month of suffering, knowing one's place, Divine mercy and forgiveness. (See Rashi to Exodus 32:1 and 33:11) satisfaction with one's lot, qualifying one's words, not taking credit for oneself, likableness, love The human psyche, however, is one that finds dignity in earned accomplishments, and of God, love of humanity, love of undeserved forgiveness is capable of withering our self-worth. As our Rabbis teach (TB charity, love of justice, love of Makkot 23b), God, in wishing to give Israel opportunities for merit, gave us Torah and rebuke, fleeing from honor, lack of Mitzvot (commandments) in great measure. Elul, when God’s forgiveness and mercy is arrogance in learning, reluctance palpable, is the perfect time to ensure we are worthy of God’s compassion by doubling to hand down rulings, participating down on our efforts to self-improvement, becoming people worthy of such consideration. in the burden of one's fellow, judging him to the side of merit, The goal of this Elul Enrichment series is to embark on this path together. To accomplish correcting him, bringing him to a peaceful resolution [of his this, we will dive into the paths for acquiring Torah, the blueprint for life, focusing each day disputes], deliberation in study, on another of the pre-requisites for self-transformation found in the Mishna in Perkei Avot asking and answering, listening (6:6). and illuminating, learning in order to teach, learning in order to Through our shared learning of Torah (Talmud Torah), ideas for enhancing Jewish practice, observe, wising one's teacher, and questions and suggestions to improve our character and relationships, may we grow as exactness in conveying a people blessed to share in God’s majestic image. teaching, and saying something in the name of its speaker… B’Ahava (with love), (Avot 6:6) Rabbi Mordechai Harris Director for the Center of Jewish Living and Learning Memphis Jewish Community Center …Torah is acquired with 48 Elul Enrichment: qualities. These are: Study, , listening Aug 13|Elul 2 – Listening (Shmiyat HaOzen) verbalizing, comprehension of the “Na’aseh V’Nishma – We will do, and we will hear.” (Exodus 24:7) heart, fear, awe, humility, joy, purity, serving the sages, bonding Between Elul 1 and Elul 28, Jewish custom is to sound the Shofar (typically after morning with friends, debating with services. And while the Shofar is not blown on Elul 29, this is done to allow a full day to pass students, tranquility, study of text & context, minimizing engagement without the sound of the Shofar prior to its prominent role on Rosh HaShana. in business, minimizing superficial socialization, minimizing pleasure, On Rosh HaShana the blowing will be preceded by a blessing, ‘who sanctified us with minimizing sleep, minimizing talk, Mitzvot (commandments), and commanded us to listen to the voice of the Shofar. But what minimizing levity, slowness to does this voice come to communicate? anger, good heartedness, trust in the sages, acceptance of A few classic answers: suffering, knowing one's place, satisfaction with one's lot, 1. Recalling the order of events we covered in yesterday’s Elul Enrichment, Moses’s qualifying one's words, not taking credit for oneself, likableness, love ascent up Mount Sinai was accompanied by the sounds of the Shofar. This Shofar was of God, love of humanity, love of communicating that Moses had been successful in turning God’s anger following the charity, love of justice, love of sin of the Golden Calf, and that God had embraced his Middot HaRachamim – God’s rebuke, fleeing from honor, lack of compassion and mercy. When we hear the Shofar, we are to understand that God is arrogance in learning, reluctance inviting us to seek a brighter future, and to put in the work necessary to become our to hand down rulings, participating best selves. It is that which gives us confidence that we can be better. in the burden of one's fellow, judging him to the side of merit, 2. “Will a Shofar be sounded in the city and the people not quake?” (Amos 3:6) – The correcting him, bringing him to a Shofar’s call reminds us of human fragility and finitude. It sounds the alarm that time is peaceful resolution [of his disputes], deliberation in study, fleeting, and that we must act with purpose, and not take our moments, and those in asking and answering, listening them, for granted. and illuminating, learning in order to teach, learning in order to 3. The Shofar harkens to the ram’s horn caught in the thicket during the binding of Isaac observe, wising one's teacher, (Akeidat Yitzchak). Are we able to hear our conscious to recognize those things in our exactness in conveying a lives which are deserving of ultimate sacrifice? Can we put our priorities in order, and teaching, and saying something in find meaning in both obligation and altruism? the name of its speaker… Listening is the skill we employ once we recognize value in something beyond ourselves. (Avot 6:6) Shema Yisrael – Hear O’ Israel – when we accept the yoke of God’s kingship (sounding the Shofar of God’s coronation), we practice the critical skill of stretching beyond our selves, giving us the tools to care for others as essential parts of God’s broader creation. …Torah is acquired with 48 qualities. These are: Elul Enrichment: Study, listening, verbalizing, Aug 14|Elul 3 – Verbalizing (Arichat Sefatayim) comprehension of the heart, fear, “Death and Life are in the power of the tongue.” (Proverbs 18:21) awe, humility, joy, purity, serving the sages, bonding with friends, One of the celebrations in the backdrop of Rosh HaShana is the narrative of creation. Rosh debating with students, HaShana itself occurred on the 6th day of creation, the day upon which man was formed as tranquility, study of text & context, a creature from the dust of the earth and given the unique capacity for language, the very minimizing engagement in tool that God used in creating the word ( ex: “and God said let there be light, and there was business, minimizing superficial light”). socialization, minimizing pleasure, minimizing sleep, minimizing talk, The quality of Arichat Sefatayim, which while translated as verbalizing literally means minimizing levity, slowness to “arranged lips”, calls upon us to respect the great power of words, and to apply them with anger, good heartedness, trust in the sages, acceptance of intention rather than carelessness. In Hebrew, the term for words and things is identical suffering, knowing one's place, “Devarim”. Sticks and stones do break bones, but it is untrue that words cannot harm, they satisfaction with one's lot, carry force for good and evil every bit as real as any of our other actions. qualifying one's words, not taking credit for oneself, likableness, love The simple act of verbalizing our thoughts also carries practical ramifications. By saying of God, love of humanity, love of something aloud, we can often clarify our own ideas, crystalizing the foggy notions and charity, love of justice, love of conceptions rolling around in our heads. Doing so can help us introspect and determine if rebuke, fleeing from honor, lack of the courses of action we plan are indeed in line with the values and ideals we espouse. arrogance in learning, reluctance to hand down rulings, participating in the burden of one's fellow, As relayed in Psalms (34:13-14), “Who is the person who desires life, who loves days to see judging him to the side of merit, goodness? Guard your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceitfully.” Because correcting him, bringing him to a we love life, and because we desire to see good come of this world, we turn inwards and peaceful resolution [of his start with ourselves. We ensure that everything which emerges from our lips lines up with disputes], deliberation in study, our noblest aspirations, and that we have given thought prior to opening our mouths. asking and answering, listening and illuminating, learning in order to teach, learning in order to observe, wising one's teacher, As the soul is elevated, we become acutely aware of the tremendous exactness in conveying a power that lies in our faculty of speech. We recognize clearly the teaching, and saying something in tremendous significance of each utterance; the value of our prayers and the name of its speaker… blessings, the value of our Torah study and of all our discourse.