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The Special Closeness of Elul by Rabbi Shmueli, Shlit"a

By Yeshivat Nahar Shalom Staff•August 11, 2026
Secrets and Allusions of ElulRabbi Tuvia Weiss and the King of EnglandThe Story of Rabbeinu HakadoshRav Acha in TarshaThe Four Answers to "What is a Sinner's Punishment?

A small child dared to jump toward the King, and saved his entire family! A person should know: Now is the month of Elul—jump! The King is here! Jump onto the wagon!

Section 1: Introduction and the Special Closeness of Elul

Oh, dear me! Here, with Hashem's help and salvation, we are advancing. After the Sabbath of blessing the month of Elul—wonder of wonders—we are advancing toward the eve of Rosh Chodesh Elul.

In practice, that will be on Wednesday, but starting tomorrow we will begin an early Eve of Rosh Chodesh. Without taking a vow, at 10:00 AM we will head out from here to the holy city of Hebron—to the Holy Patriarchs, to do repentance and good deeds.

The main thing, with Hashem's help and salvation, is that we strive, just as the Talmud says in Tractate Rosh Hashanah:

"Seek Hashem when He may be found, call upon Him while He is near."

  • "Seek Hashem when He may be found": The Talmud explains that this refers to the Ten Days of Repentance, when the Holy One, Blessed be He, is right here with us.
  • "Call upon Him while He is near": When is this closeness? Both the Alshich and the Ba'al HaTurim state that this refers to the month of Elul, because then Hashem, Blessed be He, is closest to the Jewish people.

Therefore, one must increase repentance, good deeds, and prayers. Whoever increases mercy, the merit is his. Just as the Talmud says: If a person prayed and was not answered, he should turn back and pray again:

"Hope in Hashem; be strong, and let your heart take courage, and hope in the Lord."

Section 2: The Value of Time in Elul and the Power of Prayer

You should know that Rabbi Yosef Chayim, peace be upon him, would escape to the tomb of Yechezkel the Prophet every Rosh Chodesh and throughout the month of Elul. He would isolate himself there, saying:

"Every hour... every hour is like a whole month. I must isolate myself. I don't want people disturbing me or talking to me ('Moshe? Yes, Tzion? Moshe?'). No... no disturbances."

You understand? He didn't want distractions or issues. Once, someone wrote him a letter saying: "Honored Rabbi, a matter that is urgent, urgent, urgent, urgent!" The Rabbi replied on a postcard, drew a clock on it, and wrote:

"Know that every single moment is as important to me as a whole month. Even so, I am answering you. Why? Because know that right now, the gates of Heaven are wide open. His right hand is outstretched to accept those who return. We are doing soul-searching, working on things, wanting to return in repentance."

Look at how powerful prayer is right now—it is extremely strong when a person prays and repents!

The Story of Rabbeinu Hakadosh (Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi)

The Talmud in Ketuvot relates that when the time came for Rabbeinu Hakadosh to depart from the world, everyone prayed that he should not pass away. The Heavens could not take his soul; whatever they tried to do was impossible because the prayers tore through and split all the heavens.

When his maidservant saw that he was suffering, and that his soul wanted to depart but could not—causing great pain—she took a large glass jar and threw it from the roof down to where the people were praying. It smashed—boom! They were startled and stopped praying for just one moment, and at that exact moment, the soul of Rabbeinu Hakadosh departed. But as long as they were praying, there was no power to take him. The power of prayer is tremendous!

The Talmud continues that after his passing, Rabbeinu Hakadosh would come home every Sabbath to recite Kiddush. He told his wife: "Prepare the children, set the place, let no one else enter. Only you, and I will come." Our Sages ask: Why did he merit this? In the merit of the great prayers that were prayed for him, which continued to bestow holiness upon them. Therefore, he continued coming to this world. Wonder of wonders!

Section 3: Secrets and Allusions of Elul

Now, in Elul, prayer is not like prayer on ordinary days. All the repentance and prayer in the month of Elul is something that does not exist on other days. These are days when you have to invest a lot of strength. In the moment of Elul, when a person speaks a word—it happens! That's how it works.

1. Yerach Yamim & Si'ach (Gematria)

The Chatam Sofer notes that the Holy Zohar calls the month of Elul a "month of days" (yerach yamim), as in the verse: "And she shall weep for her father and her mother a month of days."

  • He hints that "month of days" (yerach yamim) has the numerical value (gematria) of si'ach (שיח = 318), which means prayer/discourse. During these days, there is special power to pray (lasi'ach) and pour out one's speech before Hashem.
  • If you add the letter Mem (מ) to these letters, you get Mashiach (משיח). When people pray well—because the 13 Attributes of Mercy are open and the King is with us—salvation comes.

2. The Roaring Lion (Aryeh)

It is written: "A lion has roared, who will not fear?" This hints at these specific holy days, where Aryeh (אריה - Lion) is an acronym for:

  • א – Elul
  • ר – Rosh Hashanah
  • י – Yom Kippur
  • ה – Hoshana Rabbah

They roar in these days! When a lion roars, how can a person not fear? Sometimes there are screens that separate us from our Father in Heaven, or a screen over a person's heart that prevents them from waking up. One needs to remove the screens and circumcise the foreskin of the heart.

The verse states: Umal Hashem Elokecha Et Levavcha V'Et Lvav("And Hashem your L-rd will circumcise your Heart and the Heart of...")—the first letters (printed in bold font) spell Elul (אלול), indicating this is the time to circumcise the heart.

The Parable of the Deaf Men and the Lion

What is this comparable to? People were sitting in the woods having a hafla (party) and making a barbecue. A hungry lion smelled the meat from afar—that Yemenite meat—and wanted to taste it. The lion started roaring: "Toot-toot-toot-toot!" Everyone panicked and fled into the crevices of the rocks.

However, they noticed three people walking along calmly, not running or shouting. People yelled to them, "Run away!" but eventually realized those three were atrash—deaf! They were not afraid simply because they had a barrier in their ears.

If you see a person right now who is not afraid of these holy days, it means he is atrash—his heart is sealed shut! Don't you hear the roaring of the lions?!

Section 4: A City of Refuge and Judgment

Our master the Ari says: This month is a city of refuge for the entire year! A person can run away now to save himself from death, trouble, and everything.

The verse states: V'HaElokim Inah LeYado VeSamti Lecha ("And the L-rd brought it into his hand, and I will appoint for you...")—the first letters (printed in bold font) spell Elul (אלול). Wonder of wonders!

The Four Answers to "What is a Sinner's Punishment?"

In the Torah portion it says: "On the testimony of two witnesses or three witnesses shall the condemned be put to death; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness." The Midrash (Yalkut Shimoni, citing the Jerusalem Talmud in Berakhot) explains this through four questions:

  1. They asked Wisdom: "A sinner, what is his punishment?"
  3. They asked Prophecy: "A sinner, what is his punishment?"
  5. They asked the Torah: "A sinner, what is his punishment?"
  7. They asked the Holy One, Blessed be He:

Look and see: Hashem created Adam on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, judged him, and set the verdict for Yom Kippur, with the final seal on Hoshana Rabbah. The Midrash asks: What shall we do?

  • "On the testimony of two witnesses shall the condemned be put to death"—this refers to Wisdom and Prophecy, which offer no way out.
  • Or "three witnesses"—even the Torah requires a guilt offering, but we have no Temple today, so according to three witnesses he would also perish.
  • But "he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness"—that One Witness is the Holy One, Blessed be He, Who says: "Let him repent, and he will be forgiven!"

"For the thing is very near unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it!"

There is always a remedy. In your mouth, simply say: "Master of the Universe, I have sinned, I have transgressed, I have committed iniquity"—and khalas, it's finished! Even with Bilaam the wicked—a deceiver and a liar—when he said, "I have sinned," the angel could no longer touch him.

Section 5: c

The Story of Rabbi Tuvia Weiss and the King of England

All of you knew Rabbi Tuvia Weiss, the head of the Edah HaChareidis (the Ga'avad) who came from England and recently passed away. He was a true genius.

They tell that as a 10-year-old child during the Holocaust, he was sent from his village to his father in a larger nearby village to ask what to do and where to flee from Hitler. The crematoria had started in Kyanatsi, a great foulness was emerging, and everyone was trembling in fear.

The Rabbi there told him:

"We do not know what to do, only to cry out to Hashem. However, a Kindertransport train of 1,000 children is leaving for England shortly. I have one spot. Run home, grab your little bag (pekele), and come."

He ran home, his mother told him to run, and he boarded the train to England. In England, a lineup of all the rescued children was arranged for the King of England. Rabbi Tuvia recounted:

"I was crying non-stop for my father, mother, and brothers. When the King passed by, out of sheer desperation and fear, I jumped toward the King! I cried out: 'Save me! Thank you for saving me, but what about my mother? My father? My brothers? What will happen to them?' The King asked for my address, and commanded his servants: 'Take care of them, bring them here tomorrow.' And so it was."

A small child dared to jump toward the King, and saved his entire family! A person should know: Now is the month of Elul—jump! The King is here! Jump onto the wagon!

Hashem Awaits Our Return

As written in Tanna DeBei Eliyahu: The Holy One, Blessed be He, sits and awaits the Jewish people to repent more than a father longs for a son he hasn't seen in years, or a woman awaits her husband.

Rabbi Chaim Palagi wrote about this:

"'I believed when I spoke'—when I read this, my eyes pour water! How is it possible that the King of Glory sits and waits for us to repent, and we do not rise and return? If a child doesn't come home by midnight, parents make frantic calls and alert the police! Father is waiting for us!"

Our Master the Ari says: "Know that great is repentance, for it lengthens a person's days and years." One must know how to cling to the Divine Presence (Shechinah) and repent.

Section 6: Rabbinic Teachings and Historical Examples

Rav Acha in Tarsha

Rav Acha once visited the village of Tarsha while a plague was raging. He commanded 40 Torah scholars to divide into the four corners of the village and recite the Incense Offering (Pitum HaKetoret) with deep concentration. He joined them, and the plague stopped.

Afterward, it was revealed to Rav Acha in a dream:

"Thank you, but the plague did not come for no reason. They neglect Torah study, kick back, smoke hookah, and chew khat (gat) instead of learning! You stopped the plague, but the underlying spiritual illness remains. Tell them to repent!"

Rav Acha rebuked the villagers, established set times for Torah study, and brought them a Rabbi. The town was completely transformed from Tarsha into Mata Machseya.

The Three Demands of the Rabbi

During the time of the Malbim, a Rabbi was invited to serve a large city. He stated he would only accept on three conditions—demanding the arm (zero'a), the cheeks (lechayayim), and the maw (keva):

  1. Arm (Zero'a): Every man must lay Tefillin on his arm before entering the synagogue.
  2. Cheeks (Lechayayim): No one may shave his beard with a razor.
  3. Maw (Keva): Everything entering the stomach must carry the highest standard of Kashrut.

He told them: "If you fulfill this, I will be your Rabbi. If not, find someone who will grant you an easy life, because I will not compromise the Law." The congregation accepted his terms.

Section 7: The Parable of the King's Treasury

The evil inclination entices a person: "There's time... go to a wedding, go to a wild party (khanja)..." dragging him from one gathering to another and destroying his spiritual life. A person must place a bridle upon himself!

Consider this parable: A poor man once saved a drowning youth at sea. The youth turned out to be the King's son. To reward him, the King granted him two hours inside the royal treasury in Tzelafon to collect as many pearls and jewels as he could.

Worried he would empty the treasury, the King's ministers investigated the man. Discovering he was a Yemenite named Yehuda who loved good food, music, and drinks, they set a trap:

  • At the entrance, they placed a Yemenite musical band.
  • They set up lavish kitchens serving kubaneh, rice with ghormeh sabzi, Aleppian mahshi (stuffed vegetables), special whiskey, and delicacies.

The man got completely distracted! Everyone encouraged him: "Taste this, drink that!" Suddenly, two police officers tapped him on the shoulder and said: "Get out!" He cried: "What? I didn't take anything!" They replied: "Time is up!"

This is exact parallel to a person's journey in this world. The evil inclination tempts him with endless distractions: "Travel to a hotel in Tiberias, travel to Cyprus, travel to Safed..." until time runs out! We must utilize our precious time in this world proper—especially now, by traveling to a holy place like Hebron!

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