A necdotes abound about gedolei baalei mussar whose entire demeanor changed when the calendar page turned to Elul. Rav Yisrael Salanter is said to have fainted upon hearing the chazzan announce the coming month of Elul in the Bircas Hachodesh and more recently Rav Sholom Schwadron would famously begin his annual taanis dibbur from Rosh Chodesh Elul until Motzaei Yom Kippur.
My personal reminder that Elul is upon us comes in the form of a phone call from the menahel of a local yeshivah who invites me each year to share some Elul thoughts with the talmidim at the onset of the new school year. While admittedly Elul does not elicit a change of demeanor or attitude in me this opportunity does allow for some serious reflection and thought to find something new to share with my youthful audience. What can I share with them about Elul to help them turn their relaxed mindset from the lazy days of summer to a more serious reflective one? Or how about just doing so for myself?
The place to begin is the mishnah we repeat weekly at the conclusion of Pirkei Avos during the summer months: “Rabi Chananya Ben Akashia says ‘HaKadosh Baruch Hu wanted to provide merit for [Bnei] Yisrael therefore he gave them numerous mitzvos.’ ”
The simple understanding is the more mitzvos one does the more reward he or she will receive so the numerous opportunities are indeed a merit for us.
