It’s Elul. The shofar blasting is heard each morning and all of the ivrdei Torah we hear somehow focuses on the idea that now is the time for us to take stock of our year and determine which areas we excelled in and which we have room for improvement. Year after year we hear this message. Some listen and others ignore.
A year later you conduct an experiment. You poll those individuals who heard the call to action and those who pushed it aside if their year was full of joy or sorrow, happiness or sadness, gains or loses. Would you be surprised if you got the same answer from both groups?
וְהָיָ֗ה אִם־שָׁמ֤וֹעַ תִּשְׁמַע֙ בְּקוֹל֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ לִשְׁמֹ֤ר לַעֲשׂוֹת֙ אֶת־כׇּל־מִצְוֺתָ֔יו אֲשֶׁ֛ר אָנֹכִ֥י מְצַוְּךָ֖ הַיּ֑וֹם וּנְתָ֨נְךָ֜ יְהֹוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ עֶלְי֔וֹן עַ֖ל כׇּל־גּוֹיֵ֥י הָאָֽרֶץ׃
If you head the voice of Hashem your God to guard/do that which I commanded you to do this day, I will place you above all the other nations of the world - Devarim 28:1
וְהָיָ֗ה אִם־לֹ֤א תִשְׁמַע֙ בְּקוֹל֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ לִשְׁמֹ֤ר לַעֲשׂוֹת֙ אֶת־כׇּל־מִצְוֺתָ֣יו וְחֻקֹּתָ֔יו אֲשֶׁ֛ר אָנֹכִ֥י מְצַוְּךָ֖ הַיּ֑וֹם וּבָ֧אוּ עָלֶ֛יךָ כׇּל־הַקְּלָל֥וֹת הָאֵ֖לֶּה וְהִשִּׂיגֽוּךָ׃
If you do not listen to that which I commanded you today, you will be the recipient of these curses - Devarim 28:15
Hashem clearly differentiates the outcome of those who follow His words and those who do not. Yet, year after year countless Jews around the world wonder if the “Elul rush” is simply a convenient way to push organizational fundraising or does it have a deeper meaning entirely?
Parshat Ki Tavo’s design provides us a deeper insight into this yearly conundrum. When we guide our children we often share with them the do's before we share the don'ts. It is only after they make a mistake, after they scare us enough, do we remind them of what they should not do. Not Hashem.
Hashem first outlines the curses that will come if we do not follow His commandments and then He outlines the blessings. Why?
It gets even stranger. Look at the end of the parsha and Hashem outlines, in detail, what will happen to the Jewish people if we do not follow His direction. Don’t believe it? Look at the books of Yehoshua, Shoftim, Shmuel and Melachim and you will see Hashem’s words come to life. These are not mere scare tactics, they are warnings before the storm that can often be overlooked.
Where does that leave us? Our parsha and the month of Elul is a function of perspective. Some will see life through one prism while others will see it through a completely different vantage point. How can it be that two people looking at the same picture at the same time can end up with such different descriptions? That stems from how reflective we are with the perspectives we see.
Hashem separated us into two groups facing each other from the top of two mountains. We saw into the eyes of our brothers and sisters as our leaders from the valley below outlined the blessings and curses. As we looked into their eyes, into their souls, we saw them in their rawest form seeing their imperfections, their flaws and weaknesses. We had a choice to decide that the image we were seeing was not us rather another or we could reflect those perspectives on ourselves, on where we stand today in contrast to yesterday and in preparation for tomorrow. When looking across the valley, did we see our reflections in the mirrors of the eyes of our brethren or did we simply ignore their existence?
Elul is that moment of reflection. If we use it wisely we will see the beauty that is in store for us. If we do not, we will miss an opportunity to strengthen our connection with Hashem, with our people and with our mission.
This year’s parsha articles are entitled, P²: Parshat Perspectives, a reflection on the wealth of knowledge and perspectives that exist within the staff in our school. Over the course of the year, along with me, our faculty and staff will guest write this article to share their unique take on the weekly parsha and the messages held within. We are excited to share with you the educators that are guiding your children as they look to gain perspective on their Jewish journeys.
Shabbat Shalom!