Elul as an Ir Miklat

Topics

• The Avodah of Elul
• The Mateh Ephraim and the Mishnah Berurah
• Teshuvah, Tefillah, and Tzedakah
• The Connection to Arei Miklat
• Arei Miklat and Teshuvah
• The Brisker Rov and the Rambam
• Elul as a Place to Run
• The Six Arei Miklat and Teshuvah
• Hakaras Hatov for Teshuvah
• Paro and the Ability to Do Teshuvah
• Teshuvah, Punishment, and the Chesed of the Eibishter
• A Midrash on "Az Yavdil Moshe"
• Adam HaRishon and Mizmor Shir L’yom HaShabbos
• Shabbos as a place of return
• Shabbos, Teshuvah, and a Place to Run
• Kriyas Yam Suf as an Opening
• Rabbeinu Yonah and the Chutzpah of Not Running
• Chuvah and the Chesed of Elul
• A Maaseh with Reb Zev Edelman
• Appreciating Every Moment of Elul
• The Minhag of Kelm
• The Way to Approach Elul

Transcript

# The Avodah of Elul

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What is the avodah of Elul? In yeshivos there is a great deal of discussion and much talk about it, and people spend a lot of time working on Elul. What once was Elul is no longer Elul. It is brought down in the sefarim that as the generations move on, Elul becomes weaker and weaker.

I think it is important for us to find a way to appreciate Elul, so that we can utilize every moment of Elul. The important thing is to understand: what is Elul? How do we enter into Elul? What is the avodah of Elul?

# The Mateh Ephraim and the Mishnah Berurah

This is actually brought in the Mishnah Berurah, quoting the Mateh Ephraim. The famous Mishnah Berurah that everyone knows from the Mateh Ephraim is: Elul is “Ani l’dodi v’dodi li.” The Mishnah Berurah also brings, “Umal Hashem Elokecha es levavcha.”

It is interesting, though, that the Mishnah Berurah does not bring the other two remazim that the Mateh Ephraim brings. Over the years I have spoken about this with many people: why did the Mishnah Berurah choose to bring “Ani l’dodi v’dodi li,” which of course means kirvah, and “Umal Hashem Elokecha,” which means teshuvah?

Actually, there are two other remazim and inyanim in Elul. As I quote from the Mateh Ephraim, he brings from the pasuk of “v’Elokim anah l’yado,” referring to the arei miklat. The Ribbono Shel Olam gave a mitzvah that if someone commits murder, he has a place to run, and that has to do with Elul. That is one remez from the Mateh Ephraim.

There is another remez from the Mateh Ephraim, from the Megillah: “Ish l’re’eihu u’matanos la’evyonim.” Says the Mateh Ephraim, “Elif l’mateh” — the decryption of all these remazim is also Elul. “Ish l’re’eihu u’matanos la’evyonim” also makes Elul.

# Teshuvah, Tefillah, and Tzedakah

The avodah of Elul is not only teshuvah, but also tefillah and tzedakah. Tzedakah is very important in Elul, because “matanos la’evyonim” is part of it. Why the Mishnah Berurah does not bring the other two remazim, I do not know. But in any case, this is the Mateh Ephraim’s yesod of what Elul stands for.

What is the avodah in Elul? We speak about the Mishnah Berurah bringing “Ani l’dodi,” and in the yeshivos they speak a lot about “Ani l’dodi v’dodi li” and “Umal Hashem Elokecha es levavcha.” You will also probably hear in the yeshivos about the avodah of “Umal Hashem Elokecha es levavcha.” It is spoken about a little less, because the Mishnah Berurah obviously does not bring it, but it is in the same Mateh Ephraim as “v’Elokim anah l’yado” and “v’samti lecha makom.”

“Ish l’re’eihu u’matanos la’evyonim” means bein adam l’chaveiro. “Matanos la’evyonim” is not only for one person; it is for everybody. So there is a bein adam l’chaveiro aspect here.

# The Connection to Arei Miklat

What is the sheichus of “v’Elokim anah l’yado” and “v’samti lecha makom” to Elul? The inyan of arei miklat—what does that have to do with Elul? Pashut, the same way that Elul learns up “v’dodi li,” that is not...

# Arei Miklat and Teshuvah

And what does it mean? It will look here: “מִנָּה לִידָי, וְשַׂמְתִּי לְךָ מָקוֹם.” It is interesting that arei miklat are one of the simanim, the symbols, of teshuvah. As a matter of fact, Rabbeinu Yonah, who brings the pasuk at the beginning of Shaarei Teshuvah, brings: “אַל־כֵּן יוֹרֶה חַטָּאִים בַּדָּרֶךְ.” That is the pasuk Rabbeinu Yonah brings, that the Ribono Shel Olam, His yirah, points, gives direction to the chata’im, to those who sin, how they can go and do teshuvah. “אַל־כֵּן יוֹרֶה חַטָּאִים בַּדָּרֶךְ.” That is the first Shaar of Teshuvah: “טוֹב וְיָשָׁר ה', עַל־כֵּן יוֹרֶה חַטָּאִים בַּדָּרֶךְ.” And that is true, “טוֹב וְיָשָׁר ה'."

It is interesting that the Yalkut Shimoni on that pasuk says, “דבר אחר,” that it is referring to arei miklat, that the Ribono Shel Olam gives a person yirah, gives him directions of where to run. There are two peshatim in the Yalkut: one is that it refers to teshuvah, which Rabbeinu Yonah brings here at the beginning; and the second peshat is that it goes on the person who is running to the ir miklat. From here we learn that there were signs: go here, go left, go right. The same with an ir miklat—you have signs on the road, where you are supposed to travel, so that you should not get lost. “אַל־כֵּן יוֹרֶה חַטָּאִים בַּדָּרֶךְ” is referring to the ir miklat. These are the two peshatim in the Yalkut Shimoni.

It is also quite interesting that Rabbeinu Yonah, when he speaks about teshuvah at the beginning, uses the same lashon of where to run, to hide. “כִּי הֵיכִי לְמֵידַע דֶּרֶךְ לְהִלּוֹךְ.” And he says that when a person pushes off teshuvah, he prolongs it and does not do the teshuvah. “יֵשׁ לוֹ מָנוֹס לָנוּס שָׁמָּה.” There is a place to run. “מָנוֹס” is teshuvah. So you see, interestingly, teshuvah has a lot to do with an ir miklat, a place to run. There is a manos, there is a place to run, and that is the two peshatim of the Yalkut Shimoni.

# The Brisker Rov and the Rambam

There is a very famous Brisker Rov. I do not know if anyone knows this Brisker Rov. Rav Shach said it over at the hesped of the Brisker Rov, that when he went to visit the Brisker Rov when he was sick, he told him this vort. The Rambam, in a very famous lashon, actually begins with a lashon from Ibn Gabirol, who was one of the early kadmonim, the writers. He uses the lashon: “אֶבְרַח מִמְּךָ אֵלֶיךָ” — I will run from You to You. Now, when a person has no place to run, he runs back to the Ribono Shel Olam.

The Brisker Rov showed where this is actually in a Rambam. The Rambam, in his peirush on Mishnayos, says: why do we not say Hallel on Rosh Hashanah? Why do we not say it? It is a Yom Tov, “חֶדְוַת ה' מָעוֹזְכֶם.” A person is supposed to be happy on Rosh Hashanah. According to the Mishnah Berurah, bringing the Geonim and all the other shitos of the Rishonim, one does not even cry on Rosh Hashanah, because one is supposed to be happy; it is a Yom Tov, “חֶדְוַת ה' מָעוֹזְכֶם.” So why do we not say Hallel?

The Rambam says because these are yemei pachad v’din; that is what he says in Yad HaChazakah. But actually, in the peirush on Mishnayos, he adds that they are yemei pachad v’din, “וּמִבְרָח וּמָנוֹס אֵלָיו” — a time of running away and hiding to Him, to the Ribono Shel Olam. Before the Rambam’s peirush on Mishnayos, here is the nusach: “מִבְרָח וּמָנוֹס.” That is this inyan of the Yalkut, of arei miklat, that the Ribono Shel Olam gives you a place to run. “מִנָּה לִידָי, וְשַׂמְתִּי לְךָ מָקוֹם.”

# Elul as a Place to Run

It is this, Mati Efraim, that there is a place to run. The Rabbeinu Sholeilam gives a person a place to hide. He is stuck; he did a whole year of aveirah. So the Rabbeinu Sholeilam makes an Ir Miklat. Elul becomes the Ir Miklat, where he can hide, running back to the Rabbeinu Sholeilam to protect himself. And this is the remez of the likim, that there is an inyan of manas, a place to run. And where do I run to? To hide by You. And this becomes the inyan of Elul, Vilkim, and Eliad.

# The Six Arei Miklat and Teshuvah

It is interesting. They say over from Avrionus and David, the Rosh Yeshiva Pachad Yitzchok in Eretz Yisrael, that the inyan of Ir Miklat is six. There are six Arei Miklat. What is the six? In the Haggadah, the Sefer Mitzvos explains that there are six mitzvos tzemedios, and there is the remez of six Arei Miklat. So the number six of Arei Miklat—there were six of them, six Arei Miklat by the Levi’im.

It says, Rabbeinu Yonah, an interesting aggadah: how many yisra’ei teshuvah are there? Rabbeinu Yonah brings down in Perek Beis, Shaar Beis, that there are actually six derachim that a person has to do teshuvah. He goes through six. Because the six Arei Miklat, teshuvah and Arei Miklat, are very well connected; it is one and the same inyan. The six yisra’ei of teshuvah, the six derachim and inyanim that a person has to go through in teshuvah—that is the six Arei Miklat.

# Hakaras Hatov for Teshuvah

When you understand this, it brings out a tremendous appreciation and a tremendous hakaras hatov of the good and the chesed that the Rabbeinu Sholeilam does for us. When you have no place to run, the Rabbeinu Sholeilam gives you a place to run. It is a tremendous chesed. And Rabbeinu Yonah speaks, menah toivayis asher heitiv HaKadosh Baruch Hu im bruach. That is how he is magdim Shaar HaTeshuvah.

And I am forced to ask: what is important about menah toivayis? What is the... Just say there is a mitzvah of teshuvah. There is no mitzvah of teshuvah? Menah toivayis, it is from the good. What is Rabbeinu Yonah trying to say? The good things that the Rabbeinu Sholeilam, good mitzvos, I say it is a mitzvah to do teshuvah—good, we can talk about what the mitzvah is. But in any case, you do not need menah toivayis asher heitiv HaKadosh Baruch Hu, so to speak, about it. He is trying to be mesaye’a to do teshuvah.

Rather, in order to do teshuvah, it has to come from a hakarah of the chesed of teshuvah. In order for a person to do teshuvah, he has to realize the matanah tovah that was given to him in teshuvah. When a person realizes the chesed of the Eibishter, that is Rabbeinu Yonah. Rabbeinu Yonah goes out of his way, and you understand that it is the menah toivayis asher heitiv HaKadosh Baruch Hu im bruach, and then they definitely turn to teshuvah.

# Paro and the Ability to Do Teshuvah

Where did I get this from? Altaf Aslavotke says: why did Paro not do teshuvah? He was almost forced to do teshuvah; the Rabbeinu Sholeilam pushed him and pushed him and pushed him. So the Rambam is known: because vayeichbad es libo, it was an ones, because he did not do teshuvah, memeila he could do teshuvah.

# Teshuvah, Punishment, and the Chesed of the Eibishter

He did not do teshuvah because he did not do teshuvah. The Rambam in Hilchos Teshuvah writes that if a person continues in aveiros to a certain point, the punishment is that when he later wants to do teshuvah, he cannot. A famous Rambam.

The Alter of Slabodka, in the peshat of Parai, brings a different reason why Parai did not do teshuvah. Parai did not do teshuvah because he did not recognize the chesed of the Eibishter, that He was pushing him to do teshuvah. He looked at the makkos as punishments. A punishment? You are punishing me? How can one do teshuvah that way?

Had he realized, had he been makir, had he understood that the Ribono Shel Olam was doing chesed with him, guiding him, almost pushing him forcefully to do teshuvah in order to save him, he would have done teshuvah. This is what Rabbeinu Yonah means, though he does not bring Rabbeinu Yonah explicitly. This is the meaning of, "Asher heitiv, HaKadosh Baruch Hu, beruach."

If you understand the chesed of the Eibishter, that the Ribono Shel Olam is doing chesed with you, that He is helping the yetzer hara, that he is stuck, so to speak, then it is a chesed. Arei Miklat is a chesed, and then a person can do teshuvah. If one does not properly appreciate and understand the chesed of the whole ענין of teshuvah, of the Ribono Shel Olam giving you a way out, then one cannot do teshuvah properly.

# A Midrash on "Az Yavdil Moshe"

So, chai v'kayam Rabbeinu Yonah, I will tell you where I saw this in Chazal. There is a very interesting Midrash in parashas Shoftim, by shlishi, where it says, "Az yavdil Moshe shalosh arim." Arei Miklat. What is the last word there? Az. The Midrash says: "Az yashir Moshe u'nei Yisrael es ha-shirah." This "az" of "Az yavdil Moshe shalosh arim" is the same "az" as "Az yashir Moshe." That is the connection between "Az yavdil Moshe shalosh arim" and "Az yashir Moshe."

The Kessef Sofer says that Moshe Rabbeinu always felt bad that he ran away from Mitzrayim because of Dathan and Aviram. He killed the Mitzri; he should have stayed in Mitzrayim and had bitachon that the Ribono Shel Olam would protect him. I do not know the makor, where the Kessef Sofer got this from. He says that Moshe Rabbeinu was afraid all his life that perhaps he was punished for running away.

Then he sees that the Ribono Shel Olam told him a mitzvah of "Az yavdil Moshe shalosh arim"—arei miklat. Let him stay, and let him say: Ribono Shel Olam, I have bitachon; You protect me. The Ribono Shel Olam is telling the person to go and hide; it is a siman that one has to do hishtadlus and go hide. He was extremely ecstatic about "Az yavdil Moshe shalosh arim," because he said, sheiche, praising the Ribono Shel Olam, that you see one has to go and protect oneself, one has to do hishtadlus and go hide.

What does that have to do with Kriyas Yam Suf? "Az yashir Moshe." Okay, he said sheiche. What does that mean? Why "Az yashir Moshe"? What does that have to do with sheiche? What is the peshat in the Midrash?

Rabosai, I will tell you what I think the peshat in the Midrash is, based on everything we spoke about just now. There is another Midrash, and actually there is another person who said...

# Adam HaRishon and *Mizmor Shir L’yom HaShabbos*

When you heard about teshuvah, Adam HaRishon, and the phrase *Mizmor shir l’yom HaShabbos*, people think that since it is in Tehillim, it was probably said by Dovid HaMelech. Actually, Chazal tell us that it was said by Moshe Rabbeinu. And before Moshe Rabbeinu, it was actually said by Adam HaRishon. It was originally said by Adam HaRishon, forgotten, brought back by Moshe Rabbeinu, and included in Tehillim. But it was Adam HaRishon who first said, *Mizmor shir l’yom HaShabbos*.

When did he say it? He had been thrown out of Gan Eden; he had done an aveirah. He meets Kayin, who also did a great aveirah. He asks Kayin: tell me, you killed someone, what happened to your din? What did the Ribbono Shel Olam punish you with? Kayin says, *Asisi teshuvah v’nispasharti*. I found a way to escape, so to speak, the onesh for what I did; *nispasharti*, I did teshuvah.

Immediately, Adam HaRishon opened and said, *Mizmor shir l’yom HaShabbos*. What is the connection? What happened? What does it mean? He heard teshuvah. Kayin did teshuvah, and that led to *Mizmor shir l’yom HaShabbos*. A person does an aveirah; it is done. Where can he go to hide? Where can he go to be mesaken what he did? Kayin is telling Adam HaRishon, *nispasharti*, I found a way out. How did I find a way out? I did teshuvah. Adam HaRishon said: had I only known about this, I would also have done teshuvah and not been thrown out of Gan Eden.

## Shabbos as a place of return

But *Mizmor shir l’yom HaShabbos* is because we know that Shabbos is like a miklat for the ba’al aveirah, a place for him to go and hide. Where do I know this from? It is in Chazal. The Gemara says that someone who does teshuvah on Shabbos, all his aveiros are forgiven. If he did teshuvah, he does not need Shabbos. The teretz is that even where a person cannot do teshuvah, or on aveiros that he cannot yet do teshuvah for, or when he needs help to do teshuvah, sometimes he needs a place, a situation, that will help him do teshuvah. That is Shabbos.

It is brought down in sefarim that the root of Shabbos and teshuvah is the same root. *Mizmor shir l’yom HaShabbos*: he saw that there is an inyan called Shabbos, where a person, after the whole week, has a place to hide, so to speak. Shabbos gives a person a place to hide from his evrah, from his running, from his galus.

We say on Friday night, *Hodu laHashem ki tov, ki l’olam chasdo*. What do we mean by this? The week is a galus; the person is lost. Shabbos gives a person a chance to go back: I can come back to You, Shabbos, to return to the Ribbono Shel Olam. I sing to G-d.

# Shabbos, Teshuvah, and a Place to Run

Bismarck, it is a shirah. There is a song. What is the song? “Ribono Shel Olam, thank You for saving me, for giving me a place to run.” A whole week, a person gets lost; he is in galus. The Ribono Shel Olam gives a person a place, a me’on, to hide.

One of the zemiros says, “Al kein echbas boi libi, k’boris.” The Shabbos washes the neshamah, like with a sancheshvara Shabbos. “Al kein echbas boi libi” — I will wash. “Hachabas k’boris” — like with soap. Shabbos becomes like soap; it cleans the neshamah, as they state. Memayla, rinenu.

# Kriyas Yam Suf as an Opening

Now I understand Kriyas Yam Suf. What does Kriyas Yam Suf mean? Their backs were to the wall. Where were they going to hide? Where were they going to run? There was no solution. No one would have dreamed that the answer was “tachal lecha derech” — that the Ribono Shel Olam opened up the Yam Suf. He made them a path where they could go.

“Az yashir Moshe.” That is what Moshe Rabbeinu sings. “Az yivdal Moshe shalosh shirim.” It is the same union: the Ribono Shel Olam gives a person a tachal lecha derech, a place where he can run. The Yam Suf was that. He opened up the Yam Suf and made them a path where they could escape. Or a miklat is that.

“Az yashir Moshe” — that is what Moshe Rabbeinu sees, and he says shirah, just like Adam HaRishon said shirah: “Mizmor shir leyom HaShabbos.” The song of teshuvah, the song of praising the Ribono Shel Olam, is that you have a meivrach haman, a place where you can run.

# Rabbeinu Yonah and the Chutzpah of Not Running

I think we can say a pshat in Rabbeinu Yonah, which the world speaks about a lot. Rabbeinu Yonah brings that if a person is me’acheir to do teshuvah, there is a punishment for that. The Ribono Shel Olam is angry. Why? Because here you have a chance to lanus, to run, to hide, as we said, and you do not do it.

He brings a Midrash in Koheles: there is a breaking from the self, and everybody runs. The only person who does not run — the king gets angry at him. “Well, take a look. How come you didn’t run?” The answer is that you do not see the ketzef. You do not see that by not running, I am angry at you, and you do not care so much. That person is still standing in the jail. You fool, the door is open, the wall is broken. Run. How could you not run?

The mefarshim ask: you must speak. They broke out, and he is a serious, honest person. Shall we break out? So on him you get angry? You have to read the whole Rabbeinu Yonah. Aleph and Beis go together. Who made the bachtaros? Who broke open the door so that they should be able to escape? If it is the king himself who did that, then it becomes a chutzpah that you are not scared of the king, by taking the door that he gave you to run out.

That is what Rabbeinu Yonah means. Rabbeinu Yonah is saying that the Ribono Shel Olam kiheichalim haderech. It is the Ribono Shel Olam who breaks the door open for you and tells you to escape. So the chutzpah is if you do not understand that the king himself is telling you to run, and you do not take the opportunity.

# Chuvah and the Chesed of Elul

Chuvah is a broken door. The truth is that nobody agrees to chuvah. Chuvah runs against the whole understanding of right and wrong. Yet the Ribbono Shel Olam Himself says: break the door open. It is the Melech who put you in the jail, so to speak; it is His jail, and still He breaks the door open for you. And you do not take that door, you do not take that passageway.

If we understand that, we will appreciate, as Rabbeinu Yonah says, the chesed of chuvah and the chesed of the time of Elul that is given to us in order to run and to fix.

In the Aryeh Chesed, he brings the Ribbono Shel Olam. The Ribbono Shel Olam once was saying a shmuess, and it was Elul, and he became so moved by it that he turned around, opened up the HaKodesh, and said the following, and I quote: “I thank You, Hashem, that You gave us Elul.”

You know what this story of Rabbi Hatzkel, saying over from Rabbi Yitzchak Blas, is? It is everything I just said. It is mizmashil yemei Shabbos. It is rina. It is thanking the Eibershter that He gave us a way to run. That is what Rabbeinu Yonah is saying. You have to understand that it is a matanah that the Ribbono Shel Olam is doing for us, to appreciate Elul. And when you do that, then you will appreciate every moment of Elul and utilize every moment of Elul.

You understand that it is a month, it is a gift. People spend time during the day; it is a day, and it will be a day tomorrow. But when you are at a simcha, it is a special occasion. You cherish every moment. You try to utilize, to take in every moment of the simcha, every moment of what Elul has to be. Something that you appreciate, something that you thank the Eibershter for.

# A Maaseh with Reb Zev Edelman

We saw gedolim, and I will end with the following maaseh. It is brought down here, a maaseh in the sefer Zev Edelman. Very few people know who Zev Edelman was. I was able to get brachos from him when I was a little boy. My mother’s father used to take us all the time to get brachos. He was a heilige Yid. You know Reb Gershom Edelman from Ponevezh? Zev Edelman was his brother. Who was Reb Zev Edelman? He was a tzaddik.

It is brought here, a very nice maaseh in the sefer. Reb Avtoli Kayin wanted to get chizuk. He felt that he was not where he should be in Elul, so he wanted to go to Reb Zev Edelman and see. This was right before Rosh Hashanah. He went to Reb Zev Edelman and asked him, “Tell me about Elul. Give me chizuk.”

He said, “Pashut, that is all you have to tell me.” He thought this was not going to be something that would be mesaye’a to him. But he walked away with tremendous se’ares. Why? Because he walked Reb Zev Edelman all the way to the yeshiva in Ponevezh, and the entire time Reb Zev Edelman was saying to himself, “There are still another few more minutes of Ani l’Dodi v’Dodi Li.” Another minute passed: “Ani l’Dodi v’Dodi Li.” There are still another few more minutes. Another few more minutes. Now there are only ten minutes left.

# Appreciating Every Moment of Elul

That is only nine minutes. Appreciate every moment. He was trying to tell the person: if you want chizuk, you do not need great chizuk. Elul speaks for itself. But one has to cherish every moment and take in every moment of Elul.

# The Minhag of Kelm

In Kelm, they had a minhag, and with this I will end. They would count Elul not by how many days were left, but by how many days had already passed in Elul. That is how it was done in Kelm. Look at this in the sefarim of Kelm: how much did I accomplish in Elul? Every moment matters. It is one minute less that I have. That is how people used to approach Elul.

# The Way to Approach Elul

The way to do it is to appreciate, to understand chesed, and how much one can accomplish.