Imbibing Judaism

The Jewish calendar is unique; every month contains a special message and offers us its own energy to serve G-d.

Our current month Elul is known as the month of return - t'shuva. It is the month that we try to be truthful (especially to ourselves) and return everything (especially ourselves) to its proper spiritual place.
Therefore it is a month of intense introspection and self-correction.
And it is also a month of inventory and good resolutions for the future.

But just studying about this phenomena, even discussing it with friends, is not enough. It has to be imbibed, absorbed, internalized.

A story to illustrate:

Each year, a certain chasid would set out by foot at the beginning of the month of Elul to visit his Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel (the third Rebbe of Chabad, known as the Tzemach Tzedek) in order to be with the Rebbe for the High Holidays. Now this was no easy task, as the weather by that time was often freezing.

One year, the going was particularly slow, the offers for lifts were especially sparse, and the weather was unseasonably cold. A while into the journey the chasid had reached his last ounce of strength and was nearly ready to give up and sit down at the side of a lonely, snow-filled road. But suddenly he heard a wagon approaching.

It didn't take long before the open wagon, filled with large barrels, reached him.

"Want a ride?" The driver yelled. "Climb up and find a place." The chasid climbed into the wagon and wedged himself between the barrels.

Oy, was he grateful for the ride! But his gratitude did not keep him warm. After a few moments huddled between the barrels he was abruptly reminded that he was still freezing.

That was when he noticed a small spigot sticking out of one of the barrels.

"Perhaps it's vodka," he thought to himself. He craned his neck this way and that until he was able to read the markings on the barrel. It was vodka, all right!

"Ivan!" he yelled to the driver, "Do you mind if I sample a bit of your merchandise, I'm freezing out here!"

"Go ahead," shouted the driver.

Cupping a hand under the spigot, the chasid filled his other hand with vodka, recited the blessing, and drank a mouthful of the cold fire. A few more mouthfuls and he was warm, and happy! He was going to the Rebbe! And G-d had made a miracle for him personally by sending the wagon driver before he froze to death! The chasid began singing! In no time the driver was singing with him and the ten-hour drive passed like minutes.

Before they knew it they had reached the town of Lubavitch. The chasid walked straight to the Rebbe's synagogue where he began telling his fellow chasidim not only about his journey but about what he had learned from it, as well.

"The teachings of the Torah, even Chasidic teachings, can be likened to vodka. A person can be surrounded by barrels of Chasidic teachings, by a sea of Torah, and still be cold, even to the point of freezing to death.

"But, if just a little bit goes inside," he smiled to his friends, "then he becomes warm and alive!! In fact then, he can even warm up those around him as well!"

And that is the purpose of the month of Elul: To take Torah and Judaism to heart and experience how warm, alive and meaningful it is.

Adapted from an article by Rabbi Tuvia Bolton on ohrtmimim.org