"In our town of Lubavitch, When the month of Elul came, one could feel it in the air."-Rebbe Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch
Here's a short story to help understand this quote:
During the times of the Alter Rebbe (1745-1812) there lived a famous chosid by the name of Shmuel Munkis. Now as the
high holidays of Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot approaching, Reb Shmuel knew he had to travel to be by his beloved Rebbe
for these special days. But there was only 1 problem: Reb Shmuel had no money. A poor Russian in the winter time who wanted to travel had only one
way of going, and that was by foot- in the snow. So Reb Shmuel, undeterred, set off for the town of Liadi to be by his Rebbe. As he trudged along freezing
by the side of the road, a wagon pulled up suddenly beside him. A fellow Jew called out to Reb Shmuel, asking him his destination. "Liadi? that's is in our direction. Hop on!" Unfortunately for Reb Shmuel, there was only room for him in the back, wedged among barrels of vodka.
Still freezing, Reb Shmuel asked his driver if he would be able to take a small drink from a barrel. Ah! Finally Reb Shmuel felt warmed up a bit. After arriving finally in Lubavitch, Reb Shmuel had a 'farbrengen' with his fellow Chassidim and told them like this: "One can be surrounded by warm things. But if he doesn't take it into himself in an internal way, he can remain cold."
We are now standing on the 23rd day of the Hebrew month of Elul, 1 week before Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that
the use of the word 'air' in the above quote is significant, and directly connected to our upcoming High Holidays. Chassidic Thought explains an amazing fact of life: whatever is more essential to our lives as humans, is also more accessible to us! Take water as opposed to food for instance: a person can live longer w/out food than he can w/out water; therefore water is more accessible and bountiful in this world. Clothing is less needed on an hourly or daily basis, and therefore less common and harder to come by. A house is even harder to get. The most accessible and bountiful commodity, and also most important for us though in this world, is air. One cannot go a minute without it. Thank G-d, it's not hard to find! :)
But there's one small catch: one has to actually breathe. W/out this simple, easy action, there's nothing to talk about.
At this holy junction in our yr., Chassidic thought teaches us that G-d is very 'Close' to us, and very easily accessible. Hashem is actually close yr. round, but the obstacles spiritually blocking sometimes are gone at this time. With our long prayer sessions, blowing of the shofar, living in a Sukkah, and all the other spiritual activities we do in Jewish tradition at this time of the yr., connecting to G-d seems so easy. G-d Literally sets us up for success. But like the story with Reb Shmuel Munkis and the barrels of vodka, there's one small thing we have to do on our part: Drink. Take it in internally. If not, all of these wonderful practices and prayers can just encompass us and leave as soon as the holidays pass. Closeness to G-d is a fact in every Jew's life: "the soul of a Jew is literally a part of G-d."-Tanya, beg. of Ch. 2. But one has to reveal this fact and internalize it always. The time we are in now, and the upcoming holidays, say our sages, help us to reveal this fact. We must only internalize this within us. To make it a true part of our lives, to identify with it. This closeness and connection to our G-d at this time of yr. surrounds us, like air. All we have to do, is 'breathe' it in.
K'sivah V'chasimoh Tovah, L'shanoh Tovah U'mesuka! ('May you be inscribed and sealed, for a good and sweet year!')
-Daniel
