בס"ד. אור ליום ה' פ' שופטים, אדר"ח אלול ה'תשמ"ו
{A Chassidic Discourse by the Lubavitcher Rebbe in 1986, roughly translated by my friend Doron & I, regarding the Spiritual energy found in the Hebrew month of Elul.}
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“I am to My Beloved and My Beloved is to me” is an acronym for the name of the month of Elul. The explanation of the significance of this is found in Likkutei Torah:
Elul is the time of ‘I am to My Beloved’, which is an arousal from below. This continues until Rosh Hashonoh and Yom Kippur, which is a time of revelation of G-dliness from above.
Meaning: ‘I am to My Beloved’ is an arousal from below to above in the month of Elul and after this ‘My Beloved is to me’ - a drawing down from above during the Days of Awe.
Although the month of Elul is an arousal from below, nevertheless we need to understand how this arousal from below is empowered from above.
And this is what is continued in the explanation, that Elul is a time of the revelation of the 13 Attributes of Mercy which are the arousal from above which precedes & empowers the arousal from below, “I am to My Beloved.”
And we can understand this by way of analogy of a king, who, before he reaches his city, the townspeople leave town in order to welcome the king in the field. There he receives them all, and all the people can see the face of their ruler. However, once the king reaches his palace, the people can only enter it with his permission, based on their qualities.
Now we can understand the connection between the analogy and the month of Elul, which is the time when one can go out to receive the light and countenance of G-d “in the field.”
And this illumination of the 13 Attribues of Mercy by G-D - “May G-D make his countenance shine upon you” - represents the King’s welcoming of all the people.
And the details of how man’s service should be, are explained there in Likkutei Torah.
In the expositions on the significance of the month of Elul in Likkutei Torah (arranged & printed by the Tzemach Tzedek), we find something very unique: These teachings lack their own section and heading, for ex. "דרושים לאלול" (which every holiday enjoys), rather they are included in the parsha of ראה.
Therefore, we need to understand the connection between the month of Elul and the parsha of ראה. We also need to know why there are no sections in Likkutei Torah for the parsha of שופטים, neither before nor after. Especially given the fact that we know many teachings from the Alter Rebbe on this parsha exist - both on the verses in the beginning & on the middle. As we find clearly written in ‘Or HaTorah’ of the Tzemach Tzedek, as well as in teachings from the Mitteler Rebbe, both of which are based on the teachings of the Alter Rebbe.
We also need to understand the connection between Rosh Chodesh Elul and the parsha of שופטים. The section in Likkutei Torah which contains this discourse of ‘Ani Ledodi,’ begins on the page “lamed beis” – לב (heart). This connection is surely not by chance. We see in Chapter 32 (לב) of Tanya , (based on the Biblical verse: “you shall love your fellow as yourself”), that the love of another Jew is connected to the point of the heart, as our Sages of blessed memory have said: “This is the fundamental principle of the Torah.”
This page ((לב of expositions on the month of Elul is found in the section of Likkutei Torah expounding on the book of “Mishnah Torah” - Devorim, as it was arranged to be so by the Tzemach Tzedek. This page symbolizes the heart of the section of Likkutei Torah expounding on the Mishneh Torah. Even if one would say, that it happened to end up on the page when printed, nevertheless, since it is a book of Torah, we can learn from it. As the Ba’al Shem Tov taught: “One can learn a lesson from everything one sees in his service of G-D, in all its details.”
And we can say about all this, that the service of man in the month of Elul is like the parable of the king in the field. And we can also understand the connection between the month of Elul and the page lamed beis (לב). For in Elul “the king is in the field”, in as much as when in the field, everyone is equal and individually able to receive the countenance of the king, and the king in turn receives all. Furthermore, when the King is in the field, he nullifies any divisions between him & his nation, receiving everyone equally with open arms and a pleasant countenance.
In general (& specifically in Elul), ‘I’ (Yisroel) am to ‘my Beloved’ (Hashem): That both are, so to speak, the heart of the other.
And this connection is dependent upon the unity of the Jewish people, as is stated in Iggeres HaKodesh (in Tanya). There is also a connection to the parsha of ראה (lit. “seeing”): The illumination of the 13 Attributes of Mercy Face to face, which are the Internal Will of the blessed-G-D for the Jewish people (revealed during Elul) and the Jewish people for G-D, which is conveyed in the opening verse of the parsha of ראה, ראה אנכי נותן לפניכם- “See I’m giving you” - face to face. However, this is not the case regarding the parsha of שופטים, which highlights the divisions between people, by establishing guards and laws between every one.
The exposition on the month of Elul & the ‘king coming to the field’ is explained further:
1) Just as there are fields, so too there are deserts.
2) A land does not sprout produce except in a place where man dwells.
The analogy to the month of Elul is a king coming to the field (and not a desert) because a field is on a higher level than a desert. A desert is a place where land does not yield produce, whereas the field is the source of the produce for bread, as the verse says: “from the land comes bread.” It says in Tehillim, “bread sustains the heart of man”. It mentions also in parshas עקב : “Man does not live by bread alone, rather by the very word that comes from the mouth of G-D does he live” – by the G-dly spark contained within the bread.
We find there is a superior quality of a field over both a city and a desert : The city contains houses which are in the “domain of holiness”, whilst the desert is outside of this domain – a place where man does not dwell. The purpose of the field is this: To refine that which is found outside of the “homes” of holiness, and enter them into the realm of holiness.
And this is the primary service of man, to lift up all worldly matters into the realm of holiness.
And this is also the reason why sacrifices are generally referred to as: “את קרבני לחמי לאישי” – the concept of bread (to bring the mundane into the realm of the holy).
The totality of this service of sacrifices will be seen in the future era. Even though during the time of exile, the effect of sacrifices can be accomplished through learning the Torah laws regarding their fulfilment - as it says “we will offer the words of our lips instead of calves,” nevertheless the true and complete effect of sacrifices will be in the future era.
In the language of prayer, “and there we will offer to you...in accordance with the commandment of your Will” which is the fulfilment of all the mitzvos in the complete sense in the future era. And this quality of completeness will be specifically seen with the mitzvah of sacrifices.
In the future era, there will also be fields. As we learn in the Book of Yirmeyahu the Prophet: “houses and fields and vineyards shall be bought again in this land.” However, in that time the “partitions” between the field and the city will be negated, and the revelation in the 3rd Temple will spread through the holy city of Jerusalem and then out into the fields around. As our sages teach us, that in the future era, Jerusalem will spread throughout the Land of Israel, and the Land of Israel will spread throughout the entire world, as is says: “The glory of G-D shall be Revealed and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of G-D has spoken it”.
Additionally there is a hint in the connection between the teaching – the idea of the negation of all divisions, everything is equal – and that parsha of שופטים – that which is revealed in the end of the parsha.
And this is the idea of the parsha – you shall establish judges, police offices... the idea of positions of authority and divisions, however when the actions of the judges affect another to ”to go in His ways for all time” that causes a nullification of all division until “G-D expands your boundaries” (when you guard the mitzvos).
The idea of “G-D expands your boundaries” is expressed in spiritual terms as the idea of the land Israel expanding to all lands in the future. And there is also a revelation of the faculties of חב"ד as our Sages of Blessed Memory said, “when G-D expands your boundaries into the land of קיני קניזי וקדמוני” and the explanation given by the Mittler Rebbe is that these land refer to the faculties of חב"ד.
For what’s drawn down now is only the lower seven sefirot. But in order to achieve the upper 3 sefirot with the final Redemption, we must work (specifically) on spreading the well-springs of chassidus outward in a way that people can understand - in a way of חב"ד - to such a point that these three lands will be conquered, i.e. that your חב"ד will conquer the knowledge of the well-springs, until such a point that this part of Torah will be called by your name – “תורתו.”
May it be His Will that through this service of spreading the wellsprings outward and conquering the Chabad of our souls, we will come very soon to the conquering of חב"ד in the world - until it’s completely conquered to the point where it’s called by His Name.
And this should be fulfilled speedily; that" מיד immediately" (as the Rambam says) the exile should end, and the land of the 7 nations should be completely conquered. And immediately after this the 3 remaining nations, so that together the land of the 10 nations will be conquered in the future time of redemption - 10 showing on the perfect completion of the time of redemption. As we see regarding the harp in the 3rd Holy Temple, that it will have 10 strings. So too there will be a “10th song”, a “10th red heifer”, and the “10th counting of the Jewish People” – that G-D Counts Yisroel because of His Great Love for them.
And all of this speedily in our days in a visible, real way, in our time and in our place, souls in bodies, with joy and gladness of heart.
