Attributes of Mercy

According to Kabbalah, G-d’s Thirteen Attributes of Mercy are revealed during Elul and again on Yom Kippur. Yet Yom Kippur is a day when all worldly activity, including eating and drinking, is forbidden, while Elul remains an ordinary month. Why?

Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi explains with an allegory: Before a king enters his city, he meets his subjects in the field. There, anyone may approach him, and he receives everyone graciously. Once he enters his palace, however, only a select few may enter his throne room.

So too, during Elul, G-d is “in the field.” His Thirteen Attributes of Mercy are accessible within our ordinary lives. On Yom Kippur, the King is in His “palace,” and the revelation is so powerful that worldly activity comes to a complete halt.

The deeper message is that G-d’s purpose is not merely to be found in the “palace,” in spiritual pursuits, but to be brought into the “field,” our everyday material lives. Elul gives every Jew the opportunity to approach G-d where he or she is and prepare to follow Him into the palace.

This is reflected in the name Elul itself. The first letters of Ani L’dodi V’dodi Li, “I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine,” spell אלול. The verse expresses the loving bond between G-d and the Jewish people. Our Rabbis explain that the Giving of the Torah represents our betrothal to G-d, while the consummation of this bond will come in the Era of Mashiach. Then, “I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine” will be fully realized.

Shabbat Shalom!

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