Friday, August 24, 2018

I can’t believe we are in the middle of Elul!

✨馃挮✨馃挮✨馃挮✨馃挮
6 Tips for a SUCCESSFUL ELUL from Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi*

In Elul, if we do things right, Hashem will open up for us 13 faucets of mercy in preparation for the High Holidays. But how do we make that happen? Jewish Women, here’s your Elul homework straight from my teacher, Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi…

1. Improve and do something new: This first Elul homework assignment has 2 parts: Firstly, you need to take on a new mitzvah from now until Yom Kippur. Start wearing a long skirt for 30 days. Start praying mincha for 30 days. Start learning Torah for 5 minutes a day for 30 days.

Rabenu Yona teaches that when you accept upon yourself a new mitzvah for 30 days, you will exit from darkness out to a great new light. Hashem will see that you know how to change, and He will change reality for you: you will finally have the baby you have been waiting for, your marriage will finally improve, you will finally find that great apartment/job/husband you have been looking for.

Secondly, you need to improve your performance of a mitzvah that you already do. For example, you pray every day, but for the next 30 days pray with extra focus. You prepare every week for Shabbat, but until Yom Kippur prepare for Shabbat with extra joy. Less screaming and more smiling.

2. A VERY Important Psalm : The Holy Ari promises that whoever recites Chapter 27 (Hashem Oree v’Yeeshee, click for English translation) of Psalms twice a day, morning and evening, until the end of Yom Kippur, the 13 Heavenly faucets of mercy will open up upon him. Why this particular Psalm? Because it mentions God’s name 13 times. So every time you say Hashem’s name, another faucet opens up upon you.

The Ari guarantees, “Every one who says the 27th Psalm, from Rosh Chodesh Elul, in the evening and morning, every day, he is guaranteed a good year, and the coming year will be sweet, and even if an evil decree has been declared against him, it can be nullified. And all of the prosecuting angels will be nullified from him and from all of his family members as well as all difficult and evil decrees. And he will be judged innocent, because Hashem opens up for him the 13 faucets of mercy.”

讗 诇ְ讚ָ讜ִ讚: 讬ְ讛讜ָ讛, 讗讜ֹ专ִ讬 讜ְ讬ִ砖ְׁ注ִ讬–诪ִ诪ִּ讬 讗ִ讬专ָ讗;
讬ְ讛讜ָ讛 诪ָ注讜ֹ讝-讞ַ讬ַּ讬, 诪ִ诪ִּ讬 讗ֶ驻ְ讞ָ讚.
讘 讘ִּ拽ְ专ֹ讘 注ָ诇ַ讬, 诪ְ专ֵ注ִ讬诐– 诇ֶ讗ֱ讻ֹ诇 讗ֶ转-讘ְּ砖ָׂ专ִ讬:
爪ָ专ַ讬 讜ְ讗ֹ讬ְ讘ַ讬 诇ִ讬; 讛ֵ诪ָּ讛 讻ָ砖ְׁ诇讜ּ 讜ְ谞ָ驻ָ诇讜ּ.
讙 讗ִ诐-转ַּ讞ֲ谞ֶ讛 注ָ诇ַ讬, 诪ַ讞ֲ谞ֶ讛– 诇ֹ讗-讬ִ讬专ָ讗 诇ִ讘ִּ讬:
讗ִ诐-转ָּ拽讜ּ诐 注ָ诇ַ讬, 诪ִ诇ְ讞ָ诪ָ讛– 讘ְּ讝ֹ讗转, 讗ֲ谞ִ讬 讘讜ֹ讟ֵ讞ַ.
讚 讗ַ讞ַ转, 砖ָׁ讗ַ诇ְ转ִּ讬 诪ֵ讗ֵ转-讬ְ讛讜ָ讛– 讗讜ֹ转ָ讛ּ 讗ֲ讘ַ拽ֵּ砖ׁ:
砖ִׁ讘ְ转ִּ讬 讘ְּ讘ֵ讬转-讬ְ讛讜ָ讛, 讻ָּ诇-讬ְ诪ֵ讬 讞ַ讬ַּ讬;
诇ַ讞ֲ讝讜ֹ转 讘ְּ谞ֹ注ַ诐-讬ְ讛讜ָ讛, 讜ּ诇ְ讘ַ拽ֵּ专 讘ְּ讛ֵ讬讻ָ诇讜ֹ.
讛 讻ִּ讬 讬ִ爪ְ驻ְּ谞ֵ谞ִ讬, 讘ְּ住ֻ讻ֹּ讛– 讘ְּ讬讜ֹ诐 专ָ注ָ讛:
讬ַ住ְ转ִּ专ֵ谞ִ讬, 讘ְּ住ֵ转ֶ专 讗ָ讛ֳ诇讜ֹ; 讘ְּ爪讜ּ专, 讬ְ专讜ֹ诪ְ诪ֵ谞ִ讬.
讜 讜ְ注ַ转ָּ讛 讬ָ专讜ּ诐 专ֹ讗砖ִׁ讬, 注ַ诇 讗ֹ讬ְ讘ַ讬 住ְ讘ִ讬讘讜ֹ转ַ讬, 讜ְ讗ֶ讝ְ讘ְּ讞ָ讛 讘ְ讗ָ讛ֳ诇讜ֹ, 讝ִ讘ְ讞ֵ讬 转ְ专讜ּ注ָ讛;
讗ָ砖ִׁ讬专ָ讛 讜ַ讗ֲ讝ַ诪ְּ专ָ讛, 诇ַ讬讛讜ָ讛.
讝 砖ְׁ诪ַ注-讬ְ讛讜ָ讛 拽讜ֹ诇ִ讬 讗ֶ拽ְ专ָ讗; 讜ְ讞ָ谞ֵּ谞ִ讬 讜ַ注ֲ谞ֵ谞ִ讬.
讞 诇ְ讱ָ, 讗ָ诪ַ专 诇ִ讘ִּ讬–讘ַּ拽ְּ砖ׁ讜ּ 驻ָ谞ָ讬; 讗ֶ转-驻ָּ谞ֶ讬讱ָ 讬ְ讛讜ָ讛 讗ֲ讘ַ拽ֵּ砖ׁ.
讟 讗ַ诇-转ַּ住ְ转ֵּ专 驻ָּ谞ֶ讬讱ָ, 诪ִ诪ֶּ谞ִּ讬– 讗ַ诇 转ַּ讟-讘ְּ讗ַ祝, 注ַ讘ְ讚ֶּ讱ָ:
注ֶ讝ְ专ָ转ִ讬 讛ָ讬ִ讬转ָ; 讗ַ诇-转ִּ讟ְּ砖ֵׁ谞ִ讬 讜ְ讗ַ诇-转ַּ注ַ讝ְ讘ֵ谞ִ讬, 讗ֱ诇ֹ讛ֵ讬 讬ִ砖ְׁ注ִ讬.
讬 讻ִּ讬-讗ָ讘ִ讬 讜ְ讗ִ诪ִּ讬 注ֲ讝ָ讘讜ּ谞ִ讬; 讜ַ讬讛讜ָ讛 讬ַ讗ַ住ְ驻ֵ谞ִ讬.
讬讗 讛讜ֹ专ֵ谞ִ讬 讬ְ讛讜ָ讛, 讚ַּ专ְ讻ֶּ讱ָ: 讜ּ谞ְ讞ֵ谞ִ讬, 讘ְּ讗ֹ专ַ讞 诪ִ讬砖ׁ讜ֹ专–诇ְ诪ַ注ַ谉, 砖ׁ讜ֹ专ְ专ָ讬.
讬讘 讗ַ诇-转ִּ转ְּ谞ֵ谞ִ讬, 讘ְּ谞ֶ驻ֶ砖ׁ 爪ָ专ָ讬: 讻ִּ讬 拽ָ诪讜ּ-讘ִ讬 注ֵ讚ֵ讬-砖ֶׁ拽ֶ专, 讜ִ讬驻ֵ讞ַ 讞ָ诪ָ住.
讬讙 诇讜ּ诇ֵ讗–讛ֶ讗ֱ诪ַ谞ְ转ִּ讬, 诇ִ专ְ讗讜ֹ转 讘ְּ讟讜ּ讘-讬ְ讛讜ָ讛: 讘ְּ讗ֶ专ֶ抓 讞ַ讬ִּ讬诐.
讬讚 拽ַ讜ֵּ讛, 讗ֶ诇-讬ְ讛讜ָ讛: 讞ֲ讝ַ拽, 讜ְ讬ַ讗ֲ诪ֵ抓 诇ִ讘ֶּ讱ָ; 讜ְ拽ַ讜ֵּ讛, 讗ֶ诇-讬ְ讛讜ָ讛.

3. Give Life: Every day of Elul, make sure to shine a ray of light to another human being who is struggling. Every day ask yourself, “Whom can I make happier today?” A Shabbat invitation to a single neighbor, a visit to a hospitalized relative, a note in the lunch box of a child making the tough transition back to school.

4. Forgive and Forget: Hashem gives us a special deal every Elul. Our Sages promise that: “Every person who forgives will be forgiven all his sins.”

We did a lot of sins this year that cannot be forgiven…We spoke lashon hara about people and cannot ask their forgiveness because asking forgiveness would hurt that person badly. We hurt a child, but how can we ask her for forgiveness when she is so young that she cannot fathom how deeply she has been hurt?

The answer…the next time someone insults you, hurts you, makes you see red, you remember “Every person who forgives will be forgiven all his sins,” and you say to yourself “Hashem, apparently you are sending this person to get me angry, because you want to erase my sins for me. So I’m cooperating with You. I’m not getting angry. I forgive her.”

5. Have Mercy on the Animals: “Every person who has mercy on animals—Heaven will have mercy on him.” In Elul we don’t kill little animals. In the case of pests (lice, cockroaches, etc) you can kill, but not with extra cruelty.

6. Watch Your Words: More of the special Elul deal. In Elul, your words to your family members have special weight. The Ramchal says that on Rosh Hashana Hashem considers all of the words that came out of our mouths regarding our family members. On Rosh Hashana, Hashem will ask His angels, “Tell me, what did she say about her husband in Elul?” The angels report back “She said that he’s stingy and lazy.” And Hashem writes down the words “stingy and lazy” in His notebook. According to what we say, Hashem judges our family members and US too. Be careful this month to only say positive things about your family members!l