Letters of advice and uplift for the new Elul zeman

Coordinated by Shmuel Botnick

It’s the last month of the year, the bridge between past and future, a juncture for introspection on one hand, a time for fresh starts and a realigned level of spiritual connection on the other.

Throughout the yeshivah world and within our communities, Elul is a gift of unparalleled opportunity, a time to mend relationships, to leave unhealthy patterns behind, to begin anew with a clean slate and strengthened resolve. Whether you’re a bochur getting used to a new dorm, a teacher with renewed energy, a community rabbi with words of wisdom, or any hard-working Jew hoping for inspiration, everyone has a prayer — to utilize these awesome days with all their transformative potential.

A collection of letters between rebbi and talmid, principal and student, rabbi and kehillah — words of encouragement to maximize the opportunity for transformation, forgiveness, and renewal with a cleansed heart and soaring spirit

We’re in It Together

Rabbi Avrohom Weinrib

To My Dear Kehillah,

It’s hard to believe that the summer is almost over and Elul is here. One of the questions we often struggle with is: “Now what? It’s Elul and I want to work on something meaningful, but I’m not even sure where to begin.” In truth, all of us have our own individual personalities, strengths, and ambitions. However, at the same time, there is also an avodah of working together as a klal. While we are encouraged to undergo an individual process of growth, embarking on a communal initiative carries its own weight, importance, and, believe it or not, personal impact.

Last year, we chose to work on tefillah. As a kehillah, we instituted various programs and strategies that would help us in this critical area. The feedback we received was incredible. While we worked together, it was each person’s private Shemoneh Esreh that was transformed. It turns out that working together isn’t such a bad thing after all.

For this year, we chose the theme of “Seeking Out.” We often find the term “seeking” in relation to Elul, and this typically refers to our seeking out HaKadosh Baruch Hu. It’s an easy phrase to throw around, but what does it mean? How does one “seek out” HaKadosh Baruch Hu?

Perhaps it begins by seeking out oneself. Not the self you thought you knew, but the one you truly are.

As infants, we thought of no one other than ourselves. As we grow older and evolve from infanthood, we realize we don’t live in a vacuum; we are all part of a greater people, a greater calling, and a greater destiny. Our true self is the one that recognizes that it is only part of a very magnificent picture.

And so, here is what we are going to do: We are going to spend the next month thinking of others. Once every day, we are going to ask ourselves, “What can I do to help someone else?” The thing you choose to do can be very small. It can be a phone call to a friend who recently got a new job. “Hi,” you’ll say, “I just wanted to check in and see how the new job is going.” The conversation can last two minutes or less, but as the first man on the moon pointed out, what looks like a small step can actually be a giant leap.

That phone call drew you closer to yourself. It was a giant leap.

You know why that is? Because when you search for your true self, you’re searching for HaKadosh Baruch Hu as well. The closer you come in contact with your neshamah, the greater the bond will grow with He who imbued that neshamah inside of you.

Let’s do this. Let’s help each other. Let’s search out Hashem together. Let’s search out ourselves together.

And let’s all have a kesivah v’chasimah tovah. Together.

Rabbi Avrohom Weinrib is the rav of Congregation Zichron Eliezer in Cincinnati, Ohio and rabbinic administrator of Cincinnati Kosher.