It is written, "Shall a lion roar and no one be frightened?" The word 'ARYE' stands for: Elul, Rosh Hashonoh, Yom Kippur and Hoshanna Rabba. A cry resounds at each of these times, one the louder than its predecessor.
These were the opening words of HaRav Yisroel Gans, and he continued: Our ancestors testified that this is how all of our people once felt inside. HaRav Sholom Schwadron used to tell that in his childhood, his mother merely to say "Elul" and that was sufficient to remind him to behave as he should. Even seven-year-old children understood the trepidation of Elul. And even if this sensation has waned in our times, we are still behooven to realize the essence of Elul as being a preparation for the Day of Judgment. Who, after all, can truly gauge the full portent and depth of the Attribute of Judgment?
It is told about the wife of the Vilna Gaon who was a charity collector. She made an agreement with her partner in chessed that whoever passed away first will appear to her friend in a dream and report the goings-on in Heaven. And so she did. The partner came to the wife of the Gaon and told her as follows.
One example concerns both of us. We once went collecting and happened to pass by the home of a wealthy Jew. When you suggested that we go and solicit a donation, I made a dismissing wave of the hand. You should know that even this gesture was recorded in Heaven. You cannot begin to imagine the severity of the judgment here.
And this is why we are filled with trepidation.
How can we prepare ourselves?
Our first step is to arouse a will and inner desire to properly merit basking in the special light of Elul. Chazal tell us in a Midrash: "Comely are you - when you so desire." One must make the initial initiative with a positive will and remind ourselves that the closer one gets to a source of heat, the warmer one becomes. We must make the effort to purify ourselves in the holiness of Elul, as in, "(I am unto my Beloved and} He is unto me." To draw near to His avodas.
One must bear in mind that every generation has its own level of internal spirituality and aspiration. One is obligated to serve Hashem, as is every person who, according to his level and yearning, will merit to absorb Torah and yiras Shomayim.
"The purifier to silver and the crucible to gold, and each according to his aspirations." Silver is tested to for its purity in the smelting pot as is gold in the crucible, while the content of a person's true aspirations are inspected according to his aspirations.
What is the meaning of these aspirations?
A person finds interest in what is important to him.
In the Midrash on the Ten Commandments we find a story of three friends who arrived at an inn for Shabbos, each one with a pouch of money which he had to conceal from theft. They clandestinely dug a small pit and placed their pouches therein.
When they came to retrieve their money after Shabbos, they found the pit empty. One of them had to be thief, but being friends, they were loath to suspect or accuse one another.
They came before Shlomo Hamelech and found him listening to a Roman who had also come to this wise king. He told of a bride who, immediately before the wedding, recalled that she had once swore to marry someone else many years before. She told this to her newlywed right before the wedding; he said that they must seek out that man to nullify his claim. They searched for him for many days, wandering among many villages until they finally found him. They offered him a large sum on money for him to annul the vow. He agreed, while refusing to accept any money and blessed them for a good life.
Not yet married, they set out for home when they were attacked by armed robbers who stole their money, threatening to kill the bridegroom and take the bride for a maidservant. They unfolded their sad story to the brigand who regretted his deed, returned their money and set them free.
The Roman turned to Shlomo with his question: "We don't know to whom we should give a prize for forgiveness. Is it to the bridegroom who waived his right to the bride because of her oath? Is it to the first man who was betrothed to the bride and waived his claim on her> Or is it to the robber who set the couple free and returned the money?"
Shlomo said: "I have before me three Jewish merchants. Let us hear what they have to say about your question."
The first one said that the prize should go to the bridegroom. The second merchant said: to the first groom who waived aside his claim. The third said: to the robber who retracted his decision to kill the bridegroom and even gave him back his money.
Upon hearing this, Shlomo arose from his throne and pointed an accusing finger at the third merchant. "He is the thief!" he declared.
Everyone pays special attention to what interests him. The third merchant was impressed by the decision of the brigand to return the money.
This is the meaning of "Each according to his aspirations" == to what he lends importance. This gives us the key to what is required of us: to change and upgrade our inner desires to what is truly good.
Why is this important?
Because a person can pass all of the days of judgment, keeping all of the customs, laws and prayers — doing so only by routine, only superficially. And it will have no meaning or benefit.
The Ponovezh Mashgiach HaRav Yechezkel Levenstein, as well as the Mashgiach of Kol Torah, HaRav Gedaliah Eiseman, used to remind the students of the famous story of HaRav Yehonosson Eibshitz who debated against the priests before the king, of the worth of Jews as opposed to that of gentiles by stating that only Jews have the opportunity of repenting and capacity of change. They claimed against him that even an animal is capable of changing his nature.
When the king told the priests to prove their point, they took a cat and trained it to be a waiter. The king held a feast where they could publicly demonstrate their premise. Indeed, everyone present was amazed at the skills of feline waiter.
Towards the end of the meal, HaRav Yehonosson took out a snuff box and upon releasing the catch, freed a mouse from inside. As soon as the cat saw the mouse, it let hold of a tray full of dishes, dropped on all fours and ran after the mouse, leaving the Rav as the unchallenged victor.
Exteriors can be trained and changed, but not so the inner makeup of a person. A Jew, however, can change inside, and during Elul, he must make the effort to do so, and not go through the motions like a feline waiter.
HaRav Yechezkel used to say, "The deep mussar lesson is that we have to internalize Elul and not just experience it superficially. If it is only superficial, we will have the Elul of a cat!"
