"The Alter of Kelm used to say that whoever is indifferent during the month of Elul and the Yomim Noraim, is cruel to his parents, his family and to all of Klal Yisroel." These are the beginning words of HaRav Nisan Zalman Goldberg.
He continues:
Every person with a modicum of seriousness, a bit of concern and an ounce of tefillah, can affect entire revolutions in the whole world through his deeds. We are obligated to feel responsibility for all of Jewry.
The 'world' tends to say that in Elul, even the fish in the water tremble. This is compared to a man on a motorcycle, where part of the fun is the noise he makes so as to warn people to make way or to be impressed. This selfsame rider who bought the latest, strongest model, overhears his neighbor drilling a hole in his ceiling in order to affix a chandelier, and says to himself: 'I see that my neighbor also bought himself a motorcycle.' Apparently, all that he has in his head revolves around the noise that motorcycles create.
One who lives Elul, connects everything that happens to the essence of Elul. Everything cries out 'Elul'!. Each person sees everything in the context of his own life and when a person feels the awe of the upcoming judgment, even the fish in the water seem to him to be trembling, even though they are only swimming.
They tell of some people who, during World War II, ran off to hide in the forests for fear of the Germans. Suddenly, they heard shouting from someplace in the forest. In their fear, they attempted to climb trees but then they discerned two men sitting down to a meal without any qualms. They approached them and told them to flee, for they were in danger but the men simply ignored them. It took only a few minutes for them to realize that these men were deaf and didn't hear their shouts of warning.
We, too, must make sure that we not be oblivious to shouts of warning or to the roaring of a lion because we, too, are deaf to the danger. But the roaring persists; it is there, nonetheless. We must open our ears to hear, feel and understand.
There are people who do not hear the lion's roar because they simply are not afraid of a lion and even if the roar is close by, they are not alarmed, but perhaps amused. The lion is behind bars, in the zoo, where there is a barrier, they feel no need to fear, Such an emotion is not activated by them, and here, as well, such people are not frightened by the approaching days of judgment but remain indifferent. We are obligated to remove those barriers and truly be alarmed by them.
Elul was ushered in these days. How, indeed, does this affect and obligate us?
We began with the shofar blowing which is a reminding alarm of the battle. HaRav Aharon Kotler said that this represents an invitation, as it were, a call to arms. Prepare yourself! Let there be no excuses that we did not hear, were not prepared, did not know what lay in store. The shofar is a warning siren to every person. Heed it! Listen to it.
Perhaps it is an ambulance siren bearing an injured or sick person. Perhaps it is heralding war. 'The voice of Hashem breaks the cedars.' How many sirens did we hear this past year! Some less frightening; others more. How can we not awaken to that sound and remain as before, without changing?!
