Elul - Betulah 5772

The month of Elul אלול according to Kabbalah

5772

The first suggestion we make is to read what we said last year about the month of Elul. What will be said this year will build on what we said last year.

Below is the link to last year's Blog about Elul. Please press your back button to return to this location after you read last year's Blog.

Here is a link to the Blog about Elul from last year

New Sections on the Yeshshem Website in Honor of the New Year

Essence of Elul אלול

The month of Elul is the sixth month of the Hebrew year. As the number six relates to Yesod in the frame of the Sephirot and there is a distinct relationship between Yesod and malchut the next month of Tishrai also relates to this period as we will discuss below.

The month of Elul is a acronym for a famous phrase from a verse from Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs). The phrase is אני לדודי ודודי לי. This is usually translated as "I am to my Beloved as My Beloved is to Me!". This month has a significant relationship to the next month that of Tishrai as well. During the month of Tishrai we have 22 days of Holiday while there is no known holiday during Elul. There are many days of high energy in Elul as we will discuss below.

During Elul there are many significant rituals that are involved with the process of Teshuvah, returning to HaShem and going "Back to the Future." These rituals are the saying of Psalm 27 starting on Rosh Chodesh Elul; The reading and studying of the Tikunei Zohar from Rosh Chodesh Elul through Yom Kippur a total of 40 days; The saying of Slichot from the second day of Elul until Yom Kippur and the Blowing of the Shofar each day from the second of Elul until the day prior to Rosh Hashanah.

We will discuss all of these below.

The months of the Hebrew year are connected to the Tetragrammaton. The Kabbalists teach that Elul along with Av and Tammuz are connected to the upper Hey. In Kabbalah the upper Hey represents Binah also called Emma or mother. The Mother gives birth to all of the six attributes of Zeir Anpin. She represents the seed level for these six attributes. The Kabbalists teach that these attributes are the emotive passions or emotions.

When we permute the word Elul in Hebrew we learn that the energy of Elul is also connected to the phrase "And Teach (about) God." To activate this energy we need to understand the concept that the Kabbalists teach regarding the phrase "I am to my Beloved as My Beloved is to Me." The Kabbalists teach that this indicates that HaShem is closer to the physical world during this month meaning it is easier to get close to HaShem.

Let me explain a little more. Kabbalah teaches a metaphor that when we do something wrong we separate the letters of the Name. This is also explained that "we are leaving HaShem" because we are related to the lower Hay which is the letter that is separated by our negative action. WE ALL LEAVE HASHEM AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER.

Another metaphor taught by the Jewish Religion is that "During Elul Hashem is not in his palace but is in the garden. They relate that it is easier to approach the King when he is in the Garden rather than when he is in his Palace behind all the guards. That is why it is easier to do Teshuvah during the month of Elul.

To learn more about Tshuvah click here.

Here are the letters of the month and the Tetragrammaton Permutation for the month of Elul

ר י ההוי

Now, lets look at the permutation of the Tetragrammaton for the month of Elul and what we can learn.

The Tetragrammaton is normally spelled יהוה. When the Yood is in the first position. The first position is normally considered the World of Atzilut (Emanation). The second position normally has a Hey and is considered the world of Brea (Creation). The third position normally has a Vav and is considered the World of Yetzirah (Formation). The fourth position normally has a Hey and is considered the world of Assiya (Action or Manifestation).

All of these worlds in the paragraph above relate to descriptions and teachings in Kabbalah. They are metaphors to help us understand and relate to these worlds that we do not see with our physical senses.

The word that is the Tetragrammaton is actually the Hebrew verb "to be" in a conjugated form. The Yood at the beginning of a Hebrew verb indicates action. Therefore the Name of God translates into English as "Active Being." The ultimate essence of "Active Being" is transcendent power of love and compassion without regard to people's merit.

This normal permutation which is used in the month of Nissan puts the Name of God in its normal, proper, and optimal placement to provide for the maximum flow of the Beneficence of HaShem. In essence the Yood, in the World of Atzilut, allows for a concentrated point of connection to the World of Ain Sof or Endless World. The upper Hey in Beria expands to support actual birthing and Creation. The Vav then channels this energy of Creation into the final Hey in the World of Malchut which is manifestation.

When we look at the permutation for Elul, we see the two Heys are in the first two positions. This indicates the concept of expansion of the flow, providing there is no restriction/narrowing available in the lower two positions. The third position is occupied by the Vav which is its normal position while the Yood in the fourth position represents a lack in this month in the physical world. With the Heys expanding the flow in the upper worlds and the Yood minimizing the flow to the physical world we learn that we have the opportunity to draw the expanded flow down through introspection. Of course we learn this also through the tool of Teshuvah which is based on introspection.

It will be most beneficial to be reflective during this month rather that active.

The letters of the Month

The letter Resh created the planet mercury. The letter Resh can be either Rosh meaning head or Rash meaning poor depending on the vowels used. It actually depends on the consciousness of the person connecting to this letter in a meditation. The planet mercury always faces the sun with the same side of the planet. One side is always too hot and jumpy like the Gemini and one side is always facing toward the cold of space like the Virgo. This is where the constant judgment and detail orientation of the Virgo comes from.

The Yood created the constellation we call Betulah בתולה which means Virgin. The English Name for this constellation is Virgo. The essence of Virgo is virginity and purity. Yood symbolizes richness and the highest level of consciousness.

The gematria of the Reish and Yood together is 210. This is the name Ehyeh (Aleph Hey Yood Hey) in its perfected form of ten sefirot ( 10 x 21). Ehyeh is a Name connected to the Sephirah of Binah. 210 is also the gematria of the word Redo רדו. Redo means to go down and is used in the Torah describing Avraham's descent to Egypt. 210 is also the length of the actual exile and building of the Jewish Nation in Egypt for 210 years.

Holidays in Elul

There are no actual Holidays in Elul except each day is a high energy day as we will see below. Also, the birth of the universe takes place on the 25th of Elul. This year that starts the evening of 9/11/2012. This would be a good time to light a candle for the Yom Echad of Creation as well as the martyrs of the World Trade Buildings.

Energy Days

During Elul we do various rituals that are designed to elevate our consciousness. The energy of the month is connected to purity as well. All of this makes the days of Elul higher Energy Days. One of the rituals is blowing the Shofar each day during the month except Rosh Chodesh Elul and Erev Rosh Chodesh Tishrai.

Here is a link to some different blowing of the Shofar .

Another ritual is to say Psalm 27 every day in Elul starting on the second of Elul and stopping on Yom Kippur. This is done as a form of praise of HaShem. This Psalm consists of 14 Verse which is the gematria of the Name David and also the gematria of the word Yad which means Hand. 14 is a number that connects to the Sephirah of Malchut (Kingdom).

Here is a link to Psalm 27.

Another ritual is to read or scan the Tikunei Zohar completely over the 40 days from Rosh Chodesh Elul through Yom Kippur. The Tikunei Zohar is considered the holiest portion of the Zohar. It is a series of 70 essays reported written by Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai himself while he was in the Cave for 13 years hiding from the Romans and learning the spiritual essence of the Torah from the souls of Eliyahu HaNavi and Moshe Rabenu. These 70 essays are 70 explanations and permutations of the word Beraishit.

Here is a link to Page 27 of the Daily Zohar web site.

There are approximately 1000 daily emails listed on these 27 pages. I expect that there be a link that will connect all of these in sequence. If not please start with no 1 and read or scan approximately 25 per day.

Also every day of Elul through Yom Kippur we do the ritual of Slichot. Slichot is a very misunderstood ritual. The surface level and meaning of the word Slichot comes from the Shoresh סלח. Slach translates as forgive, pardon, or excuse. The Kabbalists teach that the gematria of Slach is 98 which is the Hebrew word Tzach צח. Tzach means cleansing. The Kabbalah teaches that the ritual of Slichot is performing the process of cleansing and purifying in anticipation of reaching the forgiveness associated with Yom Kippur. This forgiveness is actually the reaching of a level of purity that allows those who know how to reach the cosmic level of Binah which then can be changed to transform the year ahead to only positive and remove all forms of chaos.

The ritual of Slichot uses three distinct tools to cleanse and purify. They are the Shofar, the lower level of The 13 Attributes of Mercy, and the Hebrew Alef Bet in order.

Here is a link to a pdf file for Slichot.

Please remember that when we say prayers that are in the order of the Alef Bet we metaphorically and actually put our physical world in order including positive and eliminating negative.

Here is a link to a hand-out for the class on the 13 Attributes.

Here is a link to a hand-out for the recording of our class on the 13 Attributes.

Tzadikim who left in Elul

Our Tzadikim have given us a great tool. Themselves! Their Hilulah is the opportunity to utilize their connection to the Creator to make our connection easier. The method we use is to light a Yahrzeit candle (25 hour candle) and learn about the Sage. This strengthens our connection to the Tzadik and through that connection allows us to reach the Creator more easily.

Here is the link to the Tzadikim from Elul.

It is recommended that one mentions the Names fo the Tzadikim every evening at the start of your evening prayer connection or just prior to going to sleep each evening.

Tribe and Tribal Leader connected to Elul

Here are the connection to the Tribe for the month and the Leader of that Tribe from our website, with information about the Nasi and the attributes dealing with this month.

The Tribe for the month of Elul is the

Tribe of Gad.

Practical Tools to adopt in Elul

Here are strategies to adopt for this month of Elul.

1. Do a Spiritual Accounting for the past year Review, Reflect, and experience again all that happened to you and with you in the past year. What relations were strengthened and what relations were diminished during this past year. What happened to you, what were the highlights of each season and also what were the low points in your year. What remains unfinished in your relations from this year. What projects have you completed and what do you need to complete in your projects.

2. Add / Increase Forgiveness as part of your daily spiritual practice One technique is to imagine yourself on your deathbed. How important are the issues you are holding onto in that perspective. People find it easier to let go from this position. Also imagine people that are difficult in your life on their death bed. What would you say to them if you will never have another chance to speak to them?

3. Send New Year Notes This practice is helpful to send people Blessings. This is an easy practice in our technological age. Just do it with love and not as a chore.

4. Bless people with a Happy and Healthy New Year Add this wish for a good year in every conversation during the month. Or include a long meditative Blessing that will transfer the energy of Blessing to more and more people. As you Bless so shall you be Blessed is the spiritual law.

5. Make sure you increase your reading/study/scanning of the Tikunei Zohar Definitely add this to your spiritual practice. The Tikunei Zohar will elevate, cleanse, and purify your soul.

The influence of the Virgo, which is Betulah in Hebrew, on all of us during the month of Elul

The spiritual actions of cleansing that one does during Elul lead to the practical aspect of changing the year ahead to not be like the past year. Did you have a good year, do you want it to repeat exactly as it did this year? Then you should not change anything about yourself. Yet most of us realize that we still have chaos and need to change something. What ever we change during the Month of Elul will impact the energy we receive on Rosh Hashana and therefore the way the year ahead manifests in our life. When you clean your house (spiritual essence) during Elul you clean your chaos from the year ahead.

The Tikune in Elul

If your lunar north node is in the Zodiac sign, your Tikune is in Virgo.

If you do not know where your north node is within your astrological chart send me your birth date, birth location, and birth time to yeshshem@hotmail.com. I will send you information on how to find your north node and your personal Tikune.

In the words of the Kabbalah Center:

Like the Piscean you were in your former life, you have been consumed by your dreams and fantasies and have paid dearly for your melodramatic inclinations. Nourished on tragic stories, you totally lacked the capacity to discern between right and wrong, between good and bad. Confronted with numerous obstacles, you often just let things happen. When they didn’t work out, you succumbed to self-pity.

In your previous life, you were heavily dependent on others. But your sensitivity to pain inhibited you from relieving that pain. This same emotional fragility may have led you to seek refuge in drugs or alcohol or other head-in-the-sand behaviors. Your intuition may have allowed you to act for others with the intention of helping them, but you were never completely free of a sort of self-interest. You had talent in the arts and you could have been a famous musician or painter. Many of your “good deeds” were a pretext for receiving gratitude.

To make your correction, you must gain a more realistic and less hypersensitive view of the world. You must use more reason and less emotion in making your decisions. Self-discipline and determination will help keep your feet on the ground and extract you from overly dependent relationships. Most of all, you must stop letting things happen to you by taking responsibility for yourself. You must learn to speak your mind both for your own benefit and for others. Essentially, you must stop whining.

This lifetime affords you an opportunity to settle accounts, forgive, and move on. Reflection will be your new tool for tackling problems, but action will put you on the road to your correction. If you succeed in establishing values within yourself and get your head out of the melodramatic clouds, you will be able to turn your attention toward creating.

If you succeed in establishing more concrete values, detach yourself from emotions, gain independence from those around you, and stick with your desires long enough, you will know love and inner peace. This will help you to seize opportunities, overcome obstacles, and manifest your dreams in the real world. Preserving relationships at all costs and always compromising have not proven to be the right solution for you. Your new motto should be “here and now.” This will help you to seize opportunities, overcome obstacles, and manifest your dreams in the real world.

In conclusion

Just as the person born in Virgo sun sign has a tendency to see details and to constantly judge others, the energy of this month will tend to assist us in judging. It is important that we make those judgments of ourselves and not to utilize this energy to judge others.

Kol Tuuv

chanoch