Chapter 128 : Chapter 128 Laws Concerning the Month of Elul

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§1

[The days] from Rosh Chodesh Elul until after Yom Kippur, are days of Divine favor [and acceptance.] Even though throughout the entire year the Holy One, blessed is He, accepts the repentance of those who return to Him wholeheartedly, nevertheless, these days are unexcelled and most suitable for repentance, because they are days of mercy and favor. On Rosh Chodesh Elul, Moshe went up Mount Sinai to receive the Second Tablets; he remained there for forty days, and came down on the tenth day of Tishrei when the atonement was completed. From then on these days have been designated as days of Divine favor [and acceptance,] and the tenth day of Tishrei as Yom Kippur [Day of Atonement]. In most communities it is the custom to fast on the day before Rosh Chodesh Elul and to recite the prayers of Yom Kippur Katan [minor Yom Kippur], in order to be spiritually prepared for repentance. If Rosh Chodesh occurs on Shabbos, Yom Kippur Katan is held on the preceding Thursday. The Ari (Rabbi Yitzchak Luria), of blessed memory, wrote, "If he did not lie in ambush but Hashem made it happen, then I will provide …" (Exodus 21:13) The initials of the words [ina le'yado vesamti lecha] form the acronym Elul, to indicate that this month is a favorable time for repentance to be accepted for the sins committed during the entire year. It also alludes to the fact that sins done inadvertently also require repentance¹The Scriptural verse referred to in the text deals with a homicide that was commited accidentally or inadvertently. during this month. The interpreters of allusions also commented: It is written (Deuteronomy 30:6) "And Hashem your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your children;" the initials of the words [es levavecho ve'es levav] form the acronym Elul. Also, the initials of Ani ledodi vedodi li, ["I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine,"]²During these forty days, since repentance is more readily accepted, our repentance brings our hearts closer to our Beloved One and thus He, (our Beloved) is closer to us by accepting our repentance. (Mishnah Berurah preface to Chapter 581) [Song of Songs 6:3] form the acronym Elul. Also, the initials of Ish lerei'eihu umatanos la'evyonim ["One to another and gifts to the poor"] (Esther 9:22) form the acronym Elul. These acronyms are an allusion to three things: Repentance, Prayer and Charity which must be practiced zealously during this month. "Hashem will circumcise etc." alludes to repentance, "I am my Beloved's etc." alludes to prayer, for prayer is the song of love. "One to another and gifts to the poor," alludes to charity.

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§2

It is customary to blow the shofar during this month. Beginning the second day of Rosh Chodesh,³Some have the custom to blow shofar even on the first day of Rosh Chodesh Elul. we blow the shofar each day after the Shacharis prayer, tekiah, shevarim, teruah, tekiah, except on erev Rosh Hashanah, when the blowing is discontinued,⁴It is permitted, however, to blow shofar in order to practice in preparation for the obligatory sounding of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah. (Ibid 581:24) in order to make a distinction between the voluntary blowing of the shofar and the blowing shofar in fulfillment of the mitzvah. The reason for blowing the shofar during this month is to arouse the people to repent; for the shofar sound has the quality to stir [the emotions] and to inspire fear, as Scripture says, (Amos 3:6) "If a shofar is sounded in a city will the people not tremble?" It is also the custom in our regions, beginning with the second day of Rosh Chodesh Elul until Shemini Atzeres,⁵Including the day of Shemini Atzeres. (Ibid 581:2) to recite Psalm [27] LeDovid Hashem ori ve'yish'i⁶On those days when the Musaf service is said, the psalm is recited after Shacharis, before Ein Komocha [there is none like You] which is said before the Seifer Torah is taken out of the Ark. In the evening the psalm is recited after the Minchah service. [This is the custom of those who pray Nusach Sfard.] In those places where they recite the psalm after the entire service [including Musaf] is completed, such as on Rosh Chodesh, the psalm, Borchi Nafshi [Psalm 104] is recited before LeDovid Hashem Ori. They also have the custom to recite LeDovid Hashem Ori after the psalm of the day is recited. [This is the custom of those who pray Nusach Ashkenaz.] (Ibid 581:2) ["Of David, Hashem is my light and my salvation"] [each day] [after] the morning and evening prayers,⁷Kaddish should be said after the psalm is recited. (Ibid) This is based on the Midrash: "Hashem is my light" —on Rosh Hashanah; "and my salvation" —on Yom Kippur; "for He will hide me in His shelter" —alludes to Sukkos. It also is customary for the congregation to recite Psalms,⁸Mishnah Berurah says that we should omit the words: בָּהֶם שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה [until we have lived our seventy years] in the prayer recited before saying tehillim [Psalms]; and since we [usually] do not recite an entire book of the Psalms, we should say: בִּזְכוּת מִזְמוֹרֵי תְּהִלִים שֶׁקָרָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ [In the merit of the chapters of tehillim we have recited], when we say the prayer that is said following the saying of tehillim. After this prayer Kaddish should be recited if there is a minyan [a quorum of ten males] present. (Ibid 581:3) each locality according to its custom.⁹The custom is to recite ten chapters each day, and during the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, extra chapters are recited so that the entire Book of Psalms will have been said three times. (Ibid) Beginning with the month of Elul until Yom Kippur, when you write a letter to your friend you should mention, either at the beginning or at the end that you pray for him and bless him to be worthy during the forthcoming Days of Judgment to be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Good Life.

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§3

Pious men are accustomed to examine their tefillin and mezuzos during this month; and wherever any defect may be found in other mitzvohs, to repair it.

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§4

Beginning with the Shabbos following Tishah beAv and after that, for the next seven Shabbosos we read the haftoras "sheva denechamasa" [seven haftoras of consolation]. If the first day of Rosh Chodesh Elul occurs on Shabbos, the haftorah, Aniyah so'arah, is set aside ["O you afflicted, floundering in the storm,"] (Isaiah 54:11) and we read instead, "Hashamayim kis'i," [The heaven is My throne] (Isaiah 66:1), because this haftorah also contains consolation for Jerusalem. On the Shabbos of Parshas Ki Seitzei, when the haftorah Roni akarah [Sing, O barren woman] (Isaiah 54:1) is read, we conclude the haftorah with Aniyah so'arah, which is next to it. If, by mistake, on Shabbos Rosh Chodesh Elul, you said Aniyah so'arah, and you became aware of it before saying the concluding berachos, you should also say Hashamayim kis'i, and then say the concluding berachah. If you only became aware [of your error] after saying the concluding berachos, then you should recite, Hashamayim kis'i without the berachos. If Rosh Chodesh Elul occurs on Sunday, the haftorah, Machar Chodesh is set aside, [Tomorrow is Rosh Chodesh] (I Samuel 20:18), because it contains no consolation for Jerusalem, and the haftorah Aniyah so'arah is read.

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§5

Beginning with the Sunday before Rosh Hashanah and thereafter we rise early for Selichos, [special prayers for forgiveness]. If Rosh Hashanah occurs on Monday or Tuesday, we begin [to say Selichos] from the Sunday of the preceding week. When you get up early in the morning [before daylight] you must wash your hands and say the berachah Al netilas yadayim, [regarding washing the hands] and the berachah of the Torah. After the Selichos [if it is daylight], you should wash your hands again without saying a berachah.

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§6

The Chazzan who leads the Selichos prayers should put on a tallis with tzitzis before saying Ashrei. Since it is doubtful, whether a berachah should be said when putting on his own tallis at night or not, therefore, the Chazzan should take neither his own tallis¹⁰Nevertheless, in a situation where there is no other tallis except his own, he may put on his own tallis without saying the berachah, and when it gets light, he should examine the tzitzis and say the berachah. (Shaarei Tzion 581:5) nor one belonging to the congregation, but should borrow one from someone. If no tallis is available, he may say Selichos and the Shelosh esrei midos ["The thirteen attributes"] without wearing a tallis. It is customary in some communities that the Chazzan who leads the Selichos prayers should also officiate at the Shacharis and Minchah services, as well as at the Maariv service of the preceding night. He takes precedence over a mourner, a mohel, and a person observing yahrzeit.¹¹This is the opinion of Mogein Avrohom. Eiliyahu Rabbah, however, rules that a person observing yahrzeit, who is fasting, should be permitted to lead the prayers. He also says that a mourner should be permitted to conclude the Shacharis prayers, after the second “Ashrei” is said. (See Mishnah Berurah 581:14) It is proper to stand while saying the Selichos,¹²Mishnah Berurah does not mention this halachah. but a person who finds it difficult to stand should at least stand while saying keil melech yosheiv ["God, King Who is enthroned"] etc. and the Shelosh esrei midos ["Thirteen attributes of mercy"]. For the laws regarding the recitation of the Viduy (the confession of sins, the Al cheit), see Chapter 131:9 below.

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§7

[The congregation] should be discriminating to choose as Chazzan to lead the services of Selichos and the Yomim Noraim [Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur] a man who is highly respectable, a Torah scholar, known for his good deeds. He should be no less than thirty years old, for by then moderation has calmed his youthful hot-bloodedness, and his heart is subdued. He should also be married and have children,¹³If there is a choice between one who is a God-fearing, Torah scholar but who is less than thirty and unmarried, and one who is over thirty and married but is not a Torah scholar, the position should be given to the Torah scholar. (Ibid 581:13) so that he will pour out his heart and pray for mercy from the bottom of his heart. [The congregation] should also be discriminating in selecting as the tokei'a —the person who blows the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, —and as the person who prompts him, men who are Torah scholars and God-fearing. However, any Jew is eligible to officiate at any religious function, provided he is acceptable to the congregation. But if you see that your appointment will cause quarreling you should withdraw, even though an unworthy person will be chosen.

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§8

During the twelve months of mourning for a father or mother, a person should not officiate as Chazzan on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, neither should he blow the shofar on Rosh Hashanah,¹⁴This is not mentioned by Mishnah Berurah. unless there is no one else as qualified as he is.¹⁵Mishnah Berurah rules that he is not permitted to officiate under any circumstances. (Ibid 581:7) If he is in the first thirty days [of mourning] for other relatives, then, if he regularly officiated in previous years as Chazzan or as tokei'a, he is permitted to do so [now]¹⁵Mishnah Berurah rules that he is not permitted to officiate under any circumstances. (Ibid 581:7) because Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur cancel the thirty day mourning period, but if he is not the regular Chazzan, and there is someone else as qualified as he is, we are stringent [and do not permit him to officiate]. But during the period when we say Selichos, even on erev Rosh Hashanah,¹⁶He may also lead the selichos during the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. (Ibid) any mourner may act as Chazzan, but not during the shivah [the first seven days of mourning].

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§9

A person who says Selichos privately is not permitted to recite the "Thirteen Attributes of mercy" as a prayer or as a plea, but as if he were reading them from the Torah, with the appropriate cantillation chant. Wherever there is mention made of the "Thirteen Attributes," such as, "And remember for us this day the covenant of the thirteen [attributes]," and similar passages, he should omit them. Also the supplications that are written in the Aramaic language, such as, Machei umasei [He strikes and He heals] etc., and Maran di vishemeya [Master in heaven] etc. should only be said with a minyan.

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§10

A mourner [during the shiva] is forbidden to leave his house to go to the synagogue in order to say Selichos, except on erev Rosh Hashanah, when many Selichos are said.

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§11

The Chazzan who will officiate on the "Days of Awe", as well as the tokei'a, should abstain three days before Rosh Hashanah from anything that may cause tum'ah —(impurity). They should study the meaning of the prayers and the special liturgical poems and the laws concerning the blessing of the shofar to the best of their ability. They should also study books on devoutness and ethics that arouse man's heart to fear God and the splendor of His grandeur when He rises to judge the world. If the congregation is unable to find a tokei'a who is a Torah scholar, they should at least see to it that the prompter is a Torah scholar, well versed in the laws of the blowing of the shofar, so that if an error is made in the sounds of the shofar, he should know what to do; and he should also know how to examine the shofar to determine if it is fit to be used.

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§12

Many people are accustomed to fast during the Ten Days of Penitence, but since this period includes four days on which fasting is not permitted, namely, the two days of Rosh Hashanah, Shabbos, and erev Yom Kippur, they make up for them by fasting four of the Selichos days before Rosh Hashanah, that is, the first day of Selichos, erev Rosh Hashanah and two other intervening days, preferably Monday and Thursday. If a meal that is considered a mitzvah occurs [on one of these days] they are permitted to eat at the meal and compensate by fasting on another day. If they know beforehand that they are invited to a meal celebrating a mitzvah, they should fast the day before [the meal], to make up for it.

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§13

It is customary to go to the cemetery erev Rosh Hashanah after the Shacharis prayers and bow prayerfully at the graves of tzaddikim [righteous men]. Charity should be given to the poor, and many fervent supplications offered to arouse the saintly tzaddikim, in their eternal resting place to intercede for us on the Day of Judgement. An additional reason for going to the cemetery is that the place where tzaddikim are buried is sacred and pure, and prayers are more readily accepted when they are offered on sacred ground, and the Holy One, blessed is He, will show us kindness for the sake of the tzaddikim. But it should not be your intention to appeal to the dead who rest there, for that would be tantamount to "Inquiring of the dead," (Deuteronomy 18:11), which is forbidden, but you should ask of Hashem, blessed is His name, to have mercy on you for the sake of the tzaddikim who rest in the dust. When you arrive at the cemetery, if you have not seen graves within the past thirty days, you must say the berachah: Asher yatzar eschem badin [Who has formed you in judgement etc.] (see Chapter 60:11. above) When you approach the grave, you should say, "May it be Your will, that the repose of [so-and-so] who is buried here, be in peace, and may his merit aid me." When placing your hand on the grave, the left hand only should be placed, —not the right hand. You should recite the verse, "Hashem will always guide you, and satisfy your soul with splendor, and make your bones strong, you will be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose water will not fail." (Isaiah 58:11) "May you lie in peace, and may you sleep in peace until Menachem (the Comforter, Moshiach) comes, announcing peace." (When placing your hand [on the grave] you should have in mind the verse, "Hashem will always guide you," which contains fifteen words the same as the number of joints in the hands.) You should not visit the same grave twice on the same day. Reading the inscription on a headstone, if it is protruding, causes forgetfulness. A remedy for that is to say the prayer Ahavah rabbah (With abundant love) up to uleyachedcha be'ahavah [and to proclaim Your Oneness with love].

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§14

On erev Rosh Hashanah it is the universal custom to fast¹⁷Mogein Avrohom writes that if one is even slightly ill, he should not fast. until after Minchah, at which time you may eat something so that you do not welcome the Yom Tov in a state of affliction. The entire day should be spent learning Torah, performing mitzvos and in repentance, especially of sins committed against your fellow man. You should not wait until erev Yom Kippur, but, promptly, without delay, you should ask forgiveness of your friends, [neighbors, and family.]

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§15

You should bathe and have your hair cut on erev Rosh Hashanah in honor of Yom Tov. You should have your haircut before midday. You should immerse yourself in the mikvah.¹⁸Mishnah Berurah says that you should not immerse yourself in the mikvah until an hour before mid-day. (Ibid 581:26) We wear our Shabbos clothes¹⁹Nevertheless, says Mishnah Berurah, you should not wear overly fine and expensive clothing. (Ibid 581:25) on Rosh Hashanah, to indicate that we trust in the kindness of Hashem, blessed is His Name, to bring forth our judgement as a shining light.

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§16

It is customary to do hataras nedarim [to annul certain vows] on erev Rosh Hashanah. (An allusion [for this can be found in the words] Lo yacheil devaro kechol, [He must not break his word (Numbers 30:3)]; the last letters of which form the acronym Elul.) A person who does not understand what he is reciting in Hebrew, should say it in the language he understands.