Elul, Month of Repentence

Gary Cooperberg
September 8, 2005

With the beginning of the Jewish month of Elul, once again we sound the shofar every morning at the end of our prayers to stir our hearts toward repentance and prepare for the New Year which begins next month. It has become my honor and privilege to be the one who sounds the shofar for my sunrise minyan at the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron, both during Elul and on Rosh HaShannah. Elul is also the month of my birth which makes all of these things, and Project Shofar, appear to be part of my personal destiny.

The High Holy Days of Rosh HaShannah and Yom Kippur are days of Awe as all of the world is judged on these days. We in Israel have much repenting to do for the grave sin of abandoning Jewish Land which was miraculously given to us by G-d. Many good Jews tried to prevent this unthinkable tragedy from taking place, but our corrupt government led by a self made dictator forced it upon us. Aside from the tremendous chilul HaShem (desecration of G-d), our government has needlessly created Jewish refugees in Israel, seriously damaged our economy, opened the door to more terror, and set a dangerous precedent for further retreat and expulsion of Jews.

Judaism isn’t a “religion”. It is a Divine Mandate upon the Jewish People to fulfill the Will of G-d. Every facet of our lives is directed by Divine Commandments which we strive to fulfill. Sabbath observance, dietary laws, praying three times a day are but a few of the ways we strive to serve our G-d. Yet there is one very important Commandment which too many of us treat as if it is an optional one. The Commandment to dwell in the Land is equal in importance to all of the Commandments of the Torah combined! It is an eternal Commandment which was always in force. It is our destiny to bring Redemption to all of Mankind by returning to our homeland and serving G-d there according to His Commandments.

This is the culmination of the very purpose of our existence. All that we do and have done over the millennia of our existence is but preparation for the climax of our service to G-d and to all of Mankind by being His example for all the world to emulate. How foolish our leaders are to presume that peace can be achieved by denying our Divine obligations. Negotiating with the PLO, even were they honest seekers of peace, is a great sin. How much more so when it is clear that all of these efforts are futile. The Land of Israel is not ours to negotiate. It was not given to us as a gift to do with as we please. We were commanded by G-d to dwell in this land and to possess it. To willingly refrain from so doing is to defy our obligation as Jews! To willingly give any of it away to any foreign entity for any reason is to violate Divine commandments!

As the Day of Judgment approaches we would do well to consider the reality of the ongoing process of Divine Redemption. Despite the many apparent setbacks caused by G-dless leaders, the course of Redemption continues to progress. Jews are still returning from all over the world. Antisemitism is growing all over the world. The nations are gathering together and plotting against the tiny Jewish State. Catastrophic and unprecedented “natural” disasters have devastated countries who least expected such things to happen.

All of this is to show that we do not control this world. The world has a Creator who watches over it. It is His intention that His people, Israel, return to all of their Biblical borders and establish a truly Jewish nation here. This is our destiny and this will happen. The longer we refuse to recognize our obligations and seek to become like all the other nations, the longer we will suffer needlessly. But the end result will find us fulfilling our destiny, even should we seek to escape from it. May we be blessed to open our eyes to Divine reality and help to usher in a speedy redemption.