First Vaad Elul- Approaching the Avodah of Elul through קדושת הגוף

Approaching the Avodah of Elul through קדושת הגוף

The Avodah of Elul is to prepare ourselves to accept Hashem’s Malchus on Rosh Hashana, and to do Teshuva on Yom Kippur. We will attempt to develop an approach which is practical, and relevant to both Malchus and Teshuva.

Choosing an approach to Teshuva

We could build an approach built on precise introspection; a recognition of the myriad forces which operate and interact within us. There is a movement today away from such an approach. It seems to be beyond most people’s scope. Rather, the public is drawn to something simpler- improvement. Find an aspect of your Avodah that is lacking, and make a קבלה: a very specific, concrete commitment towards improvement in that area. It can be a daily activity, it’s practical and doable; the question is: does it lead to genuine change? An example: you commit to wearing your Tefillin through the end of Aleinu. How will that change the person? 

So, we find ourselves at a point of tension. The more holistic, inwards approach to Teshuva is perhaps too difficult, while the simpler, more practical approach doesn’t carry over to meaningful change.  We’ll take the more practical, doable approach of specific improvement in a daily activity. Why? Because we want to be honest about where we are holding. After all, Teshuva has to work! You can take the most beautiful, aspirational approach to Teshuva: if it doesn’t work, it’s not enough. But let us reflect on how we can invest this approach with more power and meaning. B’ezras Hashem, we will find that a simple, concrete commitment can open up an entire world.

The Avodah of Rosh Hashana and Teshuva

Rosh Hashana is not a day of Teshuva; it is a day where we face Hashem’s Kingship. That is an entire work in of itself: an Avodah of recognition and Emunah, and of finding that dimension within yourself. But this Avodah is not divorced from Teshuva- facing Malchus prepares us for the Teshuva of Yom Kippur. If we develop our understanding and relationship to Malchus Hashem, we bring ourselves that much closer to Teshuva.

קבלת עול מלכות שמים- Accepting Malchus Shomayim in modern times

Needless to say, קבלת עול מלכות שמים is of great importance. Indeed, it is the gateway to the performance of all mitzvos. Our Sages say, “קבלתם מלכותי קבלו גזרותי”- you accepted my Kingship, accept my decrees. One could take that simply: if you accept the yoke of Heaven, you have no choice but to do as Hashem says. That makes sense, it looks good on paper. The problem is that we have never truly experienced malchus. True malchus in the world today is a rarity, and we surely haven’t experienced it firsthand. Even more so, the greater society of which we are a part of is actively opposed to the idea of malchus. That affects us. If the United States established a monarchy, we would probably flee! How can we relate to “קבלתם מלכותי קבלו גזרותי”?

The Shema and Tefillin- entering a world of Malchus Shomayim

The Gemara in Berachos says, “אמר עולא כל הקורא קריאת שמע בלא תפילין כאילו מעיד עדות שקר בעצמו”. “Ulah said, whoever recites the Shema without tefillin, it is as if he testified falsely regarding himself.” The Tosafos there writes that the false testimony relates to the pasuk “וקשרתם לאות על ידך והיו לטוטפות בין עיניך”- “And you shall tie them as a sign on your arm, and they should be phylacteries between your eyes.” There is a false testimony in the sense that that pasuk is being read without the reader fulfilling the mitzvah. The Rambam(תפילין ד:כו) , however, understood the Gamara differently. Let us learn the Rambam together:

“קדשת תפילין קדשתן גדולה היא. שכל זמן שהתפילין בראשו של אדם ועל זרועו הוא ענו ויראה שמים ואינו נמשך בשחוק ובשיחה בטלה ואינו מהרהר מחשבות רעות אלא מפנה לבו בדברי האמת והצדק…”

The Rambam begins (in halacha 25), “The holiness of tefillin is a great holiness. For as long as the tefillin are found on a man’s head and arm, he is humble and God-fearing and is not drawn to frivolous behavior or empty speech, and he does not think evil thoughts, but rather directs his heart to words of truth and justice…” Note that the Rambam does not say that when his is wearing tefillin he should be humble, he should not be drawn to frivolous behavior, he should not think evil thoughts, he should direct heart to words of truth, but rather that he is humble, he is not drawn to frivolous behavior, and so on.  This is the first step: tefillin changes you. In general, you are not humble, etc., but with tefillin you are different. You are humble, you are not drawn to empty speech, you do direct your heart to words of truth. How so? Wearing tefillin changes you because it changes your world. It becomes a world where only Hashem is present. We will explain more. The Rambam continues:

 “לפיכך צריך אדם להשתדל להיותן עליו כל היום שמצותן כך היא…”

“Therefore, a person should try to wear them throughout the entire day, for such is the mitzvah…” Being that tefillin affects such a change upon the wearer, a person should ideally wear them all day. 

“אף על פי שמצותן ללבשן כל היום, בשעת תפלה יותר מן הכל. אמרו חכמים כל הקורא קריאת שמע בלא תפלין כאלו מעיד עדות שקר בעצמו…”

“Although it is a mitzvah to wear [tefillin] throughout the entire day, it is most important during prayer. Our Sages declared: “Whoever recites the Shema without tefillin is considered as if he testified falsely regarding himself…” The Rambam writes that even though tefillin should be worn all day, because of its effect on the wearer, it is most important during prayer. That powerful change in the person, the humility and fear of Hashem, is most important during prayer. And this is what Chazal were referring to when they said that reciting the Shema without tefillin is false testimony.  The Gemara says: he testifies falsely regarding himself. When we say the Shema, Shema Yisroel Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad, that is a statement about Hashem, His oneness and kingship. But we must relate to that statement from our being. As we mentioned above, tefillin does that by placing us in a world where only Hashem is there. When we say the Shema, we are declaring the objective truth of Malchus Shomayim; wearing tefillin is “our side” of מלכות שמים- how we relate. How we live in Hashem’s kingdom. It is the “work” of the Shema. We cannot proclaim Malchus Shomayim and leave ourselves out of the equation. That’s the depth of the Gemara: it is false testimony regarding himself, because without tefillin, he is not a part of that statement.

The body is also a part of Malchus Shomayim

How do the tefillin transform our entire experience? It might be a segula. But tefillin also has a singular quality: it renders even the body a part of Malchus Shomayim. The tefillin is placed “על בשרו”- on the flesh. Meaning that even the simple part of our existence enters that new world. It is for this reason that tefillin is unique amongst the mitzvos in that it requires a clean body. My body can also relate to Malchus Shomayim. Not only can it- it must. We want to live in Hashem’s kingdom, a world where only Hashem is present. But one cannot enter a new existence and leave his body behind. Our entire being must take on a new quality. We see that קדושת הגוף, holiness of the body, plays a crucial role in קבלת עול מלכות שמים.

We want to change our entire experience, to enter a different world not just with our intellect, but with our simplicity. That’s a tremendously important part of the Torah: the body also plays a part. How often do we neglect the role of the body in Avodas Hashem, solely focusing on depth of thought and emotion? Of course, we understand that at the end of the day, the body has to perform the mitzvos. But we think we will just build up our higher being, our intellect and emotions, and that all that power will just peter down to the body. As if, by sheer force, our intellects will penetrate even the lowest parts of our being. The Rambam says not like that: For as long as the tefillin are found on a man’s head and arm, he is humble and God-fearing. The entire person, including his body, enters the world of Malchus Shomayim directly. The simple reality changes.

If you want to see kingship today, you will visit England or Denmark. What will you see- the guards at Buckingham palace. They stand motionless. Why is that? They stand motionless because the body is the place where malchus exists. Not what the guards think or feel- their bodies. Malchus relates to the body directly. 

Reciting the Shema with an awareness of the body

We can work on this during Krias Shema. Shema does not have to be a completely intellectual endeavor; as we have explained, the body is a part of קבלת עול מלכות שמים. You were able to tell when the Mashgiach zt”l was saying Shema from the way he sat. Try to say Shema sitting up, without moving at all. You’ll find that all of a sudden, a muscle will start to twitch, or your leg will itch- in the first pasuk! You are connecting your simple being to Malchus Shomayim and your body is resisting.

קדושת הגוף as a connection to all mitzvos

The GR”A said that the gematria of ברית is תרי”ב; with the mitzvah of bris milah it’s תרי”ג.  That means that the bris milah connects us to all תרי”ג mitzvos. Bris milah is the mitzvah of קדושת הגוף. In other words, קדושת הגוף enables us to connect to all the mitzvos. Our entire relationship to Torah is through the body. The body cannot be במהומה, in a rush, as the Ramban says. We need the body to be calm, solid, accepting of Malchus Shomayim.

Through this work, your simple life is connected to Malchus Hashem, and your body is in the control of its Creator. This is the back drop for every mitzvah. 

Even the simplest קבלה has meaning

This helps us to do Teshuva, because even the simplest commitment has the potential of a deep and intimate connection. Through the plain, simple, daily action, the body is playing its role in קבלת מלכות שמים. It belongs to Hashem. If you commit to wearing your tefillin through Aleinu, you are not simply improving. You’re busy and you want to run out, but your body is calm and heavy. There is an inner feeling that your body also has to be a part of Malchus Shomayim. Through working with the body, your simple life has also been influenced by Hashem. 

This Teshuva will influence us. When our simple existence is also a part of our Avodah, we’ll find things to be more natural and comfortable. This is a sensible preparation for Rosh Hashana through a simple action.