CHAI ELUL - Warmth....

Rabbi Nechemia of Dubrovna (1788-1852) once witnessed a Russian soldier being disciplined by his commander. The soldier's crime? While standing watch on a freezing winter night, his feet froze in their boots. "Had you remembered the oath you took to serve our Czar," his officer berated him, "the memory would have kept you warm."

"For 25 years," said Reb Nechemia, "this incident inspired my service of G-d"

Something that is alive is warm, it is vibrant. Coldness, apathy are symptoms of deadness. Life, can only come from within: when we know why we are doing something and are excited about what it will achieve, our every act and gesture throbs with vitality; when that knowledge and excitement are lacking, our actions will be dead and sluggish.

Three centuries ago, Jewish life was in a lethargic slump. Technically, Judaism was alive but the spark of life grew cold.

Then, on the 18th day of the Hebrew month of Elul of the year 1698), Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov was born. The baal Shem tov breathed life into Judaism, he added warmth and joy. He spoke of the immense love that G-d has for every Jew, of the cosmic significance of every mitzvah a Jew performs, of the divine meaningfulness that resides in every blade of grass, in every event, and in every thought in the universe. He spoke to the downtrodden masses and to the aloof scholars. He gave meaning to their existence, and thus joy, and thus life.

Elul 18 is also the birthday of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of the "Chabad" branch of Chassidism. His teachings and works carried the Baal Shem Tov's vitalization of Judaism to greater heights.

This coming Shabbat is the 18th of Elul -18 is chai in hebrew, meaning life, so the 18th of Elul infuses life into the month of Elul, and via Elul into the entire year and life of the Jew."