THIRTEEN

Dear Family,

Hope everyone is well.

Mazal Tov to Talya on her upcoming birthday next week. Wishing you a successful year Talya!

Mazal Tov to Menachem Mendel Levy who also has a birthday next week. I seem to remember you were born just before candle lighting on a Friday. Happy birthday.

Mazal Tov to Shmuly, having been selected for the Shul Committee here.

Mazal Tov to Zalmy with his new fancy car and his good Grades from exams

In the month of Elul, and all the way through to Hoshana Rabba, we say an extra Psalm at Shacharis and Mincha 'LeDavid Hashem ori veyishi mimi iyrah, Hashem maoz chayay mimi efchad' - Psalm 27 - this is the first verse.

The Rebbe says the following about this verse in a sicha from Book 9 Likutei sichos:

Rashi asks, why does this first verse of the Psalm repeat the word Hashem twice?

And he answers that this refers to the twice mentioning of the name of Hashem in the Posuk known as the THIRTEEN ATTRIBUTES OF MERCY (Hashem Hashem Keil rachum vechanun...' (very much linked to Rosh Hashana etc)

Isn't it also interesting that Hashems name is mentioned THIRTEEN times in Psalm 27!!

The Rebbe explains how the 2 mentionings of Hashems name in the first verse relate to how a person feels before doing a sin and after, and also how it relates to the month of Elul

Both mentionings of Hashem refer to a closeness to Hashem, and in Elul it is a time of closeness, where we think about Hashem and how the past year has been, and see how we can improve in preparation to Rosh Hashana.

Before a sin:

The yetzer hara (evil inclination) comes along and either tells us that this sin we are about to do, is a mitzvah, or we just do not have the strength to resist the powerful temptation.

Therefore we need the help here to know and understand the truth, to help us make the right choices. - and Hashem is there at the time trying to assist.

And we see the posuk here saying by the first Hashem - 'Hashem ori (my light) veyishi (my salvation), mimi iyra (from who should I be afraid) - the terminology used, yirah is a fear when the enemy is still far away.

After sinning:

Even after a sin it is not too late, because Hashem is still near to us

This is followed with the second mention of Hashem 'Hashem maoz (the strength) chayay (of my life), mimi efchad (of whom will I be afraid) - pachad is an intense fear of immediate danger.

Here all the terminologies used have greater intensity.

Ie in this circumstance Hashem gives us the opportunity to do Teshuva, and due to the intensity of the situation , we reach a level, not only of Mitzva observance ('you shall live by them'), but to a much higher level which is beyond Mitzvos (maoz chayay -strength of life)

Wishing everyone a Gut Shabbos and a year of closeness to Hashem with joy and strength.

Kesiva vechasima tova.