Elul in the Alps

As the full glow of the moon of Av wanes, it reappears new and just barely there: Elul.

And so this week begins the journey of our inner work of the 40 Days of Awe that commenced one week ago, with this new moon is upon us.

Now is our time to reconnect with G-d and the relationships in our lives. To take stock and examine, reflect and repair.

On this daily journey of growth and healing, of intense spiritual focus and reflections, we are accompanied by Psalm 27, “L’David Hashem ori ve-yishi . . . ”

We begin by very intimately evoking a divine light upon us. A light that shines on us who we truly are now. We stand at this time in this full light, flawed, imperfect . . . who we truly are. A light that illuminates our honest selves.

Only if we really take an honest look at ourselves — out in the light — can we really know how and where to change and grow.

So, the Talmud in tractate Shabbat teaches us that after our lives here on this earth, on the day we are entered into judgment before our Creator, we will be faced with  six questions about the lives we led here.

These questions can be a model for the self-reflection we try to engage in during the Days of Awe, when we strive to live up to the purest we can be.

One: “Nasatah v’natatah be’emunah?” Did you deal with people faithfully? Are we handling your transactions ethically and scrupulously?

Two: “Kavata itim l’Torah?” Did you set aside a fixed time for Torah study? Are we incorporating Torah study as an organic part of your life?

Three: “Asakta b’firiah v’rivyah?”  Did you engage in procreation? Are we leading fruitful lives?

Four: “Hatzipitah li’shua?” Did you anticipate salvation, did you wait for the redemption? Do we keep that torch of hope and longing burning — even when the embers seem ever so faint?

Five: “Pilpalth b’chochmah?” Were your arguments for the sake of Heaven? Are we honest in what motivates our discourse?

Six: “Ha-hevanta davar mitoch davar?” Did you seek to look past the surface of things, to try and understand the true meaning of things? Are we finding and reaping the deeper meaning of life?

I personally met the new moon and month of Elul in the Alps of Switzerland.

So to add one more question to the list from the Talmud . . .  a little story first.

At the end of his life, the famed Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch asked his students to accompany him on a trip to see the Swiss Alps.

His students were perplexed. Why would their frail rabbi and mentor go on a trek like that at a time like this?

His apocryphal reply was:

“When I come before the Alm-ghty, I will have to answer for many things. I will surely be able to say I studied his Torah and observed his mitzvot.

“But what will I tell him when he asks me with pride: Samson, did you see my Alps?”

So here is one more questions we can all carry along this Elul, too. Are we open to seeing G-d’s creations all around us? Be they as majestic as the Alps or as humble as anything else we are touched by G-d’s fingerprint everywhere.

May it be a meaningful journey from here to Yom Hakippurim . . . chodesh tov and Shabbat Shalom.