This column is not designed for Mussar, but as HaRav Yisroel Salanter said, it is worthwhile for a speaker to address words of chizuk and arousement before a mass audience even if only one person is affected by them — and even if it is only the speaker himself!
Thus it is worthwhile to mention that the month of Elul does not only pertain to the yeshiva world, as might be the misguided impression, but that each and every one should be aware of its import.
We have lived through a most difficult year and the future is very obscure, both for the community at large and for the individual. Our hearts are aware of our individual situation and challenges. But regarding the public, we who live in Eretz Yisroel are faced with terrible dangers, both material and spiritual. Our enemies threaten us from the north, south and east, and we are desperate for Heavenly mercy. We must stand in face of those who seek to harm the souls of our People.
Concurrently, we see the Torah world flourishing and growing, a situation which is like a thorn in the eyes of our persecutors who seek to thwart us in every way possible. Torah-true Jewry stands in defiance against the entire material world which disregards and denies spiritual values, and tries to stymie us through propaganda and strike against everything sacred.
The Great and Awesome Days of Judgment will be upon us in less than four weeks, when we will stand in judgment before the Creator. The Sages of all generations say that without the preparation of Elul, be it much or little, one cannot properly stand in judgment.
It is likened to one standing on trial before an earthly court. The prosecution is prepared by a crafty lawyer with detailed documents of indictment. If the defendant appears before the court serene and blithe, having not made any preparation for his defense, the chance is negligible that he be acquitted.
We must keep this in mind — notwithstanding all of our appreciation and esteem from the superior Torah world filling the yeshiva and kollel halls of study with the aspiring spirit of Elul — that Elul belongs to the general Torah public as well. As the Mashgiach noted: how grave is the danger for a person to be drawn to what his eyes see, especially in these days when the streets are filled with apostasy and vulgarity, that he may very well lose the impact of Elul altogether and have this opportunity wash over him without making a dent.
Therefore, it is imperative to be constantly reminded: Elul is not only the heritage of the yeshiva world but is the opportunity for each and every one of us to utilize these propitious days to be fortified and elevated in spirituality so that we arrive at the Day of Judgment properly prepared, and merit being written and sealed in the Books of Tzaddikim.
