Elul: mutual love through bittul

לחודש אלול רמזו הקדמונים ר"ת אני לדודי ודודי לי.

For the month of Elul the early ones hinted that its letters [Aleph-Lamed-Vav-Lamed] are the initials of "Ani l'dodi v'dodi li" — "I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine" (Shir HaShirim 6:3).

The classic allusion: the name Elul spells out the verse of mutual love between Bnei Yisrael and Hashem, setting the theme of the month.

ומו"ז ז"ל אמר רמז על הפסוק לו אנחנו שיש קרי וכתיב.

And my grandfather, of blessed memory, said a further hint on the verse "lo anachnu" — "we are His" (Tehillim 100:3), where there is a kri and a ksiv.

The Chiddushei HaRim noted the well-known textual variant in this verse: it is written one way ("lo" with an aleph, "and not") but read another ("lo" with a vav, "His").

לו בו' ולא באלוף.

"Lo" with a vav, and not with an aleph.

The accepted reading is "lo" (His) spelled with a vav — "we are His" — rather than the written "lo" (not) with an aleph.

ואמר שכפי מה שיש ביטול זה באדם לא אנחנו.

And he said that to the degree a person has this bittul — "we are not" —

The ksiv "lo" (not) teaches the bittul: a person nullifies his own self-importance and recognizes "we are nothing on our own."

אז לו אנחנו כו'.

then "we are His," etc.

Precisely through that self-nullification one merits the kri — "we are His," wholly belonging to Hashem. The two readings are two stages of one avodah.

וביאור הענין שבנ"י צריכין להיות מוכנים בלתי לה' לבדו כדכ' עם זו יצרתי לי.

The explanation of the matter is that Bnei Yisrael must be prepared "for Hashem alone, for none else," as it is written "this people I formed for Myself" (Yeshayahu 43:21).

Bnei Yisrael were created for one purpose — to be entirely for Hashem and nothing besides.

וזה אני לדודי שיודעין שאין לנו צורך בעולם רק לעשות רצונו ית' ולהרבות כבודו בעולם.

And this is "I am my Beloved's" — that we know we have no need in the world except to do His blessed Ratzon and to increase His honor in the world.

"Ani l'dodi" is our first move: recognizing that our entire purpose is ratzon Hashem and spreading His glory, with no independent agenda of our own.

וכפי מה שמבורר כן אצלינו כן מתברר למעלה דודי לי שכל בריאות העולם והתגלות כל מיני הארות שנמצא מאתו ית' בעולם הכל רק בעבורינו.

And to the degree this is clarified within us, so it becomes clarified Above — "my Beloved is mine" — that all the creation of the world and the revelation of every kind of radiance that comes from Him into the world is all only for our sake.

Our half of the relationship triggers Hashem's. When we make ourselves wholly His, it becomes manifest from Above that the entire creation and all the divine light in the world exist only for Bnei Yisrael.

וכ' את ה' האמרת וה' האמירך.

And it is written, "You have proclaimed Hashem, and Hashem has proclaimed you" (Devarim 26:17-18).

The Torah expresses this mutual relationship: our declaration of Hashem and His declaration of us.

פירש"י לשון תפארת וחשיבות.

Rashi explains [the word "he'emarta"] as an expression of glory and esteem.

Rashi renders the rare verb as "singling out for distinction" — each party makes the other its sole object of pride.

שבנ"י אין להם דבר חשוב בעולם רק לעשות רצונו ית' וכמו כן כביכול אין לפניו ית' דבר חביב מכל הברואים כמו חביבות בנ"י כדכ' ובך בחר ה' כו' לעם סגולה כו'.

That Bnei Yisrael have nothing of value in the world except to do His blessed Ratzon — and likewise, as it were, there is nothing before Him more beloved among all creatures than the belovedness of Bnei Yisrael, as it is written "and you Hashem has chosen... to be a treasured people" (Devarim 14:2).

The esteem is reciprocal: just as we hold nothing precious but doing His will, so Hashem, kviyachol, holds nothing among all His creatures as dear as Bnei Yisrael, His am segulah.

והנה בר"ה מתחדש הבריאה וצריכין בנ"י מקודם להכין עצמם אליו ית' דכ' עיני ה"א בה מראשית השנה כו'.

Now on Rosh Hashanah the creation is renewed, and Bnei Yisrael must first prepare themselves toward Him, as it is written "the eyes of Hashem your God are upon it from the beginning of the year" (Devarim 11:12).

Rosh Hashanah is the world's renewal, and it requires advance preparation — which is the role of Elul, leading up to "the beginning of the year."

מכלל שדרשו חז"ל מראשית השנה על תשרי א"כ אחרית שנה הוא אלול.

Since Chazal expounded "from the beginning of the year" as referring to Tishrei, it follows that the "end of the year" is Elul.

If Tishrei is the year's beginning, then Elul, the month just before it, is its very end — and the verse's continuation "until the end of the year" points to Elul.

ויתכן לומר כי אחרית הוא הסוף והתכלית שגלוי לפניו ית' שבנ"י שבים אליו ית"ש בסוף השנה.

And it can be said that "acharis" means both the end and the ultimate purpose — that it is revealed before Him that Bnei Yisrael return to Him, may His Name be blessed, at the end of the year.

The word acharis carries a double sense: not only chronological "end" but tachlis, the goal. The whole year's purpose is the teshuvah that comes at its close, in Elul.

ובאמן זמן התעוררות התשובה בסוף השנה שהוא תכלית הנרצה מכל מעשי השנה.

And indeed the time of the awakening of teshuvah at the end of the year is the desired purpose of all the deeds of the year.

The arousal to teshuvah in Elul is what the entire year was meant to produce — its true tachlis.

וכשרואין שאין לנו מאומה שבים לפניו ית' על חסרון המעשים טובים ומבררין שבראנו רק לכבודו ומשתוקקין לגמור מכח אל הפועל לברר כבוד מלכותו ית' בעולם.

And when we see that we have nothing of our own, we return before Him over our lack of good deeds, and we clarify that He created us only for His honor, and we yearn to bring [our purpose] from potential into actuality — to make clear the honor of His kingship in the world.

The teshuvah of Elul flows from the bittul of "lo anachnu": seeing our own emptiness, we return to Hashem, recognize we exist only for His glory, and long to actualize that mission of revealing His malchus.

וממילא בא התחדשות של ר"ה רק לבנ"י בחי' ודודי לי כנ"ל:

And automatically the renewal of Rosh Hashanah comes only for Bnei Yisrael — the aspect of "my Beloved is mine," as above.

Once we have made ourselves wholly His ("ani l'dodi"), the renewal of creation on Rosh Hashanah comes for our sake ("v'dodi li") — the mutual love spelled out in the name Elul.

Summary: The name Elul spells "I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine." Through the bittul of "we are not [our own]" — recognizing we have no purpose but to do Hashem's will and reveal His glory — Bnei Yisrael become wholly His ("ani l'dodi"), and in turn it is revealed Above that all creation exists only for their sake ("v'dodi li"). Elul is the "end" and the tachlis of the year: its awakening of teshuvah is the very goal of all the year's deeds, and it prepares Bnei Yisrael for the renewal of Rosh Hashanah.