There are many passages in the Torah that hint to the month of Elul. The Arizal cites the verse, "V'ha'elokim eena l'yado v'samti lecha makom." Hashem arranged it should happen and gave you a place to run to safety. This is a reference to the cities of refuge, which sheltered unintentional murderers from avenging relatives. The first letters of the four words of this verse spell Elul. What is the connection between the arei miklot and Elul?

Parshat Shoftim usually ushers in Elul. The end of the parsha discusses the laws of egla arufa. What is the link between egla arufa and Elul?

Rav Brizel expounds the Gemara in Ketuvot. Rav Ami taught, one can keep a book of scriptures with errors only up to 30 days because it says, 'Let not injustice dwell in your tent.' There is a danger that a person may pick up the book and learn something incorrect. Similarly, the Mishna in Eilu Metziot says that if you find a scroll you must make sure to read it at least once in 30 days so that it doesn't deteriorate.

The Tiferet Shlomo says these halachot relate to all of us. In Bereishit the Torah says, "This is the book of the chronicles of man on the day Hashem made man, in the image of Hashem He made him." We are all writing the book of our lives. Even more than we must check a book for errors, we must make sure the book of our lives is in proper order. If a person engages in introspection and teshuva he will receive the siyata dshmaya to avert evil decrees.

The Zohar states every new day is like a blank sheet of parchment and whatever we do is inscribed on it. When small segments of time end we are given the chance to rewrite our transcript before it becomes permanent. Each night, every Erev Shabbat and Erev Rosh Chodesh, are periods of soul searching. We are given the opportunity to deal with small chapters at a time rather than a large book at the end.

The Meshech Chochma in Netzavim writes that by nature we are born holy with straight middot. As we grow, negative habits set in. Ben Azai said, "Zeh sefer toldot adam." Intrinsically everyone is connected to their sacred point of origin. With this realization we have to introspect, pinpoint the places where we've gone off course, and get back on track. The 40 days beginning in Elul and ending with Yom Kippur parallel the creation of a fetus. We have the potential to return to our point of origin, to who we can and should be.

When the Torah mentions the topic of egla arufah it refers to the dead person as a chalal, a vacuum, someone whose soul has been emptied out of its body. This depicts ourselves when we are empty and not living up to what we should be. Doing a soul accounting does not just mean looking at where we went wrong but getting to the root of evil. It's inspecting our toldot, our point of beginning and where in life we tripped off. Then we can proceed to correct it.

The Torah says that when Yaakov saw the wagons Yosef sent his spirits were revived. The Midrash says the word for wagon (agala) is similar to egla, a calf. The last section Yaakov learned with Yosef was egla arufah. Yaakov realized that Yosef was living the lesson he had taught him. He was busy introspecting, improving, and utilizing opportunities and that meant he was still alive. When a person can see what he did wrong and what opportunities he missed, he can utilize his awareness to prompt himself towards further growth.

Rav Wolbe says Elul is a time of reflection. We should take an hour a week to really think about ourselves. Elul is about entering into a city of refuge. It is time to gain the right perspective. We must see the emptiness in our lives and think how we can fill it and create opportunities for growth.

Rav Wolfson teaches that the way we prepare for Shabbat affects our experience of Shabbat. The way we prepare for Elul affects the year.

May it be an Elul filled with spiritual growth, ascension, and fulfillment in avodat Hashem. May the year that follows be the same.

  The mitzvah of bitachon is about living with clarity. We must recognize that external reality means nothing and that all that occurs has one source, Hashem. The Gemara teaches that a good deed creates a good angel (malach) and bad deeds create bad angels. A malach means a messenger. What you send up draws down a reaction. We see this with Sarah, who was captured by Paro. She prayed and Hashem punished Paro. The words of her prayer brought down an angelic force that caused a plague in his house.

Prayer has two focuses. It changes the person by making him more reliant on Hashem so he can receive what Hashem wants to give. On a second level it influences the sort of force that is sent down in response. If a person prays and doesn't get what he wants he must still believe that whatever Hashem does is good. Bitachon doesn't mean you will get what you are asking for. Who says anyone of us has enough merit to draw down that force? Rather, true faith is a very high level of clarity where we never attribute an event to anything other than Hashem.

The Gemara says that from the time of the destruction of the beit hamikdash there are no more men of faith. Rashi says men of faith are those who trust in Hashem and rely on him that he will do only good. If we know that what we are doing is right we can trust Hashem to help us accomplish what we have to.

The Torah says, "A person whose heart is rooted in bitachon has no need to fear evil." There's another verse which says, "His heart is secure in his bitachon, therefore he won't hear bad news." Why the repetition? The Rashba explains that the first verse means that because the person has bitachon, Hashem will only do good and give him what he needs in order to serve Him. The second verse says that the baal bitachon will not call anything evil. Everything stems from Hashem and it is all good.

There are really two ways in which trust in Hashem can develop within a person. The first view is that you don't have to have what you want. You have to deal with what you have and let it elevate you. The second view is that what you have on the deepest level is what you want.

The Dvei Rabbah relates two stories.

There was a student who was walking after Rabbe Yishmael ben Rabbe Yosi in the market of Tzion. Rabbe Yishmael saw that he looked frightened and he told him, "You have sinned."

Rabbe Yehuda bar Natan was following Rav Hamnuna and Rabbe Yehuda sighed. Rav Hamnuna then said "That person wants travail brought upon himself." A sigh connotes a sign of fear which can cause suffering.

In the first story, the student who fears is called a sinner. This is the second way of trusting. If one thinks that what he is seeing isn't good he is off course because everything comes from Hashem and it is exactly what the person needs. The second story strengthens the first idea. Sighing shows a lack of trust and changes the level of a person's merit, which brings suffering.

Even if a person is in a hopeless situation, he is still obligated to put his trust in Hashem. The Almighty is beyond nature. Anything is possible for someone who in spite of everything trusts Hashem. Even if the person's general spiritual level hasn't changed, if he is aligned with Hashem, that alone causes change. In Shemot Rabbah it says that the Jews' faith alone was enough to cause the sea to split. Their trust brought down blessing fromabove. The Gra says Mashiach will come in the merit of faith, not in the merit of existent deeds.

If you're making choices for your own fulfillment you're only trusting yourself. But if you are doing your hishtadlut in order to draw down effects that will change things so that you are more able to do Hashem's will, Hashem will help you.

Bitachon isn't listed in Orchot Tzaddikim under the chapter of trust but under the category of simcha. Simcha is the source of all bitachon. The more you yearn for something, the greater the happiness when it is fulfilled. A person who is a true giver doesn't give in order to boost his self-esteem or to feel successful. He gives out of a sense of simcha and gratitude to Hashem so that his kindness overflows to others. The yearning for good doesn't come from lack but from attachment to Hashem.

The world is an expression of Hashem's chesed. He gave us some of His ability to be whole, to overflow, to have simcha. Simcha shel mitzvah is delighting in doing a mitzvah. There's joy in overcoming evil, in the feeling of giving Hashem your desires, your arrogance, and your urge to do evil, because all you really want is closeness to Him. This is true bitachon.

If suffering launches a person on the path of growth and learning then it can be a source of simcha too. This is why it says in Shulchan Aruch that a person must bless Hashem for the bad things with a willing soul and with a feeling of wholeness in the same way he does for good things. Every event, both good and bad, can take us towards the same goal - closeness to Hashem.

While Sefardim begin saying Selichot on Rosh Chodesh Elul, Ashkenazim begin on the motzai Shabbat before Rosh Hashana. This is related to the law requiring a sacrifice to be inspected for flaws four days before it is brought on the altar. Selichot is said at night, based on the verse, "Kumi roni ba'layla." Ashkenazim recite Selichot after midnight, while Sefardim generally begin before dawn. Selichot are not said in the earlier part of the night because it is a time of judgment. We approach Hashem as paupers and through the emotional language attempt to evoke Hashem's mercy.

The Gemara teaches that after cheit ha'egel, Hashem wrapped Himself in a tallit like a shaliach tzibbur (prayer leader) and showed Moshe the order of prayer of the thirteen attributes of mercy. He assured him that if the Jews would sin and then recite this prayer they would be granted a reprieve.

In many ways Selichot are akin to Shemone Esrei. Selichot are recited with a shaliach tzibbur, he performs ituf, and there is a buildup of the order of the tefilah. Many tzaddikim would stand throughout the prayer.

Shemone Esrei is divided in three segments: shevach (praise), hodaah (thanks), bakasha (request). Similarly, Selichot begin with Ashrei, the epitome of shevach. We include hodaah by mentioning elements of Hashem's holiness and how His strength is hidden in the foundation of creation. The element of bakasha comprises the bulk of the Selichot as we plead for mercy. With a sense of shame, we approach the Almighty as beggars full of remorse and we plead for mercy. We conclude with tachanun and kaddish just as we do after Shemone Esrei.

The Selichot are a special gift from Hashem, a wake-up call to repent, an opportunity to invoke the yud gimmel middot, and to beseech our merciful Creator that all our prayers be answered for a blessed new year.