If we want to understand the distinctiveness of this zman of Chodesh Elul, the specific avoda of Chodesh Elul, so we have to look to the Minhagei Yisrael which have been adopted and which are practiced in Elul. The two dominant and therefore defining minhagim: the minhag of Bnei Sefarad to say Selichos throughout Chodesh Elul and the minhag of Bnei Ashkenaz to blow shofar throughout Chodesh Elul. And even though on the practical level each community practices its own minhag, but in terms of understanding the character, the distinctiveness, the avoda of Chodesh Elul, מר חדא ומר חדא ולא פליגי. They should be seen as complementary, as supplementary. Let's begin with the minhag of shofar. Reading from the Tur, it's already of course in the Rishonim, but reading from the Tur. תניא בפרקי דרבי אליעזר בראש חודש אלול אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא למשה עלה אלי ההרה שאז עלה לקבל לוחות האחרונות והעבירו שופר במחנה.
And on Rosh Chodesh Elul of that year, they sounded the shofar throughout Machane Yisrael. משה עלה להר שלא יטעו עוד אחר עבודת גילולים. והקדוש ברוך הוא נתעלה באותו שופר,
k'viyachol, Hakadosh Baruch Hu was elevated by that tekias shofar, שנאמר עלה אלוקים בתרועה. Lachen hiskinu Chazal — interesting, the Tur refers to it as a takana — Lachen hiskinu Chazal שיהיו תוקעין בראש חודש אלול בכל שנה ושנה וכל החודש כדי להזהיר ישראל שיעשו תשובה.
So shofar in Chodesh Elul is a call to teshuva. שנאמר אם יתקע שופר בעיר, I think the next phrase is the Navi says bitmiya, v'ha'am lo yecheradu? Is it conceivable that the shofar will be blown and people won't tremble? Shofar, the Tur explains, is something which instills fear. You know, truth be told, sort of sometimes the way we observe the minhag of shofar in Chodesh Elul, I don't know, it's kind of superficial, sort of an extra 15 seconds at the end of davening if we're still around at that point. And okay, okay, so it doesn't seem so substantive. But the Tur says, the Tur explains, quoting the Pirkei D'Rabbi Eliezer, when we're properly sensitized, kol shofar instills fear. כדי להזהיר ישראל שיעשו תשובה שנאמר אם יתקע שופר בעיר והעם לא יחרדו.
What is it about shofar that elicits a reaction of charada, a reaction of fear and trembling? Clearly, it's not just the fact that the noise can be loud and overwhelming. There are lots of ways of producing loud and scary noises. Clearly, there's something meyuchad to shofar. And the answer is that shofar is machrid, instills fear and trembling, because of its association with din. Shofar's associated with din. When a person is reminded of din, of having to give din vecheshbon, it taka instills fear. Who can be so complacent as to not be shaken by a reminder of din? And lechora the pshat in the reminder of din, the association of din of shofar, is not only the impending din of Rosh Hashanah. The shofar of Chodesh Elul also, and yitachein primarily, is a reminder that a person should be concerned with din perennially, not only on Rosh Hashanah. The Rambam in Sefer HaMitzvos defines the mitzvah of Yiras Hashem, that mitzvas asei לירא מביאת עונשו בכל עת. That at all times, a person should have a sense of yiras ha-onesh. And the bechol eis is not only modifying the liera, but it's also modifying the beias onsho. That bechol eis, a person should have yira because bechol eis, a person could be susceptible, vulnerable to an onesh. The implementation of din, the eima of the implementation of din, is something which is relevant every day. It doesn't have to be Rosh Hashanah. A person hears the kol shofar והעם לא יחרדו בתמיה. In Chodesh Elul, a person is supposed to have an intensified eimas hadin, an intensified yiras ha-onesh, which should galvanize him to teshuvah. Din is relevant on any day, not only Rosh Hashanah, not only Yom HaKippurim. Based on another Chazal, the Rambam quotes in Perek Zayin of Hilchos Teshuvah: לעולם יראה אדם את עצמו כאילו הוא נוטה למות. The Gemara in Shabbos: ושמא ימות בשעה ונמצא עומד בחטאו לפיכך ישוב מחטאו מיד.
From this vantage point as well, every day is a potential and prospective Yom Hadin. If we successfully hear and decipher the kol shofar of Chodesh Elul, the minhag is something very substantive. להזהיר את העם לעשות תשובה because of an intensified awareness of an eimah of Yom Hadin, and not only the Yom Hadin which is still four weeks distant, but a Yom Hadin that could be any day. The second minhag, which reflects and therefore helps us understand the character of Chodesh Elul, is the one which has been adopted by bnei Sefarad, as the Tur records, as the Mechaber records, of saying Selichos. So the Mishna Berura presents it as follows: Uma shenahagu me-Rosh Chodesh to say Selichos, שאז עלה משה בהר סיני לקבל לוחות אחרונות והעבירו שופר במחנה משה עלה להר שלא יטעו עוד אחר עבודה זרה
vehavei eis ratzon. Selichos, to be marbeh b'tefillah, is because Chodesh Elul is an eis ratzon. ואני תפילתי לך השם עת רצון. When we're aware that a time is an eis ratzon, it's a time for ribbuy tefillah. Ve'ikar asmachta mikan, אני לדודי ודודי לי. When there's a special time of kirvas Elokim, when there's eis ratzon, it's a time for tefillah. Kir'uhu behiyaso karov, literally that phrase is said of Aseres Yemei Teshuva, but in a different sense and on a different level, Chodesh Elul is a tekufa of אני לדודי ודודי לי, it's an eis ratzon. So a proper understanding and the proper experience of Chodesh Elul, hein livnei Ashkenaz, hein livnei Sefarad, requires that we appreciate both minhagim. Everyone should practice the minhag that's been transmitted to them, but regardless of which minhag befo'al a person observes, we need to be aware of and understand both minhagim, because only taken together do we have a sense of what Chodesh Elul is. On the one hand, it's a time of increased and intensified awareness of an eimas hadin, but simultaneously, there's tremendous reservoir of strength and hope from the fact that Chodesh Elul is an eis ratzon, and that's why it's a zman for Selichos. That it's a time of אני לדודי ודודי לי. These two have to be kept together. The Kol Shofar which is macharid, which is mazil to teshuva can be overwhelming without the awareness of eis ratzon. The eis ratzon can't be fully appreciated, can't be taken full advantage of without hearing the Kol Shofar as well. We have the capacity in a real yet healthy way to experience the intensified awareness of din and eimas hadin because it's balanced by the awareness that it's simultaneously an eis ratzon of אני לדודי ודודי לי. In general, this is the balance of Chodesh Elul is typical of a balance that characterizes avodas Hashem. The Rambam writes in Perek Bais of Yesodei HaTorah that האל הנכבד והנורא הזה מצוה לאהבו וליראה ממנו שנאמר ואהבת את ה' אלהיך ונאמר את ה' אלהיך תירא.
I'm not sure if there's another example in Mishneh Torah where the Rambam introduces two mitzvos simultaneously in the same breath. Beneshima achas, the Rambam has mitzvas ahava and mitzvas yira. What prompts that? It's Halacha Bais: והיאך היא הדרך לאהבתו ויראתו? בשעה שיתבונן האדם במעשיו וברואיו הנפלאים הגדולים ויראה מהן חכמתו שאין לה ערך ולא קץ.
A person reflects on the wondrous handiwork and creations of Hakadosh Baruch Hu and sees the inestimable infinite chochma. מיד הוא אוהב ומשבח ומפאר ומתאוה תאוה גדולה לידע השם הגדול.
Skipping one sentence. וכשמחשב בדברים האלו עצמן מיד הוא נרתע לאחוריו ויירא ויפחד.
The Rambam says this idea of coupling mitzvas ahava and mitzvas yira is not my chiddush. Look into the world. That's why the Ribbono Shel Olam created the world. The Ribbono Shel Olam created the world that the same hisbonenus, the same reflection inspires both ahava and yira. וכשמחשב בדברים האלו עצמן, the same hisbonenus which provides an impetus for ahava, וכשמחשב בדברים האלו עצמן, the very same hisbonenus provides an impetus for yira. One aspect of this, the One aspect of this, a yira which isn't balanced by ahava, a genuine yira which isn't balanced by ahava, the simcha which ahava generates is is too much to handle, is overwhelming. And ahava which isn't combined with yira is a distortion and there's something inauthentic about it. Simcha and yira, opportunity and responsibility, lehazir t'shuva but in an eis ratzon. That that balance is is crucial and defines not only Chodesh Elul in its singularity but characterizes avodas Hashem in general. A person needs to always be balancing and making sure that he's working and progressing simultaneously on two tracks. As a person intensifies his yira, tries to intensify his yira b'ezras Hashem, he also needs to be intensifying his simcha. As a person looks to intensify his experience of simcha, he has to be intensifying his experience of yira. When a person senses the almost overwhelming sense of yira, he has to be buoyed, he has to be uplifted, and he has to be energized by a sense of ahava. It's difficult to exaggerate the centrality and importance of of this balance. It would be very difficult to to exaggerate it. It's necessary for one's religious health. It's necessary for authenticity. Yira without simcha is is very unhealthy. It's very unhealthy. A simcha without yira is is not authentic. Hakadosh Baruch Hu is agadol hagibor vehanora. Gadol is midas tuvcha but Hakadosh Baruch Hu is also nora. So whether we hear shofar throughout Chodesh Elul or whether we say Selichos throughout Chodesh Elul, the minhagim are are complementary. The eis ratzon of Chodesh Elul allows us, gives us the capacity to have to hear the kol shofar with its frightening overtones. And when we're aware of both sides and have that balance, so then bsiyata d'shmaya we can try to take advantage of the extraordinary opportunity that Chodesh Elul presents.