CHAI ELUL AND 9-11
BSD
SHALOM FROM YERUSHALAYIM 
This Sunday night and Monday is Chai Elul, the eighteenth day of Elul. It is the birthday of the founder of Chassidut, the Baal Shem Tov and also the birthday of his spiritual grandson the Baal Hatanya, founder of Chabad Chassidut.
Usually when a person is still in this world, we celebrate his birthday as a day when his mazal shines strongly and we acknowledge and give honor to the Tafkid he has assumed in this lifetime. When he passes on, his new birthday in his new world is celebrated. We call this the Yahrtzeit or Hilula. The fact that we still celebrate the earthly birthdays of the Holy Baal Shem and of the Alter Rebbe indicate that their work is still very much in this world and that in a certain way they didn’t leave. Their motto was and is Ha’maaseh Hu Ha’ikar calling for action and not just intention.
On their birthday into this world of Asiyah we recommit to the lesson of Asher Barah Elokim LA’ASOT. To put the ideals of the Holy Torah into the action of Mitzvot.
The previous Rebbe of Lubavich taught that Chai Elul brings new life (Chayus) into the service of Elul. More than half of Elul has passed!! Elul is when Hashem is so close. Have we accessed this closeness? The heavenly sense of humor places Elul squarely between shlepping home from summer vacation, shopping for school supplies, teachers meetings and the trauma of getting back into the yearly routine. If you are involved in Klal work, it’s getting the shul and/or school set up for Yom Tov. There are menus to plan, outfits to coordinate, and guests to juggle. We know that Elul is the time to return again to where we belong, to our Beloved. We really would like to. But who has the time?
So the holy Baal Shem and Baal Hatanya highlighted the 18th day of Elul by their appearances on this world and we pause and sigh and yearn to begin the return.
Chai Elul gives new life and new energy to the business of coming closer to Hashem and making up to Him for being too busy to pay much attention to The One Who Gives Life. More… There are twelve days from Chai Elul till Rosh Hashanah. Each day corresponds to one month, with Chai Elul corresponding to Tishrei of this past year. We can do Teshuva in these 12 days for the entire year! Sometimes its amazing to think about what happened in our lives this past year and realize that each event was the result of our efforts last Tishrei. The energy of Chai Elul is connective since it joins last Tishrei which it parallels to this Tishrei which it introduces.
Where there’s life, there’s hope! We have a day that contains the life force of the love, yearning and closeness to Hashem that hallmarks Elul and additionally breathes with the awesome power of the entire month of Tishrei. Hashem should bless us all among all of Klal Yisrael to truly live already and be reborn on Chai Elul. Read more
