Where can I get a break?

The 2000 Bush-Gore election season was the first presidential election in which I could vote. Eager to exercise my newfound rights, I began discussing politics at my parents’ Shabbat dinner table with the late Paul Katz, OBM.

In a gentle yet direct manner, Paul shared something that has stayed with me through six election cycles and continues to shape my understanding of my role:

“Chabad and Shabbat are my places of refuge, like an oasis. They are spaces where I can tap into something higher, deeper, and more meaningful. Here and now, I am above the political discourse”.

In these turbulent times, who among us isn’t searching for a place of refuge—a place of deeper meaning, greater purpose, and higher living?

We are weary from negative campaigning and drained by an endless stream of bad news. As we prepare to usher in a new year, how can we truly turn over a new leaf and offer ourselves a fresh start?

The Kabbalists¹ teach us that the month of Elul serves as a sanctuary, a place of refuge where we can escape the consequences of the mistakes and missteps of the past year. It is an asylum for anyone willing to “flee” there. As long as we are prepared to turn away from our mistaken ideas and unworthy habits, Elul is there to embrace us.

We have the power to break the cycle. Last month does not have to dictate this one, and just because this past year was draining doesn’t mean the next one must follow suit.

Can we change the news? Probably not. Will we influence the style of election campaigns? Unlikely.

But we can transform the spaces in which we live and operate. We can fill them with intention, meaning, and purpose.

In a landmark talk² , the Rebbe wrote:

“This is what every Jew should know and impart to their friends:

[Regarding the month of Elul] The Almighty declares to us Jews:

‘I give you 29 or 30 days to escape”

The 29 days of Elul offer an isle in time, a sanctum for introspection and self-assessment, for atonement and rehabilitation.

Friends – Run towards Elul!

Have we ever needed this refuge as much as we do today?

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The Meaningful Life Center has an incredibly meaningful Elul guide online at https://www.meaningfullife.com/60-day-journey/.

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¹ The Arizal expounds on how Elul is an acronym for אנא לידו ושמתי לך the section in the Torah which deals with the city of refuge. (Pri Etz Chaim, Shaar Rosh Hashanah Ch.1)

² Likkutei Sichot volume 2 p. 623-626. An English rendition is available at https://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template_cdo/aid/56887/jewish/A-Haven-in-Time.htm. Thank you Rabbi Avrohom Dyce of Chabad of Gresham for calling my attention to the timeliness of this talk.