Elul is the month just before Rosh Hashana this is a special month to Jews the world over. Among Sephardic Jews, Elul is a the month in which we strive to achieve the mental state necessary for Yom Kippur, we recite from the first of Elul the liturgical prayers known as “Selichot.” These prayers are recited one hour before the morning prayers.
The Midrash tells us that the term “ben adam” expresses a sense of love and endearment. The first words of this poem, why do you sleep? Are meant to stir us from our slumber in order to do the spiritual work of teshuva.
ESCAPING and SLEEPING
In the Selichot prayers we recite a series of religious poems, that inspire us to repent and return to Hashem. One poem we recite in the morning begins with the words:
ben adam mah l’cha nirdam, kum Qira btachanunim “Human being, why do you sleep? Wake up, call with supplications”.
The words, mah nirdam “why do you asleep?” are found in the book of Yona 1: 6. The famous navi was summoned by Hashem for an important mission. Yona however rejects his Divine mission and tries to flee. He escapes in a boat which is heading to modern day Rome. The account relates to us that Hashem sends a storm that threatens to destroy the ship and all aboard. The captain of the ship summons the crew to do everything possible to stable the boat including praying. Everyone is involved in the effort with the exception of Yona. The prophet had fallen asleep, deliberately, ignoring all the dangers around him.
I learned from my Rav Chacham Ovadia that Yona was in a psychological state of “denial” and depression as we can see from the text "יָרַד֙ אֶל־יַרְכְּתֵ֣י הַסְּפִינָ֔ה וַיִּשְׁכַּ֖ב וַיֵּרָדַֽם". From Yona went down, laid down, and was unconscious was he really or was he perhaps trying to ignore the urgency of the reality in front of him. In this case, the possibility of his own death and those around him. What happens next is remarkable. In the midst of all this chaos the non-Israelite Captain has stopped praying himself and begins to search for Yona. The captain finds Yona in the lowest compartment of the ship and begins yelling at him saying: “ben adam mah l’cha nirdam, kum Qira b’tachanunim “son of man! why do you sleep? Wake up, call with supplications.”
CAN I KNOW IF I AM AWAKE?
The words “Why do you sleep?” though not said by and Israelite, were chosen by our rabbis to start the Selichot in order to warn us about the risk of denial or escapism. Like Yona, many times we also choose to ignore our impending mortality and go to “sleep”. Selichot therefore is the initial lesson. It is a call to “wake up.” Elul gives us the opportunity and invite us to identify with our sleeping consciences.
The true questions are how can we realize if we are spiritually asleep or awake? What indicates the condition of our consciousness is the depth or superficiality of our deep thoughts.
I share with you 3 fundamental questions,
1. To what extent do I know and care about what Hashem wants and expects from me?
2. How solid and fluid is my relationship with Hashem?
3. Am I directing my life towards the right goals, with the right values and the right priorities?
In truth if we do NOT spend a significant part of our time thinking about these three points, our consciences are probably “asleep.”
Spiritual awakening consists in refreshing these questions in our mind.
We become spiritually “awakened” when these questions take our sleep away.
This year may we all wake up and reach the levels of love and human kindness which bring peace and comfort to the whole world and individual communities in which we live.