The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Yup, it's that time of the year again! A month filled with shofar blasts, shelichot (for Sephardim at least), and yearly review of all our sins and deeds. אלול is a very special month in the Jewish calendar. It is a month where we have the opportunity to wake up and make some changes, for the good of course. The gematria for אלול is 67, and with this we can learn more about this special month.
1. The gematria for טוב לך is also 67. These two words can be translated as "good for you". This is the essence of אלול, it is simply "good for us". We can use an example to get a better idea. When a doctor tells you that it is good for you to drink many cups of water a day, we are more inclined to drink water. So too during אלול, this month is good for us. Why? Because as mentioned above, it is an opportunity for us to wake up and take a look at ourselves. Not many religions have a time period built into their colander that gives its followers this opportunity. Not only is אלול good for us, but it seems like Judaism is good for us too! Their is a passuk in Tehillim 128:2 that says "יגיע כפיך כי תאכל אשריך וטוב לך״- "if you eat the toil of your hands, you are praiseworthy, and it is good for you." This verse implies that those who work hard are praiseworthy, and the hard work is good for you. Now take the context of this passuk and apply it to the essence of אלול. Those who work hard to change themselves during is אלול is praiseworthy, and better yet the change is good for you. Any change for the better during this month is helpful in insuring that we are granted a good upcoming year. Going deeper into this concept the Rambam's Mishna Torah (Hilchot Talmud Torah 3:11) gives us another stance on טוב לך. Quoting Tehilim it says "אשריך' בעולם הזה, 'וטוב לך' לעולם הבא שכולו טוב' ", "you are 'praiseworthy' in this wold, and it is 'good for you' in the next world which is complete good." This gives us an ever bigger incentive to change. From here we can deduce that the toil done in אלול helps us not only in this world, but in the next world as well, where the reward is far greater and quite unimaginable. 
2. Just like the gematria for אלול, the gematria for בינה is also 67. בינה translates as wisdom and understanding. אלול is a good opportunity to use one's understanding and wisdom. אלול is a person's opportunity to take stock of what he did during the year. Did he live up to attempts to change from the previous אלול? Or did he return to his normal ways once אלול, Rosh Hashanna, and Yom Kippur passed? If a person truly has wisdom and intellect he will not easily fool himself. Many times a person is willing to judge himself easily. Many times a person is willing to justify his bad behavior and sins. But one who truly has בינה will be able to look inside himself and judge himself as a man, not easily justifying his faults. Here we see the role בינה plays in the month of אלול. 
3. On a lighter note, the modern Hebrew word for bathtub also has the gematria of 67. This word is אמבטיה. One can view אלול as a "spiritual bath", and we prepare to cleanse our sins during the upcoming High Holidays.

With this new spin on the month of אלול, I hope that all of Klal Yisrael seizes the opportunity to wake up from the blasts of the Shofar this month. Shana Tova!

Hmm...What should I have for dinner?

Free will...one of the most fundamental concepts in Judaism, otherwise known as בחירה חופשי. If you weren't sure, we humans are not robots controlled by a remote. We humans have the ability to make many choices. I personally do not think I have the intellectual ability to properly convey the concept of בחירה חופשי within the realm of Judaism, and Jewish thought. However, I will attempt to do justice to it and touch upon a concept through the capacity of gematria (as always!). 

The gematria for בחירה חופשי is 629 (2+8+10+200+5 8+6+80+300+10). When I saw the same gematria for the term "רשע וטוב לו" my mind was blown. This term/phrase can be loosely translated as "an evil doer who has it good", meaning an evil person who doesn't suffer. In a more imaginary sense this can be equivalent to Eisav winning the jackpot lottery. Judaism gives many answers to why an evil person prospers in this world, while righteous people tend to suffer. One explantation to this phenomena can be see between the gematria of בחירה חופשי and רשע וטוב לו. As mentioned above, we humans have free choice. I have the choice to follow the way of the Torah, or to stray far away from it. An evil person clearly exercised his free-will to stray from the proper path (whether he is Jewish or not). You may ask; but how does this justify the good an evil person receives? The answer lies in the fact that just like a evil person chose the evil path, in essence he chose to get his reward for his few good deeds in this world. This reward is the good that frequently presents itself to evil-doers. Those who are considered "good" usually recognize that it is better to wait for their reward in the next world, which is incomprehensible compared to any reward in this world. In short, an evil person chooses to do evil, and furthermore does not value reward in the next world so he chooses to have his reward in this world. (Unfortunately I do not have the exact source for this explanation). 

R.E.S.P.E.C.T

          For some time now I've been reading and enjoying the book Run After the Right Kavod by Rabbi Moshe Don Kestenbaum. Besides for discussing how much I love the book, I'd like to zero in on what it talks about, which as its's title states- Kavod כבוד. For easier reference I"ll be referring to this word in it's transliteration form, as Kavod. In general Kavod is translated into English as "honor"or "respect". The vast information and importance of Kavod is too immense to mention all at one time, but the book makes sense of it all, and I highly recommend it. But carrying on, the gematria for Kavod is 32 (20+2+6+4). Let us see what other Hebrew words have the same gematria, and how we can link them to the concepts of honor and respect.
1. The word לב, or heart in English has a gematria of 32. One concept which I have learned from the book mentioned above, is that it is not enough to outwardly act with Kavod towards others only on the outside. It is imperative to also feel the Kavod for others from within. Where does this "within" come from? It comes from our לב- our heart! The commandment of showing other's Kavod isn't meant to be put on as an "act" so to speak. The commandment is for us to feel the Kavod towards the other person within our internal beings as well. It shouldn't be a robotic like action, rather an action filled with meaningful positive feeling. 
2. The Hebrew word for wheat in Hebrew is חיטה, which also has a gematria of 32 (some spell it without the י). What is wheat? Wheat is essentially the staple of food, which is of course needed for survival. Not only that but many Mitzvot revolve around wheat, such as Matzah, Shmittah, and Challah. In other words, wheat is important because it gives us life! So too does Kavod. Taken from the book, in the name of the Alter from Slabodka it says that if person didn't receive any Kavod he would cease to live. Kavod is a source of life for a person, and so is wheat. When we give somebody the proper Kavod that he deserves, it is as if we are feeding him and infusing him with life. And just as a side point- now it is clear why we need to give bread so much Kavod, and we are not allowed to throw it away without wrapping it up.
3. A third Hebrew word that has a gematria of 32 is יחיד, which means individual. The book I am reading shows the tremendous importance of self-respect aka self Kavod. Kavod doesn't only apply to others, but to an individual as well. We must show ourselves Kavod in order to be the best we can be. The book goes in length regarding the importance of having Kavod for oneself. According to the book, a person with this lofty trait (in good measure) will acquire confidence, happiness, and the ability to overcome one's desires, along with a plethora of other good acquisitions. Although it may not be easy, it is very worthwhile to build up one's personal Kavod as an individual. 

          From these three connections to the word Kavod, it only touches upon the importance of this character trait, and how we constantly have to work on all facets of it. Not only is Kavod a commandment but it is a driving life force for others, and on an individual level. May we all take these concepts to heart (gematria of 32!) so we can emulate our great forefathers and sages. I also highly recommend Rabbi Kestenbaum's book for anybody looking to refine the trait of Kavod.

Say Cheese

The other day out of nowhere I realized I didn't know how to say "to smile" in hebrew. So I took advantage of the internet and quickly google translated it. It came out to be that the verb "to smile" comes out to be "לחיך". At a first glance one can clearly see that the word "חי", which is hebrew for "life" can be seen in this special word. But come to think of it- what is smiling all about? I can easily write pages upon pages of the benefits of smiling, and its psychological effects. But in short, even if you are in the worst of moods, if you throw a smile on your face (even if you don't mean it one bit), soon without realizing it, your mood will begin to change for the better. Would you look at that! Hashem gave us a simple tool, to help us ease into a better mood. Try for yourself, and you will see it works. When we smile, our bodies release a substance called endorphins. Not only does this substance help lighten one's mood, but it helps relieve stress and it can even lessen pain. 

As we can see the clear health benefits of smiling, taking a look at gematria will help us understand smiling on a deeper level. The gematria for the word "לחיך" is 68 (30+8+10+20). 

1. The word חכם is also equal 68 in gematria. One who is truly a חכם will see Hashem's hand in everything which will cause him to smile.

2. The term כל הדאגה is equal to 68 in gematria. This term translates into "all the worries"...all the worries will what? All the worries will melt away when you smile. 

3. Here's a tip for all the ladies on the dating scene. The hebrew word for spouse/mate is בן זוג, and of course its gematria is none other than 68. What does this tell us? It never hurts to flash a smile or two (or keep one plastered onto your face), because you never know who is looking!

4. א׳ אלול is a very important date in the Jewish calendar. This is the day when Jews all over the world begin to do some "soul-searching", and look into their deeds and sins of the past year. It is the day when many Jews begin to take on new things, in hopes of cleaning one's slate for the coming new year. Of course the gematria for this important day is 68. Having this day in the Hebrew calendar should definitely be a cause of smiling, because look how lucky we are! We get an opportunity to 

reflect on our year and rectify our past sins. 

5. Here are a few words with the gematria of 68 thrown together.... "How great" מה טובו- 68 is our "life" חיים-68 that Hashem has given us! We are all "100 percent" מאה אחוז-68 "special" מיוחד-68, and we must embrace the lives we  have, and of course don't forget "to smile" לחיך-68, every step of the way! 

6. Here is a last one that is more on the wacky one but is sure to make you smile...the Hebrew word for discount is הנחה, and its gematria is 68. Now who doesn't smile after getting a big discount!?

Enjoy! And Smile 😁