And So Our Eyes Met

Life is about relationships.

Meaningful heart/soul connections (with self, family, community, etc) are the skeleton upon which we lay the healthy flesh of a meaningful life
And our relationships - unique as they each may be - have some shared characteristics. For example, all healthy relationships have an element of safety. I don't mean physical safety; I'm speaking about psychological and emotional security, the sense that you know where you stand, and that you can (figuratively) exhale.

That “sense of safety” can turn on subtle factors. When you walk into a room and meet someone's eyes, the initial flicker of recognition – or its absence - can tell you whether it’s a good time for conversation. If you’re sensitive, you can usually sense where "it's safe to tread.”

A relationship with G-d follows the same model.  Safety is key.
And for some people it isn't easy. Sometimes it's difficult to feel close and secure. It may not be easy to feel a confidence that if we raise our eyes to meet G-d's, we’ll be met with a welcoming glance.

Which is why we need Elul.

What’s Elul?

Elul is the month which leads us into the High Holidays. The Holidays are a time of emotional intensity, an opportunity to deepen our relationships with ourselves and the Divine.

But for that we need preparation; we need the Elul warm-up.

Chassidic thought describes Elul with the depiction of a loving king who leaves his chambers’ glamour, entering the field so that he might meet his subjects on their own turf.

Why would he do that?

Because he wants his subject to feel safe forming a real relationship; so they need to feel his desire for a connection with them, even as they are. They need to feel that he’s ready for their eyes to meet his.  

Because when they do meet his eyes, they’ll get the message they need: We – you and I - have a relationship. In order to strengthen that relationship, we – you and I - need to acknowledge its weaknesses; and that’s okay, because we’re in a safe relationship.

This coming Monday evening (8/9), we enter the month of Elul. It’s a special month.

Please take this opportunity to pull your gaze from life’s distractions, so that you can meet G-d’s eyes; I know He’s looking your way.