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Elul

The Jewish Mystics liken the Hebrew month of Tishrei and the High Holidays to a king being in his palace. The villagers prepare themselves, dress in their very best, and with a mixture of joy and awe they visit the palace to crown their king. But in regards to the Hebrew month of Elul, they describe it as the king leaving his palace to enter the fields to visit his people as they are. In a spiritual sense, this means that at this time G-d is granting us easy access to feel our connection and deepen our relationship with Him.

In the late 18th century there lived a Hassid by the name of Shmuel Munkis. Every year, during the month of Elul, Shmuel wanted to maximize this special time and would travel to his teacher the Alter Rebbe for the inspiration and guidance he needed. One year he encountered a problem: He was broke. Anyone who wanted to travel a great distance in those days without a wagon had to travel by foot, even in the freezing Russian winter. Undeterred, Shmuel set off on the long journey.

As he trudged along the side of the road under torrents of snow, a wagon pulled up beside him. The driver called out to him and asked his destination. Seeing as they were heading in the same path, he offered him a ride. As excited as he was to find a lift, Shmuel had to sit on the back of the wagon under the cold open sky among barrels of vodka the driver was transporting. Freezing, he called out to the driver and asked permission to take a drink. He filled a small cup and as he drank, Shmuel finally began to feel warmth flow through his body.

When he reached his Rebbe’s town, Shmuel ran straight into the central synagogue and gathered his friends. “I understood a powerful insight on my journey here. I came to realize that we can be surrounded by warmth, but if we fail to internalize it into our beings, we will remain cold.”

Special moments of inspiration and wisdom are presented to us. It can be standing at the Western Wall or taking in a sunset at the beach with a loved one. The months of Elul and Tishrei are full of these unique opportunities to connect to something higher and greater. The key is to first be aware of this special moment, to then feel it deeply, and then to internalize it. To take in that warmth into our beings so that it affects who we are after it’s over. To implement changes to our daily schedule that reflects the impact and truth of those moments.

We have access to oxygen everywhere, but to enjoy its benefits we have to actually breathe it in. Standing by the pool on a hot day will not cool us off. The first step is to open ourselves to deeper connection to others, to ourselves, and to G-d. The next level is to decide that this is something we want as part of our entire lives.

Emunah - faith, stems from the word amon - craftsman. Like a silversmith who works on his sword continuously to form it, we need continual awareness and effort if we hope to internalize a spiritual truth. If we’re moved during a special moment, let’s try and bring that awareness into our daily lives. We know that any relationship worth having needs consistent nurturing. Through our efforts, may our souls feel satiation like a warm drink on a cold winter’s night..

DANIEL BORTZ, THE MILLENNIAL RABBI, IS THE FOUNDER OF JTEEN AND SOUL X. CONNECT AT RABBIBORTZ.COM.

Thanks to Magen David Adom

THIS 13-YEAR-OLD BOY HASN’T PLAYED HIS LAST SOCCER GAME

In early July, Eilon Gabriel Atel met up with friends for a friendly neighborhood soccer game. Suddenly, in the middle of the game, the 13-year-old boy grabbed his chest then went into cardiac arrest and collapsed.

His frightened friends were clearheaded enough to know what to do when someone’s life is in danger: call Magen David Adom’s 101 Emergency Dispatch Center. A paramedic at the dispatch center provided Eilon’s friends with primary medical instructions and one of the friends began CPR.

Within minutes, an MDA Life Support Ambulance and a Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU) arrived at the scene. MDA’s lifesaving team began performing advanced resuscitation, which included chest compressions, administering medications, and shocking Eilon’s heart with a defibrillator.

After several minutes, Eilon’s heart re-started. MDA paramedics continued medical treatment while evacuating him in the MICU to the hospital, where doctors continued to fight for his life until he regained consciousness shortly afterward.

“As soon as I arrived at the field, I saw a young boy unconscious and the people who were there performing basic resuscitation operations with guidance from the MDA dispatch center,” said Feras Rayes, a senior MDA EMT who arrived at the soccer field first.

“This is not a common situation to perform resuscitation operations on a young boy and we really fought for him,” said Amit Orenshten, an MDA paramedic. “In the first few seconds after using the defibrillator, I saw on the screen that Eilon’s heart was beating again and we were all very relieved. His friends really shouted for joy on the soccer field.”

“We have no words to thank the medic at the MDA dispatch center who instructed those how to start performing the resuscitation operations and the teams that arrived quickly at the soccer field and brought Eilon back to us,” said Meshi Atal, Eilon’s mother. “We have no doubt that without their dedicated care in the first and critical minutes, Eilon would not have been with us today. Thanks to Feras and Amit, we won him back.”