[Avodah] Some Thoughts for the End of Elul

[Prof. Levine]

In his essay Compromise and the Call of the Elul Shofar (Collected 
Writings II) RSRH writes

The year is drawing to a close and the sounds of the shofar
summon us to serious reflection. What has this year brought us, and
what have we become during that span since the last shofar tones
sounded following the Ne'ilah service, sending us on our way to a
vigorous life, seeking God and elevating ourselves toward Him?
where, and how, will the sounds of the shofar find us this year?
Have the highlights of the past year which were provided for us on
our journey through the cycle of the year accomplished their purpose?
There was Sukkoth with its flowers and fruits of "trust" and "rejoicing"
that decorated our homes and blessed our lives, There was
Chanukah with its burst of light from the spirit and courage of the
Maccabees followed by the message of the miracle of Purim. We
experienced Pesach with its matzoth. its bitter herbs, its brimming
cups of wine, all symbols of Israel's enslavement and Egypt's
arrogance, the fall of Egypt and our "liberation, rescue, deliverance
and selection"  There was Shevuoth
which led us to the flaming mountain, there to bring us the fiery Law
for our lives- Aish Dos

All those significant days were to make us more spiritual and more
courageous. They were to render us more thankful to God and to our
destiny, more conscious of our calling and more willing to make sacrifices
for it. The days of remembrance which we mark by fasts and
mourning were to recall the consequence of our own errors, and to
teach us that all the so-called alliances with" Assyria" and "Rome"
were unable to protect Israel once it had broken its covenant with
God. The faithful calls of the Sabbath and the New Moons that never
failed us, week after week, month after month,. were to bring us the
renewed message of God. Did the spirit of the Sabbath and the atonement
of the New Moon guide us through all the bright and dark days
of the year?

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