Elul: The King Is in the Field

The King is in the Field: where are you?

Elul: The King Is in the Field

by Rabbi Ira Brawer, Shalom Boca Messianic Synagogue, Boca Raton, Florida

Once a year a king would leave his palace, where only special people could approach him under certain conditions, and go out in the field and be among his people, to rub elbows and walk among his subjects. A Jewish tradition reflecting this custom arose in the late 1700’s, affirming that during the month of Elul, God leaves his throne, where access is limited, sheds his royal garments, and puts on everyday clothes.

The idea was first developed by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of Chabad, based on his commentary on Parashat Re’eh.

According to this tradition, Elul is as a time of special closeness between God and the Jewish people, when God is “in the field,” immanent and approachable.Typically, we separate the holy from the mundane, six days of work and one day that is holy, Shabbat. During Elul, holy and mundane merge, because the King comes to us. We keep working, but he is there with us and our gifts to him are our lives of commitment, or re-commitment through teshuvah, and intimacy in relationship. 

[“Then I heard the voice of ADONAI saying: “Whom should I send, and who will go for Us?” So I said, “Hineni. Send me” (Isaiah 6:8). Yet, in the haftarah portion for this Shabbat, taken from Isaiah 52, we read “therefore My people will know My Name. Therefore in that day, I am the One who will be saying, ‘Hineni!’” (Isaiah 52:6).

The King is in the field and, when we make teshuva (turn back to Him; repentance), HaShem says “I will return to you and make Myself known to you!] 

So, each day of Elul (a Hebrew month has 30 days)and the Ten Days of Awe that follow is to combine Shabbat, worship, reflection, the study of Scripture, and repentance. While still working “in the field” with the King, we say selichot prayers, asking for God’s forgiveness; we repair relationships and engage in extra good deeds. It is a time for special daily prayers, the blowing of the shofar as a call to repentance, and reciting psalms,, especially Psalm 27.The rabbis saw the Hebrew letters for Elul, אלול, as an acronym for אני לדודי ודודי לי

   or “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine” (Song of Songs 6:3).

What a fitting way to express the intimacy and nearness of our King, not just during the forty days but every day!

Throughout Scripture, God is the one who takes the first step toward his people. He called to Adam in the garden. He pursued Israel through the prophets. And in Yeshua, the King literally walked among ordinary people, meeting fishermen by the sea, tax collectors at their tables, and sinners where they lived.

Indeed, this idea of the king coming down from the palace and his throne is exactly what Yeshua has done. Not just one month of the year, but he is in the “field” all the time. He left his throne, took off his robes of royalty, put on work clothes, and walked among th.e people. He is available all the time, but there are also times and seasons that remind us of his immanence.

The month of Elul and the Ten Days of Awe are just such times for us who know Messiah to draw near to him — but we must also speak out to our Jewish people that the King is in the field.