THE KING IS IN THE FIELD - מלך בשדה - MELEK BASHEDA
Ecclesiastes 5:9: ”Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king [himself] is served by the field.”
Ecclesiastes 5:9: “There is a profit in the land over all else, for the king is sustained by the field.”
The 6th month of the Biblical calendar is the month of Elul which in Hebrew means harvest as well as to examine, glean, search out, and evaluate. (It is also the 12th month of the Jewish civil year and if you are confused, welcome inti Jewish space!)
In the 7th month of Tishrei, we celebrate the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanna, Yom Kippur (The Feast of Trumpets The Day of Atonement and The Feast of Tabernacles). It is the ending of the year which is a time to reflect over the past year and determine where you are in your life and where you are going.
Back in the days of King Solomon, it was a common practice for Kings to leave their royal palace and mingle with their people. When the king was sitting on his throne in the royal court, you could not approach him unless summoned. We see a depiction of this in the Book of Esther. Hamman was doing everything in his power to destroy the Jewish people and Mordechai insisted that Queen Esther must go into the king’s court to intercede with the king but Esther responded:
“All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces fully understand that for anyone, man or woman, who approaches the king in the inner courtyard without being summoned, he has one law—that he be put to death, unless the king extends his golden scepter permitting him to live” (Esther 4:11).
But, once a year, when the king was in the field, you could approach him and ask favours of him, without the fear of death. Thus, the month of Elul is a mosy auspicious time to make all “requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made on behalf of all people” (1 Timothy 2:1).
In Judaism, we believe that the month of Elul is a special time for drawing close to God. It is indeed special if you spend a month in repentance and refection over your relationship with God and with others.
The origins of Elul as a month of special Divine grace and mercy go back to the time of Moses over three thousand years ago during the first year after the Jewish people went out from Egypt. Seven weeks after they left Egypt they received the Law at Mt. Sinai and entered into their eternal covenant with God as His chosen people. They were chosen to be the bearers of the Light, to introduce the world to the knowledge that God is just one God, not the multiple gods that everyone worshipped.
Then just 40 days later they violated that special relationship by worshipping a golden calf and Moses smashed the stone tablets which had the ten commandments written on them. He then returned to the mountain on the first day of Elul with another set of tablets for God to inscribe the commandments again.
He stayed another 40 days on the mountain during which time he obtained God’s forgiveness and reconciliation with the people of Israel Ever since that time the month of Elul serves as a month of Divine mercy and forgiveness.
Rabbi Shne’ur Zalman of Liadi, also known as the Alter Rebbe, gives a parable that grants us further insight into the month of Elul. Throughout this month, G-d, so-to- speak, is like a king who stands in the field outside his royal city, where he greets all his subjects with a loving countenance.
The ‘field’ represents the material world, a spiritually uncultivated place. Man is given the mission to transform this world into a Divine dwelling – a holy ‘palace’ fit for the King of kings.
To transform material existence might seem a formidable challenge. Therefore, the Alter Rebbe emphasizes that the King is with you in the field. Although at first it appears barren, a field possesses enormous potential within; it only requires the human being to come and plant tiny seeds, and the field will bear fruit.
And every step of the way, the King Himself is by your side, assisting, and blessing your every effort with success. May this period of introspection and our efforts to be reconciled with others, bear much fruit to the glory of God and the extension of His Kingdom!
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