ACRONYM
An abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word.
Funnily enough, ACRONYM is also an acronym.
Arithmetically Coded Reminders Of Names You Misremember.
Whew!
Acronym works for me.
ELUL is an acronym.
Elul is the name of the Hebrew month preceding the High Holidays.
The acronym for Elul is the well known phrase
Ani LDodi VDodi Li
(I know the letters don’t match up, but trust me, it does in the original Hebrew.)
The meaning of the phrase is I am for my Beloved as my Beloved is for me.
In this month we are supposed to take the opportunity to come closer to one another in order to strengthen and repair relationships so when we get to Rosh Hashana we have done the work necessary to repair our relationship with the Master of the Universe.
There is a parable told of a grocer who realized that he was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Without an immediate infusion of cash, his business would fold. The grocer rushed to see the town magnate to request a loan. When he arrived at the office he was told he needed to wait.
He was so nervous, he paced anxiously back and forth.
After an hour he once again requested an audience and was told that the tycoon was still in a meeting.
The grocer resumed his frantic pacing.
Finally, the mogul emerged from his office, on his way to another meeting.
The grocer presented his desperate case, and the notable gentlemen generously agreed to extend the required loan.
He left a very appreciative and relieved grocer in his wake.
A few moments later, the wealthy gentleman ran into another petitioner.
This person said, hey, great to run into you, I happen to need a loan, can you help me out?
The man of means gently refused and said he was not giving out loans today.
The second petitioner was incensed, he knew the grocer had just received a sizable loan.
(We don’t know how he knew this, but remember, it’s a parable!)
The wealthy man responded to the critique by saying that the grocer’s plea cannot be compared with his.
After all, the grocer was anxious, stayed in the office all day, paced up and down like a caged lion, until he could finally present his case.
You, the donor said, are treating your situation like a last minute thought, no preparation and no skin in the game.
Your plea is a weak one! So I sorry I can’t help you today.
When we enter the High Holidays we want to be prepared, show we care and mean it.
How do we know what to do?

The hints abound, in the acronym of Elul and in the Torah portions of this month.
Elul says I am for my beloved.
First word is “I”.
If I want to love someone else, I have to love and take care of myself first.
It is a healthy person who has the wherewithal to see what lacks for another.
After I take care of myself, I need to be the one to initiate the care of someone else.
One shouldn’t wait for Chessed, opportunities to care for others, to present themselves.
We need to be creative in the kindness we do. We need to read the room and figure out what would be most helpful to ease the pain of another.
Another hint comes from this week’s Torah portion which is called Ki Tavo.
Moshe, Moses, is teaching some of the commandments which will be applicable when they enter the Land of Israel.
One such Mitzva is called Bikurim, or first fruits.
A farmer is required to take the first fruits from his crop to the Temple in Jerusalem. These fruits will be used to feed the Tribe of Levi who are the teachers and are not awarded their own portion in the Land Of Israel.
One of the many themes of the Bikurim is gratitude.
The farmer makes a declaration that we had been enslaved in Egypt and we prayed and we were redeemed and now I am the proud owner of this beautiful bounty.
This declaration awakens a feeling of immense gratitude for the road traveled and the destination of bounty which has been accomplished.
This Torah portion is read in Elul because it reminds us to be so grateful for the gifts we have received. If we are in gratitude mode, we are less likely to gossip, be envious or even steal from someone else.
We know that what we have is what we need. And focusing on that blessing will breed joy and appreciation.
So it seems that in order to fully utilize Elul to prepare for the High Holidays, some of the tactics we can employ are love for ourselves and those in our orbit, as well as living in gratitude.
But it’s not enough to feel it.
We must do actions to concretize those feelings.
The actions should be small, doable and sustainable, something we can really achieve.
It may mean smiling once a day at the grumpy neighbor, or making a call to a lonely person you know.
Those actions will reverberate in ways we can never imagine.
Like the story of Good Morning Mr. Muller or the kosher supervisor whose life was saved by the word “goodnight”.
IFYKYK
Shabbat Shalom and so much love!