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                                   Shmuel Menachem Chaim Ben Daniel V'Shoshana A"H -

  Parshas Eikev-   Pre-game Warm-ups!

 In this week's Parsha, Moshe Rabbeinu recalls the episode of Hashem giving a second pair of Luchos to Bnei Yisrael. Moshe tells over how Hashem had instructed him to carve out two stone Tables, identical to the first ones, with the exact same inscription of the Ten Commandments. One thing that caught my attention is that this piece of the Parsha does not seem to fit. If one reads through the Parsha, this part about the Luchos seems to be a little random and out of place. Immediately, I thought that a much more appropriate location for this section would have been in last week's Parsha, right after the revelation at Har Sinai and Kabbalas HaTorah. There, it would have made sense to mention the giving of the second set of Luchos as well. The fact that the Parsha of the new Luchos is on its own indicates to us that it teaches a lesson on its own, and does not need to be connected to anything else.
 
            We are currently in a very interesting time period in the Jewish calendar. We have completed the period of mourning of the 3 weeks, 9 days, which culminated with Tisha B'Av. Elul is not for another 2 weeks. We are stuck in between Tisha B'Av and the month of Elul. What do we do with this time? Do we take a breather to relax and catch our breath before Elul comes? After all, the 3 weeks were pretty tough, and we could really use a break. Or, do we start getting our act together now, and not wait for Elul to come?
 
            This week's Parsha tells us that Hashem gave us the SECOND set of Luchos, which were IDENTICAL to the first set. Hashem is giving us a second chance. And it is an identical one, with no strings attached or fine print. This is occurring in Parshas Eikev, two weeks before Elul. As strenuous as Tisha B'Av may have been, we cannot let our guard down and wait to Elul to come to start having some self-introspection. I am speaking for myself when I say that when Elul comes, it is really hard to feel anything. Elul is supposed to be scary, yet the only thing I find myself feeling scared about is the fact that I am not scared. By the time I start getting my act together, Rosh Hashanah is just a few days away. When an important event is approaching, don't wait for it to come to you. I can, and I should, start preparing beforehand. If I make it my business to get to Yankee Stadium before the game even starts to see the players warming up, all the more so I should make it my business to get to the "Pre-Elul Warm-ups." Just as one must stretch before he starts to exercise, we must "stretch" our neshomas as well before we get to Elul. This is what I am proposing. That we should start taking advantage of our second chance now and start preparing.
 
            The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Zt"l, comments that the Luchos represent a Tzadik. The tablets themselves represent the physical body, but the words, which are inscripted in stone and cannot be erased, represent the spirituality. A Tzadik is one who fuses his spirituality and physicality into one. He does act spiritual in some places and physical in other places. He is spiritual constantly, and he uses the physical body as an instrument to carry out his spiritual tasks. I would add on to say that we know that part of the miracle of the Luchos is that the words were inscribed through and through, yet if no matter which side you turned the Luchos over, the words were always going in the correct direction. They were never backwards. Similarly, a Tzadik's ways are unwavering. No matter what position he is put in and no matter what situation he finds himself in, the spirituality will always be going in the correct direction. Hashem gave us a second set of Luchos. He gave us another shot at becoming tzadikim, and we are all capable of bringing that tzadik out from within us.
 
            We recently read the Megillah of Eicha, which laments and mourns over our failures and shortcomings as servants to Hashem. We messed up big time, and we had to pay the price. But now Tisha B'Av is over, we must begin to rebuild ourselves, both as a nation and as individuals. As Rav Judah, Shlita, said last week, the only way we can feel comfort, nechama, is through building. Our building will be our comfort. Rabbi Frand, Shlita, in his acclaimed Listen to Your Messages, has an interesting play on words with the word Eicha. Eicha literally means "how could this be/how could this happen?" and we say it in regards to what we have done against Hashem. However, if you change around the vowels of the word, it can be read as "Ayeka" which means "where are you." Rabosai, Baruch Hashem we have gotten through the stage of Eicha. Now, 2 weeks before Elul, we are at the stage of Ayeka. This week's Parsha tells us that we have a second chance. Hashem is asking us, before Elul even comes, "where are you? It is time for you to repent and come back to Me!" May we all be zoche to have an effective and meaningful preparation for Elul itself, so that we can become those Tzadikim that we are meant to be.
 


 
HAVE AN UPLIFTING AND JOYOUS SHABBOS!!!(Suggestions? Comments? Interested in writing for SaMeaCH? Please feel free to contact Aaron Fleksher at aaronflek@gmail.com)