Rabbi Weinberg's Elul Thought for the Day

Tuesday August 25
Today is the fifth day of Elul! I had the privilege of attending a wedding last night!  It is always nice to be at a simcha especially in times like this.  I was struck by the seventh of the Sheva Brachot:  “Asher Bara Sason V’Simcha, Chatan v’Kalah, Gila, Rina, Ditza, V’Chedva…” We praise Hashem for creating all kinds of joy.  Why do we include the words Chatan and Kalah in that list? Yes, Hashem created them but they are not synonyms for joy at all. Rabbi Shmuel Goldin explains that for a Chatan and Kalah to experience all that joy they must first recognize that they are created beings and get to know themselves well.  The very first step towards growth is recognizing who you are and getting to know the person you have become.  This is the work of the month of Elul ahead of us:  Take a good look in the mirror and before you try to change, just see who is already standing there.