Rabbi Weinberg's Elul Thought for the Day

Wed Sept 9
Today is the twentieth day of Elul!
In the Mizmor “L’David Hashem Ori” which we have been saying in Elul, David HaMelech says: “One thing have I asked (shaalti) of the LORD, that will I ask for (avakesh).”  The Maharal (Or Chadash on Megilat Esther 5:5) notes that there is a difference between the two verbs used here to describe David’s request:  Sheelah and Bakasha.  He says that “sheelah” is what you ask for, whereas “bakasha” is what you really want.  So often we say one thing and mean something else.  So often we ask for something but know that deep down it is not really what we want.  How fortunate was David Hamelech when he realized that what he was asking for and what he really wanted were one and the same.  May we have the strength to work on aligning what we really want with what we actually ask for and find much inner peace.