Declaring Faith
As they entered the Holy Land, our ancestors were instructed to inscribe the entire Torah on huge stones and display it for all to see. This was a declaration of faith in G-d. Entering the Holy Land was a new beginning that
We cannot do as Saul did and pledge only our faith; we must also pledge our fidelity.
would require additional Divine protection, and when we are in need of Divine blessing it is appropriate to invoke G-d's name and proclaim our faith in Him.

The holiday of Rosh Hashanah also marks a new beginning that requires Divine blessing. As the new year approaches we beseech G-d to renew the past year's blessings and suspend its calamities and failures. As our ancestors did when they were in need, we too bolster our faith by devoting the month of Elul, the last month of the year, to somber reflection on the state of our relationship with G-d.

Pledging Allegiance
Our ancestors did not only declare their faith, they also inscribed and displayed the entire Torah, thus proclaiming their fidelity to G-d's commandments. Declaring our faith is not sufficient; to secure Divine blessing it is incumbent on us to pledge allegiance to G-d. This is aptly illustrated by King Saul's error.

Through the prophet Samuel, G-d instructed King Saul to annihilate the entire tribe of Amalek and its livestock. When Saul spared the livestock, intending to use them instead as gratitude offerings to G-d for his spectacular victory over Amalek, G-d told Samuel, "I regret that I have appointed Saul as king." Samuel saw that Saul had forfeited his Divine blessing and he rebuked him saying, "Obedience is greater than an offering."(1)

On the face of it, Saul's idea made sense; wanton slaughter of animals seems wasteful when they could serve instead as gratitude offerings to G-d. Would G-d not be glorified through the offering? The answer is no. G-d is glorified when we respect His wishes; not when we trade in His wish for a seemingly better idea. King Saul had ample faith in G-d, but he forfeited his blessing because he failed to obey G-d.

We cannot afford to repeat that mistake. For example, driving to the synagogue to attend Shabbat services might make for a more meaningful Shabbat experience than staying at home. Yet, the objective of Shabbat is not a day of meaningful rest; it is attachment to G-d, and the only way to connect with G-d is to do it His way. We cannot do as Saul did and pledge only our faith; we must also pledge our fidelity.

This is why we chant Psalm 27 twice daily during the month of Elul. This Psalm is a pledge of allegiance; it's opening verse, "G-d is my light and my assistance; whom shall I fear? G-d is the strength of my life; whom shall I dread?" outlines a three-step program that strengthens our bond with G-d.

Step One: G-d is My Light
It is often difficult to discern right from wrong. When we are confronted by two options, each of which seems as good as the next, how can we know which is better? Say, for example, two of your neighbors are in need of charity and you can afford to provide for only one. Who takes priority? Both choices seem proper; which is G-d's wish?

The first step is to acknowledge that "G-d is our light." On questions of moral ambiguity we don't have to grope in the dark, for the Torah illuminates our path by helping us discern right from wrong.

Whether it is Saul's dilemma about slaughtering livestock or our dilemma about allocating charitable funds, the right answer is always the one provided by G-d. In the case of charity, the Torah presents a hierarchy of priorities that places a kohen ahead of a Levite, and a Levite ahead of an Israelite, unless the latter is a greater Torah scholar than the former.(2) This might be counterintuitive; if it were left to us we might have chosen differently, but we must remember that our objective is fidelity to G-d rather than to our own understanding. Once we know the Torah's ruling, we know what we are required to do. We might not understand it at first glance, but we can trust G-d to know right from wrong.

Step Two: G-d is My Assistance
Knowing right from wrong is only half the battle. Doing the right thing despite our inclination to the contrary is more difficult. At times we know precisely which is right and which is wrong. No one needs to tell us that skipping our daughter's play to stay late at the office, skipping Shabbat services to enjoy a lazy day at home, skipping an anniversary dinner to play golf with friends, and experimenting with the forbidden when no one is watching are all
When we chant Psalm 27, we pray for the fortitude to follow the right path despite the obstacles.
wrong choices. Yet, we often succumb to the allure of the forbidden. Indeed, the Talmud tells us that our urge to sin wages an aggressive war against us and without G-d's assistance it would overcome us every day.(3)

When we chant Psalm 27, we pray for the fortitude to follow the right path despite the obstacles. "G-d is my assistance," we proclaim and pray for the inspiration to overcome the allure of the other path. We recognize that the odds are stacked against us. Our environment is not conducive to holiness and our inner inclination wages war against us every day. Yet, when "G-d is my assistance, whom shall I fear?" With G-d at my side, I know I can overcome.

Step Three: The Strength of My Life
If you are like me, you have let G-d down at least once during the course of the year past. Knowing how fickle is our commitment, it is easy to fall prey to the fog of insecurity, self-doubt and melancholy. This is where the resilience of the human spirit comes in.

No matter how low we have fallen, our buoyant spirit can claw its way back to the top. All we need is faith in G-d and confidence in our ability to recover. G-d loves us despite our failures; He knows our weaknesses; after all, He made them. But when we fall, He expects us to pick ourselves up and mount a return. He expects it because He knows we can do it; He knows because He made us. Plunging into the depths of depression and the morass of despair weakens life. G-d expects more of us; "He is the strength of our life."

"G-d is the strength of my life, whom shall I dread?" If G-d provides my strength, why should I dread my failures? I will confront them and claw my way back into G-d's book of life.

May we have the wisdom to choose G-d as our light, the courage to follow the path that He illuminates and the merit to be inscribed in the book of life.(4)

Footnotes
1) Samuel I, chapter 15.
2) Maimonides, "Laws of gifts to the poor", 8: 18.
3) Babylonian Talmud, Sukkah 52a.
4) Adapted from Likiutei Sichos, v IX, pp 170 – 174. See also p. 314 and 357.