Weekly Dvar Torah: Tehilim in Elul
It is a well-known Chabad custom that from the second day of Rosh Chodesh Elul until Yom Kippur we say an additional three chapters of Tehilim every day. It is interesting to know the background of how this custom came to be. When we read the story as the Frierdiker Rebbe recorded it and related it to us, it becomes even more fascinating and intriguing.
The Frierdiker Rebbe writes:
It was the first day of Elul, 1899, when I heard the Shofar blowing by my father, the Rebbe Rashab, I was reminded that it was the first day of Elul that corresponds to the day that Moshe Rabbeinu went up to heaven to plead for mercy. Thus, this moment signifies the opening of the gates of mercy.
Suddenly I remembered an incident that had occurred on this day ten years earlier, in which my father promised me that when I grow older he will fill me in with the details.
On the first day of Elul, 1889 (at the age of 9), I had come home from Cheder (school) for lunch and a 2-hour break. Full of youthful energy I arrived home, where I found my father in a very serious mood; his face was grim and he did not join us for lunch. He told me to hurry up with my meal, and afterwards I should join him in his room.
This was extremely unusual, my father would never disturb my resting break during the day, so I rushed my meal and I entered my father’s room, where I found him saying Tehilim. His eyelashes were moist and his eyes red from crying. I stood there silently waiting for him to complete the chapter.
My father closed his Tehilim, and turned to me with a holy sweetness, and he said:
“In 1869 when I too was 9 years old, on the first day of Elul, my father, the Rebbe Maharash, called me in and said:
“In 1843 when I was 9 years old, my father, the Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek, had returned from Petersburg (following the significant conference that sought to alter Jewish education in Russia). He called me in and said:
“Before I left for Petersburg, I instructed you to say Tehilim during my trip, for my success at this conference, which was to bring honor for G-d and for the Torah. This meeting which was scheduled to take from 7-10 days was extended to 8 weeks.
“In 1798 when I was 9 years old, my grandfather, the Alter Rebbe, called me in and said:
“I received from my mentor the Maggid of Mezritch who received from his mentor the Baal Shem Tov in the name of his esteemed mentor [the prophet Achiyah HaShiloni], that from the second day of Rosh Chodesh Elul until Yom Kippur three chapters of Tehillim should be recited daily…
“Now, continues my father (the Rebbe Rashab), “take a Tehilim and say the first three chapters of Tehilim, and you should be very particular to continue in this order. When you’ll mature I will please G-d tell all that I was told regarding this matter.
I wonder at myself, that ten years have already passed, and I kept up my father’s instruction to say three chapters of Tehilim every Elul, yet I forgot my father’s promise to tell me the rest of the story.
Finally, on the 18th of Elul, 1899, I remembered to ask my father about this, but I was embarrassed.
My father noticed that something was on mind, and he said: “I see that something is on your mind, don’t hesitate, ask and I’ll tell you.”
So I told him that recently I remembered that he told me a decade ago that he would fill me in with the details about saying Tehilim. All this time while I followed his instruction, I totally forgot about his promise to tell me whatever he had in mind about it, until the first of Elul this year, and even then, I still kept forgetting to ask.
My father responded; “I have been waiting for you to ask. My father also did not tell me about this until I asked.
“I too forgot to ask my father (the Rebbe Maharash) from when he spoke to me in 1869, until 1876, close to 8 years later. And then again, I kept forgetting until weeks later when I went to my father during Chanukah, and I remembered to ask.
“With an intense gaze, my father said: During the high holidays in the year 5608 (1847), my father (the Tzemach Tzedek) was in very strained mood, even during Sukkos he was deeply embittered, but nobody dared ask him why.
“On the day after Sukkos, he called in my older brother and he instructed him to arrange a Minyan to say Tehilim every morning no later than 4 am, until further notice. This, he emphasized, must remain confidential
“53 days later, my father told my brother that they can stop this daily recitation of Tehilim. From here on his mood changed to one of tremendous joy.
“A few weeks later at a Farbrengen in honor of 24th of Teves, the Yartzait of the Alter Rebbe, my father shared:
“On the first night of Rosh Hashanah, I saw that there was a grave accusation against Jews, particularly Torah scholars, and all my attempts to communicate with my grandfather, the Alter Rebbe, failed. I did, however, manage to see my father-in-law (the Miteler Rebbe), who confirmed that while the accusations are strong, and the situation was grave, the decree has not yet been sealed. So there’s a great need for prayer, but it must remain top secret, to prevent counterproductive results.
“Finally, on Simchas Torah when we sang his song of 4 stanzas, I saw my grandfather (the Alter Rebbe), and he told me that the cup of blessing of king David, the book of Tehilim, elevates us and annuls all decrees. He instructed the establishment of a Minyan to say Tehilim every morning no later than 4 am for 53 days. This would annul the decree.”
The Tzemach Tzedek concluded; Had you realized the potency of the verses of Tehilim and their celestial impact, you would be saying Tehilim at every opportunity. Understand that chapters of Tehilim shatter all boundaries, and they rise to the greatest heights without interference, and they prostrate themselves in front of the Master of all. With divine kindness and mercy, they accomplish their desired effect.
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The meticulous attention to detail is breathtaking. The Frierdiker Rebbe weaves a connection between the instruction to recite three chapters of Tehilim daily during Elul and the tradition passed down from Rebbe to Rebbe at the age of nine. The shared lapse of memory by both himself and his father regarding the rest of the narrative over the years is fascinating. It ties into the successful nullification of severe decrees by the Tzemach Tzedek, through the instruction of Tehilim recitation for a set duration. Moreover, the lineage of this tradition, extending from the Baal Shem Tov and his mentor, the prophet Achiya Hashiloni, all the way to include all the Rebbeiim, underscore its potency, particularly during Elul. This history empowers us to embrace the practice fervently, infusing it with heart and passion. In doing so, we possess the ability to annul potential decrees for ourselves and the entire Jewish nation to one of divine kindness and mercy, ushering in a joyous and sweet year 5784.
Have a Shabbos of divine kindness and mercy,
Gut Shabbos, Gut Chodesh
Rabbi Yosef Katzman
